Ittihad Riadi Tanger (; ), often shortened to IR Tanger or the abbreviation IRT, is a Moroccan football club based in Tangier. It competes in the Botola Pro, Morocco's top professional football league.
The club was officially founded in 1957 under the name Unión Deportiva de Tánger (UDT). In 1983, several local football clubs were merged into UDT, resulting in the formation of Ittihad Riadi Tanger.
IR Tanger's home games are hosted at Tangier Grand Stadium. In the past, Stade de Marchan was their home stadium until its demolition.
IR Tanger has a large fan base in northern Morocco, particularly in the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region.
IR Tanger was created by the fusion of several clubs in 1944. In the early 1990s, IR Tangier became one of the most successful clubs in the Botola. However, the club failed to win any trophies, although they came close in the 1989âÂÂ90 season when they finished as runners-up. The 1989 season was considered by many to be their best season, as the team was victorious over many other notable Botola clubs, defeating Raja Casablanca 3-1 and Maghreb de Fès 3âÂÂ0.
During the late 1990s, IR Tanger failed to achieve anything besides maintaining itself in the Botola. The club ended up getting relegated twice before the early 2000s, finishing unsuccessfully during the 1995âÂÂ96 and 1997âÂÂ98 seasons.
In July 2000, the club hired Coach Omar Raiss. He oversaw the improvement in the club's performance during the 2000âÂÂ01 season, during which they scored 50 goals. Because of their performance, the club received a promotion. Their performance declined, however, with their only notable achievement in the early 2000s being a Throne Cup they won during the semi-final in the 2005âÂÂ06 season. The following season became IR Tanger's last in the Botola for the next few years. During this time, the club's results were poor, and they would very often finish unsuccessfully.
During later years, after IR Tanger set up a new directive committee, it nearly made it back to the Botola during the 2013âÂÂ14 season. With a series of transfers and the arrival of Coach Mohamed Amine Benhachem, the team cruised through the 2014âÂÂ15 season, losing only twice and finishing first by a five-point lead.
During the 2015âÂÂ16 season, the team made a comeback to the Botola Pro. The club contracted with many local and foreign players, finishing third in their first season and qualifying for the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup for the first time.
In 2003, the club's ultras, called Ultras Tanger, was founded; this group no longer exists and has instead been replaced by the ultras group named Ultras Hercules that was founded in 2007.
IR Tanger has a rivalry with Moghreb Tétouan, which belongs to the neighboring city, Tétouan.
The official crest was designed by the club's founders. It depicts the full name of the club and the year it was founded. The blue lining represents the club's location in northern Morocco.
The official home shirts are similar to the crest, colored blue and white. IR Tanger's traditional away colors change every season but are usually based on light blue with a sponsor's logo on the top.
The club hosted their home matches in the Stade de Marchan, a stadium with a capacity of 15,000 seats, until it was demolished. The Stade de Marchan hosted several notable matches like the one between IR Tanger vs. Wydad Casablanca during the 1989âÂÂ90 season. In 2011 the club moved to the then-new Tangier Grand Stadium, which has a capacity of 75,000 (that will be increased to a maximum of 92,000 seats).
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