Quwat Salahaddin
| Full name | Quwat Salahaddin Al-Ayoubi | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1957 | ||
| Dissolved | 1975 | ||
| League | Iraqi National First Division | ||
|
| |||
Quwat Salahaddin (Arabic: قوات صلاح الدين, lit. 'Salahaddin Forces') was an Iraqi football team based in Habbaniyah which competed in the Iraq Central FA League from the 1962–63 season until the 1972–73 season. They also competed in Iraq's first national football league in the 1973–74 season.
History
Quwat Salahaddin were founded as Al-Firqa Al-Thalitha (Arabic: الفرقة الثالثة, lit. 'Third Division') and were originally based in Baqubah before moving to Habbaniyah.[1] Al-Firqa Al-Thalitha won the Iraq Central FA League on one occasion in 1965–66 and also won the Iraq Central FA Perseverance Cup on two occasions in 1963 and 1966. In 1972, the team was renamed to Quwat Salahaddin.
In 1974, the Iraq Football Association decided to implement a clubs-only policy for domestic competitions, forming the Iraqi National Clubs First Division which was only open to clubs and not institute-representative teams such as Quwat Salahaddin.[2] With the IFA dictating that only a single club would be allowed to represent the Army in the new top-flight, Al-Jaish Sports Club was established on 18 August 1974 by the Iraqi Olympic Committee,[3] replacing Quwat Salahaddin, Quwat Al-Nasr and Al-Quwa Al-Bahriya in the top-flight.
Quwat Salahaddin participated in the 1974–75 Armed Forces League, after which most of the team's players joined Al-Jaish SC and the newly-formed Salahaddin SC.[1]
Honours
Major
- Iraq Central FA League
- Iraq Central FA Second Division
- Winners (1): 1961–62
- Iraq Central FA Perseverance Cup
Minor
- Army Cup
- Winners (2): 1961, 1963
- Quartet Cup
- Winners (1): 1963
References
- ^ a b "Iraq 1974/75". RSSSF. 25 July 2019.
- ^ "Iraqi Football League History" (in Arabic). NIIIIS.com. 9 January 2017.
- ^ Mubarak, Hassanin (2020). Birth of the Lions of Mesopotamia: The early years of football in Iraq. ISBN 979-8670555623.