Al Ahed FC

Al Ahed Football Club (Arabic: نادي العهد الرياضي, lit. 'The Covenant Sporting Club') is a football club based in Ouzai, a district in Beirut, Lebanon, that competes in the Lebanese Premier League, the top flight of Lebanese football. The club was founded in 1964 as Al Ahed Al Jadeed, starting in the Third Division, before they first reached the Lebanese Premier League for the first time in 1996.

This article is about the men's football club from Beirut, Lebanon. For other uses, see Ahed.

Ahed
Full nameAl Ahed Football Club
Nickname(s)القلعة الصفراء (The Yellow Castle)
Short nameAhed
Founded1964 (1964), as Al Ahed Al Jadeed
1985 (1985), as Nejmet Al Ahed Al Jadeed
GroundAl Ahed Stadium[lower-alpha 1]
Capacity2,000
ChairmanTamim Sleiman
ManagerRaafat Mohammad
LeagueLebanese Premier League
2022–23Lebanese Premier League, 1st of 12 (champions)

Nicknamed "the Yellow Castle" (Arabic: القلعة الصفراء), Ahed have won one AFC Cup title, nine Premier League titles, six FA Cup titles, two Federation Cup titles, eight Super Cup titles, and six Elite Cup titles. They earned their first league title in 2008, and have won three unbeaten (in 2010, 2018 and 2022). In 2011, Ahed became the first team in Lebanon to accomplish both a domestic treble and quadruple after they won the league, the FA Cup, the Elite Cup, and the Super Cup in the same season. In 2019, Ahed defeated North Korean side April 25 in the final of the AFC Cup, becoming the first Lebanese side to win the competition.

The club primarily receives support from the Shia community in Lebanon; they are also affiliated with Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shia political party and militant group. Ahed are rivals with fellow Beirut clubs Nejmeh and Ansar. Their ultras group, formed in 2018, is called "Ultras Yellow Inferno". Ahed's stadium, the Al Ahed Stadium, holds 2,000 spectators.

History

Early history (1964–1989)

Ahed were founded in 1964 as Al Ahed Al Jadeed (Arabic: العهد الجديد) in Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut. Under the presidency of Muhieddine Anouti, the club played in the Lebanese Third Division.[1][2] During the 1970s, Ahed played in Msaytbeh, an area of Beirut, under the name Al Huda Islamic Club (Arabic: نادي الهدى الإسلامي). However, the club stopped playing as a consequence of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982.[2][3]

In 1984, Anouti bought a license under the name Nejmet Al Ahed Al Jadeed (Arabic: نادي نجمة العهد الجديد) but did not actually form a club.[2][3] On 2 May 1985, the Lebanese Football Association granted membership to the club to continue playing football, with Mohammad Assi as president.[2][3] During the 1988–89 season in the Second Division, the team qualified for a playoff match against Al-Majdi. However, the match ended 1–1 to prevent Ahed from being promoted to the Lebanese Premier League.[3]

Lebanese Premier League (1992–2005)

In 1992, Abdo Saad became the new president and changed the name of the club to Al Ahed (Arabic: العهد) because its leaders wanted a name with a Quranic meaning.[2] In 1996, Amin Sherri became president after Saad resigned even though Ahed had reached the Second Division promotion play-offs.[2] On 20 December 1996, Ahed were promoted to the Lebanese Premier League for the first time in their history.[2] They won their first Premier League game on 18 October 1997, in a 1–0 win against Riada Wal Adab at the Bourj Hammoud Stadium; Moussa Bedyan scored in the 20th minute.[4]

After two seasons in the Premier League, they were relegated to the Second Division, before they earned promotion back to the Premier League.[2][3] Following the club's second promotion to the Premier League, Sherri resigned as club president and was replaced by Osama Al-Halabawi.[2] Under Al-Halabawi, Ahed reached the finals of the 2001–02 FA Cup, the finals of the 2002 Elite Cup, and third place in the league during the 2002–03 season.[2] Between 2004 and 2005, Ahed won two Lebanese FA Cups, one Federation Cup, and one Super Cup.[2][3][5]

Domestic and continental success (2007–present)
2019 AFC Cup Final starting lineup

The club won their first league title in 2007–08.[6] They went on a 44-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League from 26 October 2008 to 6 November 2010,[7] winning the 2009–10 league without defeats as a consequence.[8] In the 2010–11 season, Ahed won the league, the cup, the Super Cup and the Elite Cup, becoming the first team in Lebanon to accomplish both a domestic treble and a quadruple.[9][10] On 25 June 2014, Tamim Sleiman was appointed president of the club by unanimous decision.[11] In his first year as president, Ahed won the 2014–15 Premier League, the club's fourth in total.[12] In 2017–18, Ahed won the league unbeaten,[13] and became the first Lebanese team to do so twice.[14] After having won the 2018–19 Premier League, their seventh in total, Ahed became the three-time defending champions, a position held once before by Ansar in 1992.[15]

