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
ManagerDriss El Mrabet
LeagueLebanese Premier League
2022–23Lebanese Premier League, 3rd of 12
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 had 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 13 September 2023[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 Lebanon LBN Hadi Kanj
2 DF Mali MLI Yacouba Doumbia
3 DF Lebanon LBN Khaled Ali
5 DF Lebanon LBN Nassar Nassar (captain)
6 DF Lebanon LBN Maxime Aoun
7 FW Lebanon LBN Edmond Chehade
9 FW Senegal SEN Elhadji Malick Tall
10 FW Lebanon LBN Hassan Maatouk
11 MF Lebanon LBN Youssef Al Haj
12 DF Lebanon LBN Abdallah Aich
13 MF Lebanon LBN Yahya El Hindi
14 MF Lebanon LBN Nader Matar
17 MF State of Palestine PLE Hamza Hussein
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 MF Algeria ALG Foudil Bouchentouf Idriss
20 MF Lebanon LBN Ali Tneich
22 DF Lebanon LBN Alexander Michel Melki
24 DF Lebanon LBN Hassan Kaafarani
25 FW Lebanon LBN Ali Alaaeddine
25 FW Lebanon LBN Mohammad Al-Massri
30 DF Lebanon LBN Ziad Jamaleddine
66 DF Lebanon LBN Alex El Rattel
77 MF State of Palestine PLE Mohamad Hebous
88 MF Lebanon LBN Omar Bahlawan
91 GK Lebanon LBN Nazih Assaad
— GK Lebanon LBN Mohamed Labban
— MF Lebanon LBN Mohammad Bou Saleh

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

Performance in AFC competitions

Chairmen history
  • Lebanon Mustafa El-Shami (1948–1950)
  • Lebanon Ameen Itani (1950–1954)
  • Lebanon Fouad Rustom (1954–1956)
  • Lebanon Abdul Jalil Al-Sabra (1956–1963)
  • Lebanon Jamil Hasbeeny (1963–1965)
  • Lebanon Abed El-Jamil Ramadan (1965–1967)
  • Lebanon Khaled Kabbani (1967–1975)
  • Lebanon Said Wanid (1975–1977)
  • Lebanon Salim Diab (1977–2008)
  • Lebanon Karim Diab (2008–2012)
  • Lebanon 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 (in Arabic). 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. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. 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. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  5. "مدير الانصار ليوروسبورت: هذه أسباب إستقالة نبيل بدر وهذه المقترحات!". arabia.eurosport.com (in Arabic). 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. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. 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. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  9. "بالصور: ركلات الترجيح تتوج الأنصار بالكأس". كووورة. 12 May 2021. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  10. "Lebanon's national teams fly above entrenched sectarianism among supporters". The National. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  11. البداية من "المدينة" والختام فيها. الأخبار (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  12. "Great Asian Derbies – Al Ansar SC vs Nejmeh SC (Beirut)". GhanaSoccernet. Archived from the original on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  13. "The Hezbollah Club". BabaGol. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  14. "Al Ansar SC". Global Sports Archive. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
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