Erbil Sports Club (Kurdish: یانەی وەرزشیی ھەولێر, romanized: Yaney Werzişîy Hewlêr, Arabic: نادي أربيل الرياضي) is an Iraqi professional sports club based in the city of Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq that plays in the Iraq Stars League, the first-tier of Iraqi football.
[3] In the 1989-1990 season, Erbil would finish bottom of the league with only 8 points, however they would once again benefit from the FA deciding to increase the number of teams, and as such escaped relegation.
That same year, Erbil beat Nineveh side Makhmur 13-0 in the Iraqi FA Cup, which is the second-largest margin of victory in the competition's history.
[11] The following two seasons were abandoned due to the 2003 Iraq war and the ensuing internal conflicts,[12] which made it unsafe to continue holding football matches.
In the 2005–06 season, Erbil started slow, only just managing to finish third in Group A just ahead of Sirwan FC on goal difference to advance to the second round.
Erbil topped their group in the second round to advance to the end of season play-offs where they met southern giants Najaf FC in a two-legged home and away tie.
The second match of the leg was cancelled as the Al-Quwa players walked off the pitch, resulting in their disqualification and Erbil getting the automatic third-place finish.
The great season that Erbil enjoyed led to a spur of investment, combined with the several deteriorating security situation in Baghdad and the southern provinces, Erbil became the premier destination for local players, including Luay Salah, and the runner up top goal scorer of the previous season, Mustafa Karim.
The team also signed Gunian Ismail Bango and Senegalese Camara Flouseen, who became the first foreign players to play in Iraq.
Al-Talaba went on the defensive in the return leg and managed to secure a 0–0 draw which was enough to knock Erbil out of title contention on aggregate.
[23] The following season, Erbil aimed to re-gain their supremacy over the Iraqi league title, this time under the tutelage of Ayoub Odisho.
The team dominated throughout the season under Syrian manager Nizar Mahrous, losing only one league match, against Karbala SC.
[26] Radhi was also influential in the 2012 AFC Cup, where he was joint top goal scorer as Erbil reached the final of the tournament, but lost 4-0 to Kuwait SC.
Erbil reached the final of the 2014 AFC Cup, once again losing to a Kuwaiti side, this time to Qadsia SC on penalties.
The following season, Erbil aimed to break their duck in Asia and push hard for a continental trophy, signing both Nashat Akram and Younis Mahmoud specifically to play in the 2015 AFC Cup[32] That plan ended in failure as the team was knocked out from the group stage.
The referendum and its results caused tension in Iraq, between Kurdish and Arab sections in all aspects of society, including sports.
Erbil continued to struggle with financial difficulties, which led to a number of disappointing campaigns back in the first league where they finished in the bottom half of the table.
It was significantly Renovated in 1992.Following the assassination of Franso Heriri on 18 February 2001, who actively supported rebuilding the stadium, the Kurdistan Regional Government renamed it in his memory.
It marked the first time a competitive match was held on Iraqi soil since 2003[43] However, due to technical problems, FIFA abandoned the idea of having more national games being hosted in the stadium.