Ahed reached the AFC Cup final for the first time in 2019, becoming only the third Lebanese team do so after Nejmeh in 2005 and Safa in 2008.[16] On 4 November 2019, Ahed beat North Korean side 25 April 1–0 in the final from a header by Issah Yakubu, becoming the first Lebanese team to win the competition.[17] Ahed conceded only three goals in 11 matches; they had nine clean sheets, including five in a row in all five knockout matches, as they went unbeaten throughout the tournament.[18] In 2021–22, Ahed won their third league title unbeaten, their eighth in total.[19]

The match between Ahed and Racing Beirut in the first matchday of the 2023–24 Lebanese Premier League, on 6 August 2023, was the first to test the use of video assistant referee (VAR).[20]

Crest and colours

Ahed's main colour is yellow;[1] indeed, they are nicknamed "The Yellow Castle" (القلعة الصفراء).[21] On 20 May 2022, Ahed announced the change to their badge to a more minimalistic logo, to celebrate their 2021–22 league title. More specifically, it became a pictogram of the three Arabic letters composing the word "Ahed" (عهد).[22]

  • Logo until 2022
    Logo until 2022
  • Logo between 2022 and 2023
    Logo between 2022 and 2023
  • Logo since 2023
    Logo since 2023

Stadium

Ahed owns the Al Ahed Stadium in Beirut. Located near Rafic Hariri Airport, the venue can hold 2,000 people.[23] The club only uses its stadium for training. For games at home in club matches, Ahed uses various other stadiums in Lebanon such as the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium and the Saida Municipal Stadium, as they have a larger capacity.[24]

In 2018 Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, accused Hezbollah, a Shia political party and militant group based in Lebanon, in a speech of using the Al Ahed Stadium as a missile cluster.[1] Gebran Bassil, the Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, denied the claims.[25][26]

Supporters
Two smiling men holding a golden plaque together
The general secretary of Ahed (left) and the president of Sepahan (right) in 2009

Ahed's fan base primarily consists of Lebanon's Shia community.[27] The team has strong ties with Hezbollah, with whom they share the same colour, yellow.[1][28][29] Following the introduction of ultras groups in Lebanon in 2018,[30] Ahed formed "Ultras Yellow Inferno".[31]

On 28 January 2009, Ahed and Iranian club Sepahan signed an informal partnership deal.[32] The partnership was made official on 8 March 2021, involving training camps and friendly games between the two sides.[33]

Club rivalries
Match between Ahed (left) and Ansar (right) during the 2020–21 Lebanese Premier League

Ahed and Ansar are rivals; also located in Beirut, Ansar identify with the Hariri family and represent the most nationalist stream.[1] In recent years, Nejmeh, another Beirut-based team, has become a fierce rival of Ahed as well.[1] Nejmeh is the most-supported team in Lebanon, and tensions between Nejmeh and Ahed have forced the Lebanese Football Association to change venues multiple times.[1]

Players

Current squad
As of 7 August 2023[34]

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 Shareef Azaki
3 DF Jordan JOR Mohammad Abu Hashish
4 DF Lebanon LBN Nour Mansour
5 DF Lebanon LBN Khalil Khamis
6 DF Lebanon LBN Hussein Zein
7 MF Lebanon LBN Ali Al Haj
8 DF Lebanon LBN Hussein Dakik (captain)
9 FW Scotland SCO Lee Erwin
10 MF Lebanon LBN Mohamad Haidar
11 MF Lebanon LBN Karim Darwiche
12 MF Lebanon LBN Hasan Srour
13 GK Lebanon LBN Shaker Wehbe
14 MF Lebanon LBN Sultan Haidar
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF Lebanon LBN Badreddine Kawwam
18 DF Lebanon LBN Felix Michel Melki
20 FW Lebanon LBN Karim Fadel
21 FW Syria SYR Mohammad Al Marmour
22 MF Lebanon LBN Walid Shour
23 DF Lebanon LBN Ali Hadid
24 MF Lebanon LBN Hassan Farhat
25 GK Lebanon LBN Hussein Kdouh
30 MF Lebanon LBN Mahmoud Zbib
71 FW Lebanon LBN Zein Farran
95 GK Lebanon LBN Mostafa Matar
99 FW Syria SYR Mohammad Al Hallak
— MF Lebanon LBN Mahdi Fahs

Notable players
Ahed's captain Haytham Faour with Lebanon at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup
Players in international competitions
Competition Player National team
2019 AFC Asian Cup Rabih Ataya  Lebanon
Samir Ayass  Lebanon
Haytham Faour  Lebanon
Mohamad Haidar  Lebanon
Mehdi Khalil  Lebanon
Nour Mansour  Lebanon
Ahmad Al Saleh  Syria

Honours

Domestic

Continental

Performance in AFC competitions
Main article: Al Ahed FC in Asian football

Ahed first participated in an Asian competition in the 2005 AFC Cup, where they were drawn in the group stage with Indian club Dempo and Jordanian club Al-Hussein.[35] After finishing second in the group, Ahed faced Sun Hei in the quarter-finals, to whom they lost 3–2 on aggregate.[35]

