Salam Zgharta FC

Salam Achrafieh was a club established in Ashrafieh, a district in the northern Beirut. This club is considered one of the founders of the Lebanese Football Association, as Georges Slim represented the club in the first general assembly of the association on 22 March 1933.

In May 1933, Salam Achrafieh hosted a game against Arax and fielded a player called Spiro who wasn't living in Achrafieh. This was considered illegal at the time and the LFA disqualified Salam from the match. This decision was not welcomed by Slim, who was a well-known media personality, and tried to change the executive committee, but ended up failing as Al Nahda SC, the dominating team at the time, didn't approve of the change.

Salam Achrafieh played in the first ever Lebanese Second Division season and ended up winning the trophy after winning 2–0 against Ararad in the final game.

In 1937, Salam Achrafieh became the first ever two-times Second Division winners.

Salam Zgharta was founded in 1971, after a group of football enthusiasts bought the licence of former club Salam Achrafieh (Arabic: نادي السلام الأشرفية), based in the Achrafieh district of Beirut.[3] The club's first board of administrators was elected on 15 August 1971, with Father Semaan Douaihy as the club's honorary president, and Youssef Zeidan as the executive president.

The club remained in Achrafieh until 1974, when they moved to Zgharta, in North Lebanon. They competed in the Lebanese Premier League, with Sassine Ghazale funding the club after the move. During the 1974–75 season, Antoine "Al Shakra" Fenianos was the club's first manager. Salam Zgharta's first game was at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium against Nejmeh, in which Salam Zgharta lost 5–2. In their first season, the club got demoted to the second division with Riyada Wal Adab, after the early finish of the season due to start of the Lebanese Civil War.[4]

While football in Lebanon was affected by the Civil War, the Lebanese Football Association (LFA) split into two entities, with each organizing its own competitions in the latter stage of the war. Salam Zgharta joined the Eastern Federation and won the Lebanese FA Cup on 12 April 1987, after beating Homentmen in the final (0–0, and 1–0 in the replay). However, following the war, the two federations re-merged and the FA Cup win was voided. During the war, Salam Zgharta played against numerous clubs from Syria, Cyprus, and Romania.

Following the end of the Civil War, Salam Zgharta were one of the best teams in the league, with a core of players such as Fawzi Yammine and Elias Bou Nassif. The start of the 1990s was positive for the Northern club, finishing third in the 1990–91 season with 35 points.[5] Following the expansion of the Premier League to 20 teams divided into two groups, Salam Zgharta finished the 1991–92 season as second of their group and fourth in the league standing after securing 23 points in 20 games.[5]

In 1992, Kabalan Yammine became Salam Zgharta's president. The club was not able to replicate past success; they stayed the following two seasons in the top flight but then struggled to maintain its position in the Lebanese Premier League for financial reasons. Therefore, the club regularly played in the Lebanese Second Division. In the 1999–2000 season, Salam Zgharta finished fifth in the Lebanese Premier League, their best result under the presidency of Kabalan Yammine. In 1996, Youssef Jabbour got elected vice president.[6] In the mid-2000s, Kabalan lost interest in the club; an election took place in October 2006, three games after the start of the 2006–07 season, and Estephan Frangieh became the president.[3]

Salam Zgharta (white) against Nejmeh (red) in 2020

In the first season under Estephan Frangieh's presidency (2006–07), the club was relegated to the Second Division. Following their relegation, Frangieh invested heavily in the club and they were promoted right back into the first division in the 2007–08 season. Their stay in the first division only lasted one season as they were relegated again in the 2008–09 season. In 2009, the Merdeshiyeh Stadium was fully renovated, using donations from the fans, and was renamed Zgharta Sports Complex. Salam Zgharta also established its own academy the same year. The club eventually won the 2012–13 Lebanese Second Division after topping Group A, gaining promotion to the Premier League.

In their return to the Premier League in the 2013–14 season, Salam Zgharta hired Peter Meindertsma as their head coach. While the club struggled to avoid relegation in the league, they won the 2013–14 Lebanese FA Cup, after beating Tripoli 1–0 after extra time in the final. In 2015, Salam Zgharta participated for the first time in the AFC Cup after winning the one-legged qualifying play-off round match against Khayr Vahdat 3–0 at home. They went on to win one match, against Al-Nahda of Oman, in six games in the group stage.

In the 2016–17 season, Salam Zgharta started the campaign with a 5–2 win at home against Ansar, the league's record-title holders. Salam finished runners-up, their best ever finish to date, winning 10 games out of 11 at home. They qualified to the 2018–19 Arab Club Champions Cup for the first time, losing 3–2 on aggregate against Raja Casablanca in the round of 32. In the 2020–21 seasons, after eight consecutive seasons in the top flight, Salam Zgharta were relegated to the Second Division.[7] They were promoted in 2021–22, after finishing second in the Second Division,[8] before being relegated back in 2022–23, finishing 11th in the Premier League.[9]

As of 20 September 2023[13]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 2 DF  LBN Yehya Kahil 3 MF  LBN Ghazi Hussein 4 MF  PLE Ahmad Yassine 5 MF  LBN Amer Mahfoud 8 FW  LBN Philippe Ayoub 8 FW  LBN Mohammad Maksoud 9 FW  BRA Autemar Bispo 11 FW  LBN Abdallah Adra 11 FW  LBN Jason Bayeh 12 DF  LBN Rawad Gitani 14 MF  LBN Michael Fenianos 16 DF  LBN Patrick Mannah 17 MF  LBN Mohammad Samrout 20  LBN Anthony Dib

No. Pos. Nation Player 22 DF  LBN Adel Khalil 25 DF  LBN Andrew Farah 25 DF  LBN Joe Khawaja 30 MF  LBN Joseph Yarak 70 MF  LBN Mohammad Arja 89 GK  LBN Joseph Bitar 99 GK  LBN Antoine Al Douaihy 99 GK  LBN Youssed Mrad — FW  LBN Serge Assaf — MF  LBN Fouad Khawaja — FW  LBN Mohammad Chaaban — FW  LBN Elio Rostom — FW  LBN Anthony Azizi