World Soccer - UK (2020-12)

been labelled as the team of Hezbollah,
a Shia Islamist political party that was
designated as a terrorist group in1997
by the United States. Officially formed in
1985 as a response to Israel’s invasion,
the organisation has become deeply
embedded in Lebanese politics, society
and football, though little is said openly
about its relationship with the beautiful
game.
Then there are clubs that appeal
mainly to the Sunni Muslim community,
such as Al Ansar and Al Nejmeh. Rafic
Hariri, the former prime minister, was
a supporter, with his name adorning
Nejmeh’s Stadium. His assassination in
2005 was another turning point in the
country’s history and one that was not
unconnected to football. It sparked
unrest, and the rising violence and
tensions that ensued in stadiums
meant that no fans were allowed in
to watch games for a full six years.
That period was damaging. The crowd
violence had turned a lot of other fans
off going to games but having no fans
at all meant that broadcasters started
to lose interest which meant even less
revenue and more interference.
Facilities became worse.
Yet Lebanon loves football and when
fans were allowed back in 2011 the
situation improved. There was less
violence and better atmospheres.
The whole experience improved and
with clubs starting to challenge on
the regional and even continental
stage, there was some hope by 2019.
The events of 2020 have put paid to
much of that. Coronavirus was, and is,
obviously still a major factor but there’s
more. Despite the lack of football,
the sport still had the ability to make
headlines for the wrong reasons. In
September, Mohamed Atwi was killed.
The 32-year-old, who had appeared for
the national team and won three titles

LEBANON

with Al Ansar, was hit in the head by

a stray bullet in August.

Atwi had been injured while attending

a funeral (there is a habit of guns being

shot into the air at such ceremonies) in

Beirut to mark the passing of a victim of

the huge blast that ripped through the

city in August to claim over150 lives,

cause injuries to thousands of others

and leave many more homeless with

the total damage estimated to be

over $15 billion.

It shook the country. The economy

has been in terrible condition for some

time. The Lebanese pound has reduced

in value by around 80 per cent in 2020.

With just one or two games in the past

12 months, clubs have had no income.

“This huge thing happened in Beirut

which is devastating for all of us,” added

Chehayeb. “It breaks your heart to see

what happened and you can’t imagine

it. The economic situation is really bad.

We are hoping that things will get better

but even with all that, we still can’t

forget that COVID-19 is still around.”

But football is back and that means

there is always some hope. The new

season that started on October 3 is

slightly different. The financial situation

had led to all foreign players being

banned from the league. It will be

Lebanese only. Overseas stars such

as Ghana’s Issah Yakubu and Tunisia’s

Ahmed Akaichi played a major part

in Al Ahed’s AFC Cup victory (this

year’s competition was cancelled in

September) but are no longer around.

While officials are trying to put a

positive spin on this, saying that it will

give local youngsters much more of an

opportunity, the lack of foreign players

will not help the quality of the league,

especially as the lack of money has

meant that an increasing number of the

best local players are heading overseas

as well. Senior internationals such as

Rabih Ataya went to Malaysia, Kassem

El Zein moved to Kuwait and Mehdi

Khalil headed to Iran. More are

expected to follow.

“Everyone’s lives have changed

because of the collapse of the

[Lebanese] pound and the economic

situation,” said Chehayeb. “Players have

moved overseas due to the economic

situation in the country, they are getting

better deals abroad and that is a normal

thing. Even if the league is not great,

they want to get out of here but this

gives a chance for

other young talent.”

Looking ahead

to the season,

nobody is sure

what is going to

happen.Just to play again is a big step.

At the moment, that is all anyone can

focus on. “Football is the oxygen that

can get us through the hard times

Lebanon is going through.”

Rising from

the rubble...Kids

playing football in the

wreckage of Beirut

Photo credit: Adnan

Hajj Ali, Lebanon FA

“We tried to get football back and it just didn’t

happen, then COVID-19 came and that was it”

Wael Akram Chehayeb, Lebanon FA

“Pep Guardiola with

the mindset of Helenio

Herrera”...Al Ahed

coach Bassem Marmar

Winners...Al Ahed

celebrate with

the AFC Cup