ASFAR (football club)

The Association Sportive des Forces Armées Royales (; ASFAR), also known as the Royal Army Club (), is a professional sport club based in Morocco's capital city (Rabat-Salé).

The club was founded in 1958 soon after Morocco had gained their independence, and is one of the most famous football clubs in Morocco. ASFAR  is an abbreviation for Sports Association the Royal Armed Forces. 

ASFAR is the Most winning official titles in total 29 titles, And became the first club in Morocco to win one of the African cup competitions, the African Cup of Champions Clubs in 1985, and has never been relegated to the Moroccan Second Division, with his Historical rivals Wydad Casablanca and Raja Casablanca, and matches Between the parties are known as "Moroccan Clasico", And a big other match are known as "Capital city Derby" against his neighbor FUS Rabat.

ASFAR is the most successful moroccan club of the 20st century, and was ranked first locally, 10 continental and 201 universally, in the international rankings of clubs during the first ten years of the 21st century (2001-2010), issued by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics in 2011.

History

The ASFAR was founded on 1 September 1958, by the initiative of the Crown Prince at Molay Al Hassan, who was from football fans, After a decree signed, As a High Commander of the Moroccan Royal Army. 
The exploration of players from the Royal Armed Forces، and work with them to develop all levels (technical level, fitness management, sportsmanship.) for an integrated team.

One year after its creation, the football team, still in second division, wins his first Throne Cup. The same year the club ranks first in division of the Moroccan Championship. In Moroccan Throne Cup, they manage to hide in eighths of final and then face the Wydad Casablanca, the latter is beaten on the score of 1-0. During the final quarters, the military defeat the Fath Union Sport Rabat at the first Capital city derby opposing them, The ASFAR win this match on the 3-1 score.
The final took place on December 14, 1959 face Mouloudia Oujda won the first two editions of the throne cup and prepares to make a triple while the military, for their first season, a cut of the throne would be the ideal. Finally the ASFAR win this match on the 1-0 score that is stuck at Stade Mohammed V.

The period 1959-1971 is the ASFAR's Age's golden during which it won seven champion titles and two throne cups. It was also the period of the Great Team with players who marked the club's history as Benslimane, Bamous, Fadili, Bakha, Khalifa, Ammar, Allal, Ammari, and so many others. The framework of the Moroccan National Team of the time consisted of ASFAR players.

Grounds

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Rabat, Morocco. It is named after Prince Moulay Abdellah of Morocco. It was built in 1983 and is the home ground of ASFAR. It is currently used mostly for football matches and it can also stage athletics. The stadium holds 52,000. Since 2008 it is host of the Meeting International Mohammed VI d'Athlétisme de Rabat. It was a confirmed venue for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations until Morocco was stripped of its hosting rights. It was also a venue for the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup.

Sports Center of FAR

Honours

Domestic

Leagues
Moroccan League First Division
Winners (12): 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1984, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2008
Runners-up (7): 1960, 1971, 1991, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2013

Moroccan League Second Division
Winners (1): 1959

Cups
Moroccan Throne Cup
Winners (11) – Record: 1959, 1971, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009
Runners-up (5): 1988, 1990, 1996, 1998, 2012
Moroccan Super Cup
Winners (4) – Record: 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963

International
CAF Champions League
Winner (1): 1985

CAF Confederation Cup
Winner (1): 2005
Runners-up (1): 2006

Afro-Asian Club Championship
Runners-up (1): 1986

African Cup Winners' Cup
Runners-up (1): 1997

CAF Super Cup
Runners-up (1): 2006

Friendly competitions
Trofeo Ciudad de Marbella
Winner (1): 1977

Mohammed V Trophy
Runners-up (2): 1967, 1970

North African Cup of Champions
Runners-up (1): 2008

International elite championship
Runners-up (1): 2008

Ahmed Antifit Tournament
Runners-up (1): 2009

Records and statistics

Top scorers in Botola

The ASFAR controls the title of Top scorers in Botola, which has the largest number of scorers a total of 14 times.

National competitions
The ASFAR was the first Club to win the Botola in four consecutive years (1961-1962-1963-1964) and the only team that achieved a triple throne Cup on two occasions, years (1984-1985-1986) and years (2007-2008-2009), and was the only team that has honorably keep the glasses in his locker.

* The club has made a year after having been suspended by the Moroccan federation. Because when the season that preceded, the club had lost a match by 3–0 against the MAS and players had beaten the referee at the end of the meeting. During this year, the team had played tournaments and friendlies.

