AS FAR (football club)

King Hassan II, founder of AS FAR with prince Mohammed VI

AS FAR was founded on 1 September 1958, by the initiative of the Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan,[7] who was an avid football fan himself, by signing a decree as High Commander of the Moroccan Royal Army. The club scouts and players work with the Royal Armed Forces to develop players in multiple aspects (technical level, fitness management, sportsmanship).[8]

One year after its creation, the football team, while still in the second division, won their first Throne Cup. The same year the club finished first in the 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 quarter-finals, the military defeated the Fath Union Sport Rabat at the first Rabat derby, where AS FAR won the match 3–1. 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 AS FAR win this match on the 1–0 score that is stuck at Stade Mohammed V.[9]

Goalkeeper Housni Benslimane celebrating AS FAR's 1958–59 Moroccan Throne Cup win

The Royal Army’s won its second title in less than two years, after it squandered the championship title in a play-off against the KAC Kénitra. The 1964-65 season was known for repeated arbitration mistakes, and the meeting with Maghreb de Fès was the point that overflowed the cup with a disastrous arbitration that directly affected the outcome of the meeting and the fate of the championship title by virtue of the fact that the defeat ended 3-0 and in Rabat, the match with a quarrel between the players and the referee. After the incident, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation took an unfair decision to suspend the club for a full season and thus not participate in the championship and cup for the following season 1965-66. The military team spent a white season away from local stadiums, but it did not stop competing, as it preferred to play international matches against international teams and teams to maintain competitiveness. They played nearly 50 international matches in one season against international teams in various European countries such as Spain, France and Russia, including Cádiz CF, Recreativo de Huelva and Gibraltar, most notably against Barcelona at the Camp Nou on December 25, 1966, which ended with four goals to zero in favor of the Spaniards, while they succeeded in snatching a tie against Atlético Madrid in a match on the occasion of the inauguration of the Vicente Calderón Stadium, ended with a score of 2-2, before the team visited the Soviet Union in two trips, the team drew 1-1 against Dinamo Moscow.

AS FAR in 1970

The Royal Army returned to the atmosphere of competition in the championship, after the banned season. AS FAR was crowned with two other titles immediately after resuming its activity in the championship in 1967 and 1968 and 1970.

In the same period, at the beginning of the sixties, Al-Asaker also took control of the Moroccan Super Cup winning it in four out of six times.[10] Then the Royal Army, led by its French coach Clezo, began to dominate the league competition by winning four titles, and the team’s first meeting with the championship title was in the 1960-61 season, and control of the championship title continued for four consecutive seasons until 1964 as a new record.[11][12][13][14]

Internationally and in the same era, the Royal Army team had the honor of participating in the first edition of the Mohammed V Cup in 1962, after winning the league title the same year, the Royal Army was ranked third, after a 5-0 defeat against French club Stade Reims. They were set to face Real Madrid for the third place position, the match ended in 4-3 victory, thus becoming the first Arab and African team to beat the 20th Century Club.[15]

In their fifth participation, the military team was able to reach the final of the Mohammed V Cup for the first time in 1967, when it eliminated in the semi-finals the Dukla Prague with a score of 1-0, to face the Bulgarian CSKA Sofia in the final, which won the title at the expense of the military team with great difficulty by a score of 1- 0.[15] The military team returned to the Mohammed V Cup final in 1970 for the second time, where they faced the Spanish giant Atlético Madrid, the Royal Army lost 4-1.[15]

AS FAR was the first Moroccan team to participate in African competitions by drawing the 1968 African Cup of Champions Clubs, after winning the league for the same year. With the beginning of the seventies, exactly in 1971, and after an absence of 11 years, the military team, accompanied by its Spanish coach Sabino Barinaga, won the second title of the Moroccan Throne Cup at the expense of Maghreb Fez, after the match ended in a 9-8 penalty shootout victory.

AS FAR in 1986

After a long 12 years trophyless run, AS FAR achieved the most important victory by winning the championship titles and the Moroccan Throne Cup, despite the short period that José Faria spent as the teams coach.[16][17]

The Royal Army team entered the African competition, after winning the championship title, by participating in the 1985 African Cup of Champions Clubs. It entered history as the first Moroccan team to win a continental title. the Royal Army team reached the semi-finals of the African Champions League for the second time in its history, where it faced the Egyptian team Zamalek, and the first leg ended with a score of 1-0 from a penalty kick in favor of the Egyptians in Cairo, and the same result was recorded in Rabat from A penalty kick by Shesha before the match was settled by penalty kicks (4-3), which saw the brilliance of goalkeeper Salah El-Din Hamid, who gave the team qualification for the final round by blocking two penalties, and the joy was not yet complete. In the final, the FAR team faced AS Bilima, the champions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and despite the injury of Timoumi and Abdeslam Laghrissi, the first leg match in Rabat ended with a great victory for the military team, 5-2. The away game ended in a 1-1 draw which gifted the Royal Army their first CAF Champions League title.[18][19] After this historical achievement, Hassan II of Morocco insisted on receiving the military team at his residence in the suburbs of the French capital, Paris, after this first African coronation of its kind. The team is an exceptional congratulations from King Hassan II.[20]

The team went on to win three Throne Cup in a row. The Royal Army became the second team to have the honor of keeping the cup in its treasury after Kawkab Marrakech, because the law of the competition grants the winner of the title three times in a row the honor of keeping the Silver Cup permanently. In the 1986 Afro-Asian Club Championship, the first edition of its kind, which was held in Riyadh in January 1987, between the Royal Army, the African champions, and the South Korean club, Busan IPark, the Asian champion, noticed the defeat of AS FAR by a score of 2-0.[21]

