Al-Safa' SC

Al-Safa' SC

Full name	Al-Safa' Beirut Sporting Club
Nickname(s)	The Yellows Rockets
Founded	1939
Ground	Safa Stadium, Beirut – Lebanon (Capacity: 4,000)
Chairman	Issam Al-Sayegh
Head Coach	Ghassan Abou Diab Emile Rustom
League	Lebanese Premier League
2014–15	Lebanese Premier League, 5th
Home colours Away colours

Al-Safa' Beirut SC (in Arabic نادي الصفاء الرياضي بيروت) (fullname Safa' Beirut Sporting Club) is a Lebanese sports club based in Wata El-Museitbeh, Beirut. In English the name Safa' الصفاء means clarity. The club receives its support primarily from the Druze community.^[1][2] It became one of the elite teams in Asia after making it to the finals of the AFC Cup in 2007.

History

The club was founded under the name Safa' Beirut SC (Nadi al-Safa' al-Riyadi Beirut) in 1939, by 7 people: Maher Wahab, Anis Naaim, Hasib Al-Jerdi, Amin Haidar, Chafik Nader, Toufik Al-Zouhairy and Adib Haidar. They started playing football on a private field located in Wata El-Museitbeh, Beirut. The club main interest was to practice the game officially.

In 1948, Safa' Beirut SC obtained the official membership and license from the government as a private association. In the same year, the club was affiliated to the Lebanese Football Association (Fédération Libanaise de Football Association) and was ranked within the second division.

In 1961, Safa' Beirut SC was promoted to the first division.

Stadium

Safa SC Stadium 2007

• Name: Safa Stadium.
• Opened: 1948.
• Owner: Safa' Beirut SC.
• Location: Wata El-Museitbeh, Beirut.
• Transport: 5 minutes from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport.
• Seating capacity: 4,000 spectators.
• Tickets: Sold at main gate.
• Surface: Artificial grass (part of the FIFA "Goal Project" that was approved on 22 September 2004).

Kit Manufacturer

• 1999–08: Puma
• 2008–10: Adidas
• 2010–11: Lotto
• 2011–: Joma

Honours

• Lebanese Premier League: 2

2011–12, 2012–13

• Lebanese FA Cup: 3

1964–65, 1986–87, 2012–13

• Lebanese Super Cup: 1

2013–14

• Lebanese Elite Cup: 2

2008–09, 2011–12

Tournaments

• Aley Cup:

1972, 1974

• Al Adha Tournament:

1979, 1984

• 16 March Tournament:

1983, 1984

Performance in AFC competitions

• AFC Cup: 5 appearances

2008: Runner-up with a record of 6 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses

2009: Round of 16

2012: Group Stage

2013: Group Stage

2014: Round 16

• AFC Cup Winners Cup: 2 appearances

1992–93: Withdrew in first round

2000–01: Withdrew in first round

Current squad

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

No. Position Player 23 GK Mahdi Khalil 14 Ibrahim Moussa 2 DF Ali Al Saadi 3 DF Baquir Younes 4 MF Amer Khan 5 MF Omar Owayda 6 MF Nour Mansour 7 DF Zein Tahan 8 MF Joseph Haboush 9 FW Mahmoud Mazboudi 11 FW Ali Nasseredine 12 FW Omar El Kerdi

No. Position Player 14 FW Ahmad Jalloul 15 MF Tamer Haj Mohamad 17 FW Hassan El Hajj 18 FW Shibriko 19 FW Hassan Hazimeh 21 DF Jared Sarwat Chouman 22 DF Bachar Mokdad 23 MF Hamze Salame 25 DF Munier Raychouni 99 GK Mehdi Khalil

Notable former managers

• Walid Zeineddine
• Mahmoud Saad
• Akram Salman
• Ghassan Abou Diab
• Samir Saad
• Emile Rustom

Notable former players

Ibrahim Touré Mahmoud Saad Nabih Al-Jerdi Walid Al-Miri Ahmad Al-Naamani Hasan Ayoub Walid Dahrouj Ramez Dayoub (playing for Selangor) Ghassan Abou Diab Ridha Hussein

Youssef Mohamad (Played and Captained 1. FC Köln and also played for SC Freiburg) Salomão Walid Zeineddine Newton Campbell Nuzohn Kulala Hisham Shleikh Hani Abdul Fattah Abdelkarim Hassoun Kemokai Kallon Ahmad Omaier

• Ali Al Saadi
• Mehdi Khalil

External links

• Club logo

References

1. Montague, James (24 October 2007). "In Lebanon, even soccer is tainted by sectarian strife". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
2. Alami, Mona (1 September 2009). "Religious about football". Retrieved 15 October 2010.