Performance in CAF competitions

At the continental level, AS FAR is the first Moroccan club to have participated in an African Cup; It was in 1968, when it has reached the stage of the semi-finals of the African Cup of Champions Clubs. She was also the first Moroccan club to win the CAF Champions League, in 1985.

CAF Champions League: 6 appearances
2005 – Second Round
2006 – Second Round
2007 – Group stage
2008 – Preliminary Round
2009 – First Round
2014 – Preliminary Round

African Cup of Champions Clubs: 5 appearance
1968 – Semi-finals
1985 – Champion
1986 – Quarter-finals
1988 – Semi-finals
1990 – Second Round

CAF Confederation Cup: 5 appearances
2004 – Intermediate Round
2005 – Champion
2006 – Finalist
2010 – First Round
2013 – Intermediate Round

CAF Cup Winners' Cup: 5 appearances
1987 – Quarter-finals
1997 – Finalist
1999 – Quarter-finals
2000 – Quarter-finals
2001 – Second Round

CAF Super Cup: 1 appearances
2006 – Finalist

African cups all-time statistics

Players

First team squad
As of 1 October 2019.

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Managers

Current technical staff 

 Last updated: 21 March 2019

Former coach

 Fin Mohamed Anouar (shtoki) (1958–59)	
 Fin Larbi Benbarek (1959–60)
 Guy Cluseau (1960–69)
 Mustafa El Ghazouani (1969–70)
 Sabino Barinaga (1970–71)
 Blagoje Vidinić (1971–72)
 Anoul dos Santos (1972–73)
 Amar Ben Siffedine (1972–73)
 Sabino Barinaga (1973–74)
 Fin Driss Bamous (1973–74)
 Guy Clisaux (1974–80)
 Sabino Barinaga (1980–82)
 Mircea Dridea (1982–83)
  Fin José Faria (1983–88)
  Antonio Angelillo (1988–90)

  Fin José Faria (1990–92)
 Mustapha Dafarallah (1992–93)
  Mário Wilson (1993–95)
 Jesualdo Ferreira (1995–96)
 Carlos Alhinho (1996–97)
 Henri Depireux (1997–98)
 Georges Heylens (1998–99)
 Rachid Taoussi (1999–2000)
 Henri Depireux (2000–2001)
 Alain Giresse (July 1, 2001 – June 30, 2003)
 Mohamed Fakhir (2004–05)
 Henri Stambouli (March 1, 2006 – Jan 6, 2007)
 Jaouad Milani (2007)
 Mustapha Madih (2007–2008)
 Mohamed Fakhir (2008–2009)

 Walter Meeuws (July 16, 2009 – Nov 7, 2009)
 Aziz El Amri (2010)
 Mustapha Madih (2010–2011)
 Fathi Jamal (Nov 1, 2011 – April 16, 2012)
 Rachid Taoussi (July 1, 2012 – Dec 7, 2012)
 Abderrazak Khairi (Dec 7, 2012 – June 25, 2013)
 Jaouad Milani (July 1, 2013 – Oct 1, 2013)
 Rachid Taoussi (Oct 22, 2013 – Dec 13, 2014)
 José Romão (2015–16)
 Abdelmalek El Aziz (2016–16)
 Aziz El Amri (2016–2018)
 Abderrazak Khairi (2018)
 Mohamed Fakhir (2018–18)
 Carlos Alós Ferrer (2019–)

Sports Club

There are several other sporting branches in the club besides football professionally and the results of the Club in those prestigious results are sports and distinct local and continental levels.

Supporters
ASFAR has the largest number of supporters of any team in Morocco, The greater the focus of fans are in The region Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, It has a population of 4,580,866.

Also, the club has an important fan base inside the country, where several towns are renowned for counting vast majorities of ASFAR supporters, and outside the borders, among Moroccan emigrants.

The ASFAR Ultras movement began in 2005, when the bases of Ultras Askary Rabat (UAR), the first Ultras group in Morocco, And The second group Black Army (BA) was created in 2006, Their sanctuary is the southern Included of the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

References

External links

Official club website
Official supporters website

Category:Football clubs in Morocco
Category:Football clubs in Rabat
Category:Association football clubs established in 1958
Category:Sport in Rabat
Category:1958 establishments in Morocco
Category:Sports clubs in Morocco
 
Category:North_African_football_club_stubs 
Category:Sport_in_Salé
Category:Multi-sport clubs in Morocco