Then the Royal Army team embraced the championship title for the second time with Faria in 1987, and in 1989 with Argentine Angelillo, making the military team the first team to reach 10 championships. This generation continued its continental tour by reaching the semi-finals of the 1988 African Cup of Champions Clubs for the third time in the team's history. To the penalty shootout that defined the Nigerian team's superiority, the Royal Army missed another opportunity to cross into the final.[22]

AS FAR celebrating winning the 2005 CAF Confederation Cup against Dolphins FC

The Royal Army won two successive titles for the Moroccan Throne Cup in two Clasico matches at the expense of rival Wydad Casablanca, in 2003 with a goal of zero from a header by Hafeez Abdel-Sadiq with a pass from Ahmed, and in the 2004 final, the match ended in a goalless draw, which continued into overtime as well, to decide the penalty shootout, which marked the brilliance of goalkeeper Tariq Al-Jarmouni, and the match ended with the army winning 3-0 on penalties.[23][24]

After a long absence from the championship title that lasted 15 seasons, the military team returned to win its 11th league title in 2005, in a historic match drawing the 30th and last round of the league, in the Mohammed V compound in front of Raja Casablanca, leaders by two points, which needed a draw only to crown the title, but it was The soldiers have another opinion, and the Mohamed Fakhir battalion was able to overthrow Raja and win a clean double signed by Mohamed Armoumen, who also won the top scorer title. The army took the championship title from the city of Casablanca amid a great public astonishment for the opponent and the great joy of the soldiers, where the meeting was titled in the 21st century match in the Moroccan championship.

After 20 years of winning its first African title, the FAR team won the CAF Confederation Cup in 2005 after defeating the Nigerian Dolphins F.C 3-1 in aggregate.[25] As far later went on to lose the 2006 CAF Super Cup against Al Ahly SC on penalties.[26]

On 2 December 2006, As far lost the 2006 CAF Confederation Cup final after losing to Étoile Sportive du Sahel on an away goal.[27] In 2007, As far won the Throne Cup after defeating Rachad Bernoussi on penalties.[28] Next season, they managed to clinch both domestic titles, the 2008 Botola and the Throne Cup.[29] IN 2009, As far won the Throne Cup after defeating Fath Union Sport on penalties.[30]

After 11 trophyless seasons, As far clinched the 2020 Throne Cup after defeating Moghreb Tétouan 3-0.[31][32] They qualified to the 2023 CAF Confederation Cup, after a 15 year continental drought.[33][34] In their return to continental competition, As far topped their group stage, qualifying to the knock out stages.[35] Later to be knocked out in the quarter-finals against USM Alger.[36][37]

After 15 years, As far won its 13th league title after topping the table with 67 points.[38][39]

Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium (Arabic: مركب الأمير مولاي عبد الله) was a multi-purpose stadium in Rabat, Morocco. It is named after Prince Moulay Abdellah of Morocco. It was built in 1983 and was the home ground of AS FAR. It was used mostly for football matches and it also staged athletics. The stadium had a capacity of 52,000. From 2008 until 2023, it hosted 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 and the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup.[40][41][42]

• Trofeo Semana del Sol, Spain[53]
  • Winner (1): 1977
• Trofeo Ciudad de Cordoba, Spain
  • Runners-up (1): 1976
• North African Cup of Champions
  • Runners-up (1): 2008
• International elite championship
  • Runners-up (1): 2008
• Ahmed Antifit Tournament
  • Winner (1): 2007
  • Runners-up (1): 2009

As of 29 August 2023

As of 12 August 2023

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  MAR Ayoub El Khayati 3 DF  RWA Emmanuel Imanishimwe 4 DF  TUN Dhiaeddine Jouini 5 DF  SEN Bakary Mané 6 MF  MAR Zineddine Derrag 8 MF  MAR Brahim Sabaouni 10 MF  MAR Zakaria Fati 11 FW  MAR Mohammed El Khaloui 12 GK  MAR Hassan Doughmi 13 MF  MAR Larbi Naji 14 FW  MAR Alaeddine Ajaraie 15 DF  MAR Hatim Essaoubi 16 GK  MAR Mehdi Benabid 18 FW  CMR Lambert Araina 19 DF  MAR Anouar Tarkhatt

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 FW  MAR Hamza Igmane 22 GK  MAR Ayoub Lakred 24 MF  MAR Soulaimane El Bouchqali 27 FW  MAR Ahmad Hamoudan 28 FW  TOG Ismaïl Ouro-Agoro 29 DF  MAR Mouhamed Moufid 30 MF  MAR Ayoub El Malyani 31 FW  MAR Mustapha Sahd 33 FW  CIV Lamine Diakite 34 MF  MAR Mohamed Rabie Hrimat (captain) 40 FW  MAR Abdelfettah Hadraf — FW  MAR Ayoub Assout — DF  CGO Messie Biatoumoussoka

Role	Name
Head coach	Mohammed Aziz Samadi
General Supervisor	Hussein Ammouta
Assistant	Mustapha Khalfi
Assistant coaches	Hicham El Hajjami
Goalkeeping coach	Mohamed Znibi
Fitness coache	Hassane Benazzouz
Kinetotherapist	Jaouad Taghzaoui
Kinetotherapist	Adil Boussif
Club doctor	Hafid Bouchan
Equipment manager	Abderrahman Badraoui
Performance analyst	Ayman Makroud
Team rep	El Habib Laâzizi

• Last updated: 27 May 2023