2008–09 Al-Zawraa SC season

Before the start of the 2008-09 season, The Iraq Football Association announced that they are no longer able to afford financing the Iraqi clubs and hence each club had to get an official sponsor. Since the Iraqi clubs are based on institutions, military bases and ministries, Al-Zawraa's official sponsor is Ministry of Transport.

The Problem began when Amer Abdul-Jabbar, the Minister of Transport offered financing the club but in exchange of changing the club's name From Al-Zawraa to Transport. But when Al-Zawraa fans heard this news, 8 million Iraqis announced their Civil disobedience if they change Al-Zawraa name.[1] Even the Iraq Football Association refused the idea of changing Al-Zawraa's name. Salam Hashim the current President of the club made a middle Solution to change Al-Zawraa name from Al-Zawra to Al-Zawraa Transport, both the fans and the Minister of Transport refused the idea.

In the middle of the 2008-09 season, Salam Hashim announced that Al-Zawraa will withdraw from the Iraqi League and the AFC Cup if no one give Al-Zawraa a helping hand, but the Prime Minister of Iraq Nouri al-Maliki reacted and gave Al-Zawraa 10 Million Iraqi Dinars for their camping in the Iraqi League and the AFC Cup, he promised monthly finance backing.

At the beginning of the season. Al-Zawraa had to sell their key players like top scorer Abdul-Salam Abood, the Defensive Midfielder Mohannad Nassir and the main goalkeeper Ahmad Ali Jaber due to financial problems. They bought only young players and using some from Al-Zawraa's youth team. But in a brave act from the Iraq national football team’s goalkeeper Mohammed Gassid who moved to Al-Zawraa for a cheap salary saying he doesn’t care about the money and he loves Al-Zawraa and playing for Al-Zawraa is like a dream to him. Similar act happened from Haidar Sabah who preferred to come back to Al-Zawraa instead of extending his contract with Arbil FC, the richest team in Iraq.

Before the winter transfers period, the 34-year-old striker and the son of the club Hesham Mohammed promised that he will come back to Al-Zawraa and try to help them with his experience. Hesham is famous in wearing number 8 and when he asked what is the number he will pick, he answered that Haidar Sabah earned this number and he will choose another number, thinking of picking number 88. In the winter transfers period he fulfilled his promise and signed for Al-Zawraa.

Before the end of the season, Al-Zawra’s President Salam Hashim banned 25 players for playing for Al-Zawra. The story began when 15 players asked for their wages, complaining that they didn’t receive any money in the last three months. But Salam Hashim blamed the Ministry of Transport for not supporting Al-Zawra and he told the players that he doesn’t have any money in the moment and he will give them next season, the players refused to play giving the reason that they are human and they need to eat and to pay for their houses rent. The rest of the team stood up solidarity with the team, which made Salam Hashim banning the whole team. Al-Zawra had 4 postponed matches and if Al-Zawra win them all Al-Zawra would reach the second place in Group B which it will makes them the play the decisive 3rd-4th place match. The Team played the postponed matches with the u-16 team with Ahmad Salam Hashim the son of Salam Hashim being the Captain of the team. Al-Zawra lost three matches and draw one.

#	Date	Home	Score	Away	Goal(s)
1	1 November 2008	Al-Zawraa	4-1	Al-Minaa	Mezher Ahmad 17' 38' - Haidar Sabah 50' - Mustafa Ahmad 75'
2	7 November 2008	Al-Sinaa	0-0	Al-Zawraa
3	15 November 2008	Al-Zawraa	1-1	Maysan	Ous Ibrahim 17'
4	22 November 2008	Naft Al-Janoob	2-1	Al-Zawraa	Mezher Ahmad 47'
5	6 December 2008	Al-Zawraa	2-2	Kufa	Sajjad Hussein 50' - Gaith Abdul-Ghani 94'
6	13 December 2008	Al-Amana	1-1	Al-Zawraa	Ahmad Ibrahim 28'
7	19 December 2008	Al-Zawraa	0-1	Al-Talaba
8	26 December 2008	Karbalaa	0-1	Al-Zawraa	Mustafa Ahmad 86'
9	2 January 2009	Najaf	1-2	Al-Zawraa	Salar Abdul-Jabar 61', 74'
10	12 January 2009	Al-Zawraa	1-0	Samawa	Mustafa Ahmad 29'
11	17 January 2009	Al-Zawraa	3-1	Al-Bareed	Mustafa Ahmad 27' - Haidar Sabah 43' - Salar Abdul-Jabar 60'
12	24 January 2009	Nassriya	1-2	Al-Zawraa	Salar Abdul-Jabar 14', 69'
13	21 February 2009	Al-Minaa	1-0	Al-Zawraa
14	27 February 2009	Al-Zawraa	1-1	Al-Sinaa	Ahmad Ibrahim 48'
15	10 June 2009	Maysan	1-1	Al-Zawraa	Marwan Hussein 5'
16	13 June 2009	Al-Zawraa	1-3	Naft Al-Janoob	Hesham Mohammed 6'
17	28 March 2009	Kufa	0-0	Al-Zawraa
18	12 April 2009	Al-Zawraa	0-2	Al-Amana
19	16 June 2009	Al-Talaba	0-2	Al-Zawraa	Haidar Sabah 56' - Mustafa Ahmad 66'
20	16 April 2009	Al-Zawraa	0-0	Karbalaa
21	16 June 2009	Al-Zawraa	0-2	Najaf
22	30 April 2009	Samawa	1-1	Al-Zawraa	Salar Abdul-Jabar 19'
23	11 May 2009	Al-Bareed	1-4	Al-Zawraa	Ali Yousif 43' - Salar Abdul-Jabar 43', 83' - Omar Kadhim 71'
24	1 June 2009	Al-Zawraa	2-1	Nassriya	Haidar Sabah 13' - Mustafa Ahmad 31'

• Pos = Postponed