El-Jaish Sports Club (Arabic: نادي الجيش الرياضي) was a Qatari multi-sports club from 2011 to 2017, based in the Al-Duhail area of Doha. The association football team played in the Qatar Stars League. The team won the Qatargas League prior to 2011, but were not eligible for promotion and as a result were not declared as the champions of the league. It was promoted to the first division, the Stars League, the first year after it was made eligible.
The club also had participations in other sports, most notably in handball where its team has previously achieved 3rd place in both the GCC Handball Championship and the Asian Club Handball Championship.[2]
El Jaish SC was officially established in 2011 after spending several seasons in the second division without being eligible for promotion.
In its first season in the Qatar Stars League, El Jaish finished second, just two points behind champions Lekhwiya, and qualified for the 2013 AFC Champions League. After a poor start to the 2013 Champions League, El Jaish won 3 of its 4 last group stage games to emerge as the groups runners-up, setting up a Round of 16 tie against Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia. They were eliminated after losing 0–2 in the away game and 1–3 on aggregate.[5]
In 2013, El Jaish were involved in the controversial case of Zahir Belounis not being granted an exit visa over his dispute with the club over unpaid wages.[6][7]
Lekhwiya SC announced that they have taken over the club in April 2017 and the club dissolved in July 2017 while Lekhwiya got rebranded into Al-Duhail SC.
^"Technical staff". El Jaish official website. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^"Technical staff". El Jaish official website. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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