Nuri Ibish, a youth leader and politician in Syria, during a football match in Damascus in 1910. Along with some friends Ibish introduced football to Damascus in 1910 and by 1912 the game had become very popular in Syria. A Ottoman-Syrian football team was created called al-Hilal (The Crescent). The first official football match was held on the outskirts of Damascus in the Mezzeh district in 1919, under the patronage of King Faysal I, the post-Ottoman ruler of Syria. It was between the Syrian team and troops from the British Army stationed in Syria after World War I. The Syrian team won by 4 points and Faysal rewarded each player with a gold watch.