Al Shaab's 'commandos' a force to reckon with

Al Shaab Club in Sharjah was formed in 1974 after the merger of two small clubs - Al Omani Club and Sharjah Club (different from the present Sharjah Club, who play in the UAE First Division). Ismail Abdullah, the Al Shaab Club general secretary, told Gulf News about the club's history.

He said that His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, was one of the players of the old Al Shaab Club in the early 1960s. Dr. Sheikh Sultan established the Al Shaab Club at that time and from it the name Al Shaab came in 1974.

The Al Omani Club and Sharjah Club were established in 1967. Humaid bin Naser Al Owais, now Minister of Water and Electricity, was one of those who formed Al Omani Club, with Mohammed Rashid Al Jarawan, Abdul Rahman Ali Al Jarawan, Dr. Humaid Naser Al Zarri, along with Lal, a Pakistani player. Others to join the club are Omran Al Shihi, Sultan Humaid, Salim Obaid, Ali Abu Khalil and Ismail Abdullah, the present Al Shaab Club secretary-general.