Bnei Sakhnin F.C.

The club was formed in 1991 by a merger of Maccabi Sakhnin and Hapoel Sakhnin. They were promoted to Liga Artzit (then the second tier) in 1997. In 1998–99 they finished in the relegation zone, but were reprieved when Maccabi Jaffa, who had finished bottom of the top division, were relegated three leagues due to financial problems.

In 2002–03 the club finished as runners-up and promoted alongside fellow Israeli-Arab club Maccabi Ahi Nazareth, becoming the joint-second Israeli-Arab club to play in the top flight after Hapoel Tayibe. Promotion was only won on the last day of the season, the club overtaking Hapoel Jerusalem when they won 1–0 away to Maccabi Kiryat Gat, whilst Hapoel were held to a 0–0 draw at Hapoel Ra'anana.

Prior to their first season in the top division, Sakhnin were favourites to be relegated, and it was thought that Nazareth had a better chance of survival. Questions remained as to whether the squad that gained promotion would be able to compete at the top level, along with the added pressures not to become the next Hapoel Taibe (who were relegated in their first season in the top flight, and subsequently suffered financial problems leading to repeated relegations thereafter). They also lost manager Momy Zafran who resigned shortly after the club won promotion, replacing him with Eyal Lahman. In addition, the club had to play games in Haifa's Kiryat Eliezer Stadium, as their home ground in Sakhnin was deemed unfit for the Premier League.

The club signed former Maccabi Haifa striker Raffi Cohen and loaned another striker, Lior Asulin from Maccabi Herzliya. Sagi Strauss was brought in to mind the nets from Maccabi Petah Tikva. Despite the gloomy predictions, the club defied the odds, eventually finishing 10th, four points clear of relegation, whilst Nazareth finished bottom. However, the highlight of the season was the State Cup victory, also a first by an Israeli-Arab club.[1] In the final, Sakhnin beat surprise finalists, second division side Hapoel Haifa 4–1. The team gained a reputation for being a tough, combative outfit, similar in style to the Crazy Gang period at English club Wimbledon. Captain and club stalwart Abbas Suan (he had been at the club since its formation, having been part of the Hapoel Sakhnin team since 1994) won particular acclaim, gaining a call-up to the Israel squad, and winning his first cap in February 2004.

The cup win meant that the club became the first Arab team to play in Europe, entering the UEFA Cup. After beating Partizani Tirana 6–1 on aggregate in the second qualifying round, the club faced Newcastle United in the first round. However, Sakhnin were beaten 7–1 on aggregate, including a 5–1 home defeat in a match played at the Ramat Gan Stadium in Ramat Gan due to security concerns.

During the 2004–05 season, with its stadium still under development the club played many of its home matches at Hapoel Nazareth Illit's Municipal Stadium.

The Doha Stadium was funded in part by Qatar and was opened in 2006

During their spell in the top flight, several Sakhnin games were plagued by hooliganism. Palestinians were viewed as inferior during the time, and faced hardships both inside and outside of the soccer stadium. At the annual Land Day ceremony in Sakhnin in the year of 2000, a large crowd of Palestinians were unexplainably tear gassed. Political power controlled not only the population, but the atmosphere at soccer games as well. Studies have shown that Arab males who attended soccer games were less likely to be proud of their Palestinian descent. In 2000, Sakhnin's first game was delayed for weeks, though when the game did come about, the visiting Jewish team received flowers. Though events (such as this) coated by such turmoil aggravated those who resided in Sakhnin, their people still attempted to use the soccer stadium as a outlet to ease the relations with those who brought political unrest and corruption. [2]

Despite chairman Ghnaim's stated mission to create a "cultural rainbow" from his football club, games against Beitar Jerusalem were particularly violent, at least partially due to the presence of notoriously anti-Arab supporters of Beitar;[3] when Sakhnin won the State Cup, Beitar fans paid for an obituary to be printed in Israel's leading daily Yediot Aharonot, claiming that Israeli football was dead. On 29 January 2005 Sakhnin fans rioted during a home match (played at Kiryat Eliezer) against Hapoel Tel Aviv after a violent incident on the field between a team official and a referee, who had earlier had sent off two Sakhnin players. As a punishment, the IFA ordered the club to play two games behind closed doors.

Despite a large cash injection made by Israeli businessman Arcadi Gaydamak ($400,000) in the hope of promoting peace and harmony among the citizens of Israel,[4] and a return to their rebuilt home stadium (largely financed by the Emir of Qatar, hence the renaming to Doha Stadium), Sakhnin were relegated at the end of 2005–06 season, finishing nine points from safety.

However, with one of the largest budgets in the division (around five and a half million shekels), the club were amongst the favourites to return quickly to the Premier League, and did so by finishing as runners-up to Kiryat Shmona. In their first season back in the Premier League, they finished fourth, their highest ever league position, qualifying for the Intertoto Cup. Problems due to political unrest in the region caused the club's leadership to ask for the postponement of Intertoto cup matches in the Summer of 2008,[5] Most of the stars of the team were sold, most notably Maor Buzaglo who signed for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

In the 2018–19 season the club ended dead last. After repromotion one year later the club's 2020–21 season started off painfully, with the first match ending in a 3–0 home loss to Bnei Yehuda. The next week, some of the team's players and management team had to quarantine as a result of COVID-19 pandemic precautions, and they played their away match against Maccabi Netanya with several absent players and no coach. After suffering a 7–0 loss, the greatest defeat in the club's history, the Sakhnin chairman left the administrative division of Ligat Ha'al. Despite a horrible start with just one point after the first six matches and closing the season with four more losses the club could avoid relegation by being one point better than Bnei Yehuda.

As of 19 July 2023[6]

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  GUA Nicholas Hagen 2 DF  ISR Maroun Gantous 3 DF  ISR Yazan Nassar 5 MF  ISR Gaby Joury 6 DF  ISR Bian Abu Raiya 7 MF  ISR Beram Kayal (captain) 8 MF  ISR Matanel Tadesa 9 FW  ISR Zahi Ahmed 10 FW  ISR Muflah Shalata 11 FW  ISR Dor Hugi 12 DF  ISR Aviv Solomon 13 DF  ISR Taleb Tawatha 14 FW  ISR Yoel Abuhatzira 16 FW  ISR Mohammed Shaker 17 DF  ISR Hassan Hilo 18 FW  CUW Rangelo Janga

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 MF  ISR Saher Taji 21 FW  ISR Mohammed Awaed 22 GK  ISR Mohammed Abu Nil 23 FW  PLE Alaa Aldeen Hassan 24 FW  ISR Baseel Khoury 28 DF  ISR Ovadia Darwish 29 DF  ISR Anis Ayash 33 FW  BEL Stéphane Oméonga 37 DF  ISR Ahmed Taha 66 DF  MNE Ilija Martinović 70 MF  ROU Adrian Păun (on loan from Hapoel Be'er Sheva) 72 DF  ISR Rotem Keller (on loan from Maccabi Netanya) 77 FW  ISR Mohammad Mido Badarna 90 FW  NGA Chinemerem Godwin

Only up to six non-Israeli nationals can be in an Israeli club squad. Those with Jewish ancestry, married to an Israeli, or have played in Israel for an extended period of time (e.g. Gustavo Boccoli), can claim a passport or permanent residency which would allow them to play with Israeli status.

• Nicholas Hagen
• Stéphane Oméonga