-The club from the northern municipality of Umm Salal was founded in 1979 as Al Tadmon, before being disbanded in the late eighties. It was reestablished again in 1996, and later carried the name of its municipality in 2004.
-With French-Moroccan coach Hassan Hormatallah, the Falcons of Barazan took Qatari football by storm in the 2006-07 season when they finished third in their first ever top flight appearance.
-In the 2007-08 season, another Frenchman, Laurent Banide, led them to the biggest achievement in their short history, as they won the Emir Cup title after a penalty shoot-out victory over Al Gharrafa.
-The team continued their tradition of hiring French coaches, and in 2009; Gerard Gili led them to a stunning semi-final appearance in the AFC Champions League, but since then the team went on a downward spiral, and after few turbulent seasons that saw them surviving their place in the QSL at the end of the 2011-12 season through a relegation-promotion playoff, Gili, who was in his second spill as coach of the club, was replaced by his countryman Bertrand Marchand.
- Marchand was sacked after a poor start to the second half of the 2012-13 season, and his compatriot Alain Perrin was brought in. The 56-year old, who led Lyon to a league and cup double in 2008, was able to change the team’s fortune as they ended the season in an impressive fifth place.
-Perrin came to Qatar in 2010 to coach Al Khor, and he led the team to a fifth place finish in the 2011-12 season, before spending two unsuccessful spells as coach of the Qatar U-23 squad and Al Gharrafa.
-One of the main reasons of the team’s decline at the second half of last season was the return of their star striker Meher Yousef to his original club, Al Jaish. The 25-year-old Qatar international was in superb form in the first half of the season, and scored six goals in 11 appearances for the Falcons, but Al Jaish decided to recall him in order to strengthen their squad for the AFC Champions League.
-The Falcons strengthened their squad in the summer by acquiring a number of experienced players, like former Ivory Coast international Bakari Koné, right-back Saad Sattam (Al Jaish) and midfielder Younis Ali (Al Rayyan).
-The biggest news was the return of their star midfielder Fabio Cesar from Al Rayyan on a free transfer, but the 34-year-old, who was part of the squad that reached the semi-finals of AFC Champions League, suffered an Achilles injury during training and will be out till November.
-The most notable exits were centre-back Medhat Mostafa who returned to Qatar Sports Club after his loan spell ended and experienced midfielder Mohamed Yasser who opted for a return to his former club Al Gharrafa.
-The team will kick off their league campaign against newly promoted Muaither on September 13th.
Players to Watch
Brazilian striker Caboré, 33, is the main target man, and is a former QSL top scorer.
Australia international Sasa Ognenovski, 34, is a former AFC Player of the Year, and is one of the best centre-backs in the league.
Moroccan midfielder Othman Al Assas, 34, is a former QSL champion with Al Gharrafa.
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| Al Assas (R) during a friendly match against FSV Zwickau (Picture: http://www.fsv-zwickau.de/) |
Former Ivory Coast international Bakari Koné, 31, a skillful attacking midfielder, joined them this summer from Qatar Sports Club, also a former QSL Champions with Lekhwiya.
Saad Sattam Al Shammari, 34, joined the team on a free transfer from Al Jaish, an experienced right back who made his name with Al Gharrafa, also another former QSL Champion.
Younis Ali, 30, a Qatar international, joined the team this summer from Al Rayyan, dynamic and relentless, will bring a lot of creativity to the midfield.
Fabio Cesar, 34, Qatar international, a creative midfielder and a set-piece specialist, returned to the eagles after 3 and half seasons with Al Rayyan.
Verdict
With a talented coach like Perrin and plenty of experience in the team, the Falcons of Barazan are set to survive another season in Qatar Stars League, finishing among the top four looks beyond their capabilities at this stage.
2013-14 Pre-Season
Kicked off their preparations in Doha on July 2nd, before travelling to Dresden, Germany for a three-week training camp, that included three friendly games,
vs. Banik Most (CZE) 1-1 [Cabore]
vs. FC Eilenburg (GER) 0-0
vs. FSV Zwickau (GER) 0-1
They were also knocked out of the group stage of Sheikh Jassim Cup,
vs. Al Ahli3-0[Yasser Kazim, Fabio Cesar, Khaled Jabarti]
vs. Lekhwiya0-1
vs. Al Wakrah0-1
and held QSL champions Al Sadd to a 1-1 draw in a friendly in Doha on September 7th,
vs. Al Sadd1-1 [Ahmed Abdul Maqsood]
Transfers
In
Fabio Cesar (Al Rayyan), Bakari Koné (Qatar Sports Club), Ahmed Abdul Maqsod (Lekhwiya), Mohamed Al Hajj (Al Sailiyah), Saad Sattam Al Shammari (Al Jaish), Yasser Kazim (Muaither), Younis Ali (Al Rayyan), Jawad Ahnach (Al Gharrafa, loan return)
Out
Medhat “Mido” Mostafa (Qatar Sports Club, loan return), Younis Yaqoub (Al Rayyan), Mohamed Yasser (Al Gharrafa)
2012-13 Stats & Figures
League Stats
Final position5th
Matches played 22
Victories 9
Draws 4
Defeats 9
Goals Scored 30
Goals Conceded 37(third weakest defense after Al Sailiyah & Al Arabi)
Most Appearances
Aden Ali (22 matches)
Top Scorers
Cabore (8 goals), Othman Al Assas (6) and Meher Yousef (6)
Biggest Victory
3-1 vs. Al Arabi (at home – Matchday 8)
3-1 vs. Qatar Sports Club (at home – Matchday 20)
Biggest Defeat
0-5 vs. Al Rayyan (at home – Matchday 2)
2013 Emir Cup
Reached quarter-finals, knocked out by Al Sadd (0-1)
2013 QNB Cup
Group Stage