Al-Khaleej FC
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| Full name | Khaleej Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Al-Danah (The Pearls) Al-Nusoor (The Eagles) | ||
| Founded | 1945 | ||
| Ground | Prince Nayef Sports City Stadium Qatif, Saudi Arabia | ||
| Capacity | 12,000 | ||
| Owner | Ministry of Sport | ||
| Chairman | Alaa Al-Hamal | ||
| Head coach | José Gomes | ||
| League | Saudi Pro League | ||
| 2025–26 | Pro League, 12th of 18 | ||
| Website | khaleejclub | ||
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Khaleej Club (Arabic: نادي الخليج, lit. 'Gulf Club'), better known as Al-Khaleej FC, is a Saudi Arabian professional football and multi-sport club based in Saihat, in the Eastern Province, that competes in the Saudi Pro League, the top tier of the Saudi football league system.[1]
History
The club was founded in 1945, under the name "Al-Nasr Club" (meaning "Eagle") with its yellow and black emblem. It was officially recognized as one of the clubs of the Eastern Province in 1968. Later, its name was changed to "Al-Khaleej Club" with a yellow and green emblem by order of King Faisal.[2]
Ground
Al-Khaleej is a football club based in Saihat, a city in the Qatif Governorate of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. Over the years, the club has played its home matches at various venues, including Prince Nayef Sports City Stadium in Qatif and Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam. In 2024, it was announced that the club’s old training ground would be redeveloped into a modern football stadium (Al-Khaleej Club Stadium).[3] This development will finally allow Al-Khaleej to play its home games in its own city.
Coaching staff
- Head coach: José Gomes
- Assistant coach: Mauricio Taricco
- Goalkeeper coach: Bander Al-Awwad
- Fitness coach: Panagiotis Voulgaris
- Match analysis: Abdulaziz Al-Bakr
- Sporting director: Constantin Pană
- Doctor: Abdulelah Al-Marzouq
- Physiotherapist: Nawaf Al-Dossari
- Technical director: Hussain Hawsawi
Managerial history
Hamadah El Menshawy (1983 – 1989)- Zaki Osman (1990 – 1991)
Ahmad Al-Ajlani (1997 – 1999)
Khaled Al-Marzouq (May 1, 1999 – October 11, 1999)
Abdelkrim Bira (October 11, 1999 – March 1, 2000)
Angel (July 6, 2000 – March 1, 2001)- Khaled Al-Marzouq (March 1, 2001 – June 1, 2004)
- Yousef Al Suryati (August 9, 2004 – February 7, 2005)
- Khaled Al-Marzouq (February 7, 2005 – October 31, 2006)
Jan Kmoch (caretaker) (October 31, 2006 – January 8, 2007)- Lotfi Benzarti (January 8, 2007 – May 20, 2007)
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Ricardo Formosinho (August 3, 2007 – November 4, 2007)- Khaled Al-Marzouq (November 4, 2007 – May 30, 2008)
- Samir Sellimi (June 23, 2008 – November 17, 2008)
- Sameer Hilal (November 17, 2008 – May 31, 2009)
- Khaled Al-Marzouq (June 8, 2009 – May 1, 2010)
Eelco Schattorie (July 27, 2010 – January 5, 2011)- Abderrazek Chebbi (January 5, 2011 – May 16, 2011)
- Ahmed El Agouz (July 29, 2011 – November 5, 2011)
- Khaled Al-Marzouq (November 5, 2011 – May 30, 2012)
- Ayman Ragab (July 1, 2012 – May 24, 2013)
- Sameer Hilal (May 28, 2013 – April 6, 2014)
- Jalel Kadri (April 29, 2014 – May 30, 2016)
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Patrick De Wilde (June 9, 2016 – August 30, 2016)- Jalel Kadri (August 30, 2016 – May 5, 2017)
Eusebiu Tudor (May 18, 2017 – January 6, 2018)
Maher Al-Shammari (January 6, 2018 – May 1, 2018)- Sameer Hilal (May 27, 2018 – June 1, 2019)
Alen Horvat (July 7, 2019 – December 14, 2019)- Mohammed Tlemceni (caretaker) (December 14, 2019 – January 1, 2020)
- Kheïreddine Madoui (January 9, 2020 – September 20, 2020)
- Sameer Hilal (September 23, 2020 – June 1, 2021)
Dejan Arsov (July 13, 2021 – November 23, 2021)- Paulo Gomes (November 23, 2021 – May 6, 2022)
- Khaled Al-Marzouq (caretaker) (May 6, 2022 – June 1, 2022)
- Pedro Emanuel (July 3, 2022 – June 23, 2024)
Georgios Donis (July 11, 2024 – April 23, 2026)
Gus Poyet (April 23, 2026 – May 28, 2026)- José Gomes (May 28, 2026 – present)
Players
Current squad
- As of 4 August 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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U21 squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours
- Saudi First Division League
- Prince Faisal bin Fahd Cup for Division 1 and 2 Teams
- Winners (1): 1999–00
- Runners-up (1): 2008–09
Handball
The handball team is one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having won the league title 10 times.
Partners
Laser Erima
Honours
Asian Club League Handball Championship
- Winners (1): 2023-2024 Asian Club League Handball Championship
Arab Handball Championship of Champions
- Winners (2): 2002, 2007
- Runners-up (4): 1983, 1984, 1985, 1995
- Winners (10): 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98, 2000–01, 2022–23, 2023–24
- Runners-up (Since 2005): 2005–06, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22
Saudi Handball Federation Cup
- Winners (9): 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Runners-up(12): 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1992, 1997, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2021
Saudi Handball Elite Championship
- Runners-up (4): 2003, 2005, 2015, 2019
Saudi Handball Super Cup
- Winners (2): 2023, 2024
Saudi Handball Olympic Games
- Winners (2): 2022, 2023
Saudi Beach Handball Championship
- Runners-up (1): 2022
Current squad
Squad for the 2024–25 season
Head coach: Dimitris Dimitroulias
- Goalkeepers
- 12 Abdullah Alabdalali
- 16 Mohammad Al-Salem
- 33 Hussain Al-Mohsen
- Left wingers
- 2 Mohamed Al Meskeen
- 4 Hassan Al Mubarak
- Right wingers
- 7 Mohammed Al Meskeen
- 59 Hassan Al-Turaiki
- Line players
- 3 Ali Al-Ibrahim
- 5 Jawad Jaffal
- 77 Marhoon Al-Maa
- 87 Jawad Al Ghafli
- Left backs
- 31 Nemanja Mladenović
- 78 Hassan Al Ibrahim
- 94
Ameen Zakkar
- Centre backs
- 1 Sadiq Al-Mohsin
- 10 Jehad Al Saihati
- 11 Sajad Al Shuwaikhat
- 13 Petar Nenadić (Joined for the 2023 IHF Men's Super Globe & 26th Asian Club League Handball Championship)
- 23 Mohammed Hani Al Basha
- 34 Mansour Al Saihati
- Right backs
- 19
Shinnosuke Tokuda (Joined for the 2023 IHF Men's Super Globe & 26th Asian Club League Handball Championship) - 66 Rami Al Mutairi
See also
References
- ↑ "نادي الخليج". Saudipedia (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ↑ "تاريخ التأسيس". Al-Khaleej Club Official Website (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ↑ "«منشأة الخليج» الجديدة... أيقونة رياضية عنوانها «صناعة الأبطال»". Asharq Al-Awsat (in Arabic). 27 March 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2025.