Al Ansar FC

Al Ansar Football Club (Arabic: نادي الأنصار الرياضي, lit. 'The Supporters Sporting Club') is a football club based in Tariq El Jdideh, a district in Beirut, Lebanon, that competes in the Lebanese Premier League. Formed in 1951, the club did not win its first Lebanese Premier League until 1988. They went on to set a world record by winning the league 11 seasons in a row.

This article is about the Lebanese football club. For other uses, see Ansar.

Ansar
Full nameAl Ansar Football Club
Nickname(s)الزعيم الأخضر (The Green Leader)[1]
Founded1951 (1951)
GroundAl Ansar Stadium[lower-alpha 1]
ChairmanNabil Badr
ManagerAbdullah Abu Zema
LeagueLebanese Premier League
2020–21Lebanese Premier League, 1st of 12 (champions)
Active teams of Al Ansar FC

Ansar is the most successful club in the country, having won the Lebanese Premier League 14 times and the Lebanese FA Cup 15 times. Ansar's major rivalry is with Nejmeh; dubbed the Beirut derby, it is the most anticipated game in Lebanon.

While club's support comes in majority from the Sunni Muslim community in Beirut, the club has fans of all faiths from all around the country; they have been funded by Rafic Hariri and Salim Diab until 2005.[2][3] Nabil Badr has been the club's president and main patron since 2012.[4][5]

History

Early history

In 1948, a group of young Beirutis set up the first administrative board at the club headed by Mustafa Al-Shami. Three years Misbah Dougan, then head of the administrative board, formally requested an official licence for the club allowing them to play football on all Lebanese grounds.[6] They were to be called "Al-Intisar", Arabic for "Victory", however a club with that name was already present. Mustafa Al-Shami proposed "Ansar" in remembrance of the supporters of the prophet Muhammad.[6]

Initially, Ansar was known as a Mount Lebanon team, rather than a team from Beirut. This is because, as Beirut had already too many clubs, the Federation decided to relocate Ansar to Ghobeiry.[6] In 1965, Ansar moved to Beirut and won the 1966 Lebanese Second Division promotion play-offs, gaining promotion to the Lebanese Premier League for the following season.[6]

Recent history

Ansar were crowned champions of the 2020–21 Lebanese Premier League by beating Nejmeh 2–1 in the Beirut derby in the last matchday;[7] they won their 14th title, their first since 2007.[8] They made the season a double, after beating Nejmeh in the Lebanese FA Cup final.[9]

Supporters

Although the club's roots lie in the Sunni community in Beirut,[10] Ansar's support comes from all areas and religions in Lebanon.[7] The club has been associated with the Hariri family from the early 1990s till 2005.[10] In 2018, following the introduction of ultras groups in Lebanon, "Ultras Ansari 18" (UA18) was formed.[11]

Club rivalries
Ansar fans during the Beirut derby at the Camille Chamoun Stadium in 2018

The Beirut derby with Nejmeh has historically been the most anticipated game in Lebanon: both located in Beirut, Nejmeh and Ansar have shared the majority of titles. While Nejmeh has been more successful in Asia, Ansar holds the most league titles and FA Cups.[12]

Another important rivalry is with Ahed: located in Beirut, they are affiliated with Hezbollah, with their fan base mostly coming from the Shia community in Beirut.[13] In addition Ansar has a rivalry with Safa, also based in Beirut.

Players

Current squad
As of 14 March 2022[14]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  LBN Hadi Kanj
2 DF  LBN Hussein El Dor
3 DF  LBN Mootaz Jounaidi (captain)
4 DF  LBN Anas Abou Saleh
5 DF  LBN Nassar Nassar
6 MF  LBN Jihad Ayoub
7 MF  LBN Majed Osman
8 MF  LBN Youssef Barakat
8 FW  LBN Fayez Chamsine
9 FW  LBN Karim Darwich
10 FW  LBN Hassan Maatouk
11 MF  LBN Youssef Al Haj
12  LBN Rami Abu Al Nasr
13 MF  LBN Yahya El Hindi
14 FW  LBN Hassan Kaafarani
15 FW  MLI Ichaka Diarra
16 DF  LBN Hassan Chaitou
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 FW  PLE Hamza Hussein
19  LBN Mohammad Bou Saleh
20 MF  LBN Ali Tneich
21 DF  LBN Khaled Ali
22 MF  LBN Nader Matar
23 FW  LBN Khaled Mohssen
30  LBN Ziad Jamaleddine
31 GK  LBN Hadi Mortada
66 FW  LBN Ali Tahan
70 FW  LBN Omar Bahlawan
77 DF  LBN Mohammad El Turk
77 MF  PLE Mohamad Hebous
91 GK  LBN Nazih Assaad
99 FW  LBN Ahmad Hijazi
— MF  LBN Bilal Najdi
— FW  JOR Jimmy Siaj

Notable players
Ansar's captain Mootaz Jounaidi with Lebanon at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup
Players in international competitions
Competition Player National team
1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup David Nakhid  Trinidad and Tobago
2000 AFC Asian Cup Jadir  Lebanon
Newton  Lebanon
Jamal Taha  Lebanon
2007 AFC Asian Cup Ahmad Mnajed  Iraq
Salih Sadir  Iraq
2019 AFC Asian Cup Hassan "Moni" Chaito  Lebanon
Hassan "Shibriko" Chaitou  Lebanon
Adnan Haidar  Lebanon
Mootaz Jounaidi  Lebanon

Honours

Asian record

Chairmen history
  • Mustafa El-Shami (1948–1950)
  • Ameen Itani (1950–1954)
  • Fouad Rustom (1954–1956)
  • Abdul Jalil Al-Sabra (1956–1963)
  • Jamil Hasbeeny (1963–1965)
  • Abed El-Jamil Ramadan (1965–1967)
  • Khaled Kabbani (1967–1975)
  • Said Wanid (1975–1977)
  • Salim Diab (1977–2008)
  • Karim Diab (2008–2012)
  • Nabil Badr (2012–present)

See also

Notes
  1. Only used as a training ground

References
  1. "الأنصار يواصل البحث عن النجمة 14... الاتحاد والتحكيم ضربا الزعيم الأخضر؟". An-Nahar. 16 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  2. Montague, James (24 October 2007). "In Lebanon, even soccer is tainted by sectarian strife". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  3. Alami, Mona (1 September 2009). "Religious about football". Archived from the original on 19 April 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  4. "Lebanon's national teams fly above entrenched sectarianism among supporters". The National. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  5. "مدير الانصار ليوروسبورت: هذه أسباب إستقالة نبيل بدر وهذه المقترحات!". arabia.eurosport.com. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  6. "The Birth, Death and Re-Birth of Lebanese Football | Ahdaaf". Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  7. "استياء جماهيري من تقرير LBCI". lebanonfg.com. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  8. لقب 14 قياسي للأنصار على حساب النجمة بعد انتظار 14 سنة في بطولة كرة القدم [A record 14th title for Ansar at the expense of Nejmeh after waiting 14 years in the football championship]. bintjbeil.org (in Arabic). 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. "بالصور: ركلات الترجيح تتوج الأنصار بالكأس". كووورة. 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  10. "Lebanon's national teams fly above entrenched sectarianism among supporters". The National. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  11. البداية من "المدينة" والختام فيها. الأخبار (in Arabic). Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  12. "Great Asian Derbies – Al Ansar SC vs Nejmeh SC (Beirut)". GhanaSoccernet. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  13. "The Hezbollah Club". BabaGol. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  14. "Al Ansar SC". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
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