Before they won the competition, their best performance was in 2016, when they reached the semi-finals before Iraqi club Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya eliminated them 4–3 on aggregate.[36] In 2019, Ahed defeated April 25 to win the AFC Cup, becoming the first Lebanese side to do so. Previous finalists Nejmeh and Safa were defeated in the 2005 and the 2008 finals, respectively.[17]

2005: Quarter-finals
2006: Group stage
2009: Group stage
2010: Group stage
2011: Round of 16
2012: Group stage
2016: Semi-finals
2018: Zonal semi-finals
2019: Champions
2020: Cancelled
2021: Zonal semi-finals
2023–24: TBD

See also

Notes
  1. Only used as a training ground

References
  1. Levy, Uri (4 October 2018). "The Hezbollah Club". BabaGol. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  2. Gedeon, Abdo. "Mohammad Assi". abdogedeon.com (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  3. نادي: العهد [Club: Ahed]. kooora.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  4. رياضة والعاب [Sports and games]. An-Nahar. 20 October 1997. p. 14.
  5. Stokkermans, Karel. "Lebanon – List of Cup Winners". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  6. Fujioka, Atsushi. "Lebanon – List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  7. Stokkermans, Karel. "Al-Ahed's series of 44 matches unbeaten in the Lebanese League". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  8. Abboud, John. "Lebanon 2009/10". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  9. "Al Ahed SC". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  10. Schöggl, Hans. "Lebanon 2010/11". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 15 January 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  11. تميم سليمان رئيساً لنادي العهد الرياضي [Tamim Sleiman, president of Al Ahed FC]. alahednews.com.lb (in Arabic). 25 June 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  12. العهد يحتفل بالدوري اللبناني بعد تعادله مع الأنصار [Ahed celebrates the Lebanese League after its draw with Ansar]. Kooora (in Arabic). 8 May 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  13. العهد توج أمام النجمة بسجل نظيف من الخسارة [Ahed were crowned in front of Nejmeh with an unbeaten record]. Al-Anbaa (in Arabic). 17 April 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  14. Stokkermans, Karel. "Unbeaten". RSSSF. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  15. Zeineddine, Hassan (7 April 2019). نادي العهد... قصة طموح ومثابرة نحو المجد [Al-Ahed... A story of ambition and perseverance towards glory]. Al Mayadeen (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 10 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  16. العهد الى نهائي كأس الإتحاد الآسيوي لأول مرة في تاريخه [Ahed to the AFC Cup Final for the first time in its history]. Football Lebanon (in Arabic). 1 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
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  18. "Al Ahed's Khalil named MVP". AFC. 4 November 2019. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  19. العهد توج بلقبه الثامن بطلا للبنان في كرة القدم بسجل نظيف من الخسارة [Ahed won their eighth Lebanese football championship with an unbeaten record]. NNA Lebanon (in Arabic).
  20. Khaled, Nasser (26 July 2023). تقنية الفيديو حاضرة في لقاء العهد والراسينغ [Video technology will be present in the match between Ahed and Racing]. Kooora (in Arabic). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  21. Al Zawi, Amin Mustafa. مجموعة الزمالك.. العهد اللبناني "القلعة الصفراء" [Zamalek's group.. Lebanese club Ahed "the Yellow Castle"]. Al Bawaba (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  22. شعار جديد [New logo]. Elsport (in Arabic). 20 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  23. Klaiber, Timo. "Al Ahed Stadium". klaiber-it.de (in German). Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  24. "Lebanese League 2018/2019". Goalzz. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  25. زاسبيكين من ملعب العهد: ما تدعيه إسرائيل غير صحيح ويجب أن نكون حذرين [Zasypkin from the Al Ahed Stadium: "What Israel is claiming is incorrect and we must be careful"]. Elnashra News (in Arabic). 1 October 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  26. باسيل يجول في ملعب العهد ويدحض مزاعم إسرائيل [Bassil tours Al Ahed Stadium and refutes Israel's allegations]. Elsport News (in Arabic). 1 October 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  27. Alami, Mona (1 September 2009). "Religious about football". NOW Lebanon. Archived from the original on 19 April 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  28. Montague, James (24 October 2007). "In Lebanon, even football is tainted by sectarian strife". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  29. Levy, Uri (3 October 2016). "Derbies and defining history: Middle East football this week". alaraby. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  30. "Ultras Supernova: Lebanon's First Ultras Group". COPA90. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via Facebook.
  31. Zeineddine, Ali (7 December 2018). مباريات قويّة في الجولة العاشرة [Strong matches in the tenth round]. Al Akhbar (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  32. مراسم خواهر خواندگی تیم‌های فوتبال سپاهان و العهد لبنان [Ceremony of partnership of Sepahan and Lebanese football team Ahed]. Mehr News Agency (in Persian). 29 January 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  33. Abou Diab, Rami (8 March 2021). "Ahed partners up with a foreign club". FA Lebanon. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  34. "Al Ahed SC". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  35. Stokkermans, Karel. "Asian Club Competitions 2005". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  36. "2016 AFC Cup: Iraqi club Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya makes the final, set to play either of Bengaluru FC or Johor Darul Ta'zim". Yahoo! News. 18 October 2016. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
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