Akhaa Ahli Aley FC

Akhaa Ahli Aley Football Club (Arabic: نادي الإخاء الأهلي الرياضي عاليه, lit. 'National Brotherhood of Aley Sporting Club'), commonly referred to as Akhaa Ahli Aley, Akhaa Ahli or simply Akhaa, is a football club based in Aley, Lebanon, that competes in the Lebanese Second Division.

Akhaa Ahli Aley
Full nameAkhaa Ahli Aley Football Club
Short nameAkhaa
Founded1962 (1962), as Akhaa Club
1990 (1990), as Akhaa Ahli Aley Football Club
GroundAmin AbdelNour Stadium
Capacity3,500
ChairmanSamer Khalaf[1]
ManagerDaniel Giménez
LeagueLebanese Second Division
2022–23Lebanese Premier League, 12th of 12 (relegated)
Active teams of Akhaa Ahli Aley FC

Akhaa have played in the Lebanese Premier League since 2010–11 season, after gaining promotion from the Lebanese Second Division. They won the Lebanese Challenge Cup in 2022. The club is supported by the Lebanese MP Arkram Chehayeb, who was the key person to ratify the merging of the two clubs Ahli and Akhaa in the city of Aley.

History

Origins: Akhaa and Ahli

Akhaa was first founded in 1962 by Adel Baz, who led the club till the early 1980s amid the Lebanese Civil War. The club obtained its license in 1966 and was close to promotion in 1971, failing to reach the Lebanese Premier League in the last match. The club halted its activities in 1982 during the Lebanese war and resumed in 1989.

Ahli Club was established in the 1970s by Ahmad Radwan, an educator and the owner of a school in Aley. Ahli Club obtained its license later and joined the Lebanese Third Division in 1987. Various players who would go on to play in the Lebanese Premier League played for Ahli Club, such as Walid Zeineddine, Fouad Sayegh, Riad Al Halabi, Yazeed Halimi and others. Ahli Club was ranked first in the American University of Beirut Football Cup twice in a row, in 1987 and 1988.

Formation of Akhaa Ahli

In 1990, Bahij Abou Hamzeh, the president of Akhaa, realized that promotion to the Lebanese Premier League would be difficult, so he decided to merge with Ahli Club. The merger added extra value to Akhaa Club as Ahli's team was full of young players of Aley, such as Zaher Andary, who represented the Lebanon national football from 1994 to 2001, Said Abu Muna and Raji Abi Said, who was elected captain of Ahkaa Ahli. Ahli's management found the merger to be of mutual interest as they needed physical and logistical support to get promoted to the Lebanese Second Division.

Promotion and stay in the Premier League

Akhaa won the Lebanese Second Division in 1992–93. The team managed to hit excellent results during its stay in the Lebanese Premier League, especially in its first appearance. It returned to the first division in 2010–11.

On 21 August 2022, after defeating rivals Safa 1–0 in the final, Akhaa were crowned 2022 Lebanese Challenge Cup champions.[2] Akhaa were relegated to the Lebanese Second Division, after finishing last in 2022–23.[3]

Club rivalries

Akhaa plays the Mountain derby with Safa.[4]

Players

Current squad
As of 19 September 2023[5]

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 Lebanon LBN Youssef Jechi
4 DF Lebanon LBN Ahmad El Khatib
5 DF Lebanon LBN Saeed Fayad
6 MF Lebanon LBN M Rammal
7 FW Lebanon LBN Ibrahim Abou Hamdan
8 MF Lebanon LBN Haidar Alaweyye
9 FW Lebanon LBN Dani Al Jurdi
10 MF Lebanon LBN "Mouma" Mohammad
11 FW Lebanon LBN Ribal Awar
12 MF Lebanon LBN Shadi Abdulkhalek
13 MF Lebanon LBN Wassim Abdulkhalek
14 FW Lebanon LBN Cesar Abo Shakra
15 DF Lebanon LBN Ali Faroukh
16 DF Lebanon LBN N. Atwi
17 MF Lebanon LBN Arij Hilal
18 GK Lebanon LBN A. Hilal
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 FW Lebanon LBN Hikmat Al Zein
21 DF Lebanon LBN T. Ballout
22 DF Lebanon LBN Hussein Al Dor
23 DF Lebanon LBN Mohamad Hammoud
24 GK Lebanon LBN Rabih Salha
30 MF Lebanon LBN Ali Tawbe
31 MF Lebanon LBN Sari Chehayeb (captain)
43 FW Lebanon LBN H Hassoun
44 DF Lebanon LBN Rayan Bou Chahine
66 DF Lebanon LBN Abbass Babeer
70 DF Lebanon LBN Ali Hakim
80 FW Lebanon LBN Wassim Ayach
90 FW Republic of the Congo CGO Mougbaya Beni de Dieu

Notable players
Players in international competitions
Competition Player National team
2000 AFC Asian Cup Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail  Iraq
Gilberto  Lebanon
Marcílio  Lebanon

Retired numbers
See also: List of retired numbers in association football

In 2020, Akhaa Ahli Aley retired the squad number 20 for two seasons, in memory of Mohamad Atwi who died on 18 September 2020 from a stray bullet to the head.[6]

Honours

See also

References
  1. Haroun, Ali (26 December 2020). "بيان صادر عن رئيس نادي الاخاء الاهلي عاليه سامر خلف". El Maestro Sport (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  2. "بالصور: الإخاء الأهلي عاليه يتوج بلقب كأس التحدي". كووورة. 21 August 2022. Archived from the original on 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  3. "بالصور.. الحكمة يهزم الإخاء ويدفعه للدرجة الثانية". كووورة. 10 March 2023. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  4. "جولة دربي الجبل... وملامسة اللقب". Al-Joumhouria. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  5. "Al Akhaa Al Ahli SC Aley". Global Sports Archive. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  6. Mahfoud, Maroun (14 October 2020). "Akhaa Ahli Aley retires number 20". FA Lebanon. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
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