Safa Sporting Club
Encyclopedia
Safa Beirut SC (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 belongs to Walid Jumblatt
, and receives its support primarily from the Druze
community.
. 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. Safa Beirut SC had one of the best coaches: Samir Saad. He left the team in 2008. Samir made history for the club as he led them to their first AFC Cup
final.
Safa was a very strong team back in the 1990s; behind Nejmeh and Al Ansar, this team was able to shine. Despite everything, Al-Safa needs more effort to go back to the old days. Many Safa members saw that the Lebanese Premier League
itself needs to improve its performance vis-à-vis all Lebanese players.
In the 1990s and at the beginning of the 21st century, Al Safa Club showed that it is a persistent team that can pose problems and threats to top level teams. It won the Lebanese cup twice in 1964 and 1986. Located in Beirut, the Safa stadium can include 4,000 seated people. Many prominent players played in al Safa team like: Captain Ghassan Abu Diab,Walid Zeineddine ,shahin ferzan, hamzeh hamzeh , Abdelkarim Hassoun, samer arbid , bassam kassas , mohamed berri ,assad kalout , ali sabra , sindibad albahri , saad and souheil halawi , issam balouk , Walid Dahrouge, Nabih al Jurdi, hassan ayoub ,mohamed al maoula, khaled al bana , farid samaha, nabil sheikho , shawkat horani , joseph abou samra , Daniel al A’war, salman abdel khalek, the goalkeeper Bilal Hachem and fouad mirza and nassif atoue , , and many others like the liberians stars , nima cllions emanuel harris, alexandre freeman , jenjy jackobs, and william do. francky from ghana ,osman saleh from nigeria
Al Safa proved itself as an extremely strong team: throughout the 1990s, its forward tactics were marvelous; the team succeeded in scoring many goals in several games. It was known for the fact that its players were driven towards the attack.
In 2009, led by their new coach Evan, Safa Beirut SC made a new achievement by winning the Lebanese Elite Cup
for the first time in their history and this marked their first official championship since 23 years.
According to many Lebanese First Division players, Al Safa was a team they should fear because it can be a source of many troubles on the ground. Al Safa officials assured that their team deserved to win at least one cup in the 1990s. However, they accused many administrative sources of being behind plots.
The games between Safa and other teams were considered as the best in Lebanon, especially in the 1990s, because the team was oriented towards forward playing; therefore, many goals were expected.
The Players
Al Safa had a bunch of players who succeeded in drawing their names in the Lebanese soccer history. Walid Dahrouge was a brilliant forward; they call him “The Goal Machine” because he rarely misses chances in front of the net. He was sometimes the only savior when his team failed to score. Against Nejmeh, Al Ansar, or any other strong team, Dahrouge excelled in scoring; Al Safa fans were delighted to have him.
Ghassan Abu Diab is a historical legend in this team. In the 1980s, this player was an idol in the attacking midfield position. In the 1988 Arab Nations tournament in Amman
, he brilliantly played with the Lebanese national team against Tunisia
: The score was 1–1. Abu Diab represented al Safa in a great way by showing that his skills were not only of a local caliber but of a regional one.
Nabih al Jurdi was one of the best defenders in Safa’s history. In the 1990s and mid 2000s, al Jurdi had the pace of a rabbit in his own penalty area. Scoring goals against his goalkeeper was a difficult task because al Jurdi would run after him.
Bilal Hachem was a fairly good goalkeeper who used to save his teams from dangerous balls. Last but not least, Daniel al A’war was a tough defender along with al Jurdi; he was always there to create difficulties for attackers. Al A’war was a fighter who provided safety for the team.
walid bou mjahed
Ghassan Abou Diab Samir Saad
Nabih Al-Jerdi Walid Al-Miri Ahmad Al-Naamani Hasan Ayoub Walid Dahrouj Ramez Dayoub
Ghassan Abou Diab
Bilal Hachem Fouad Badih Talhouk Youssef Mohamad
(Played and Captained 1.FC Koln and also played for SC Freiburg
)
Brazil Salomão
Walid Zeineddine Hisham Shleikh Hani Abdul Fattah Abdelkarim Hassoun Kemokai Kallon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
sports club based in Wata El-Museitbeh, Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. In English the name Safa الصفاء means clarity. The club belongs to Walid Jumblatt
Walid Jumblatt
Walid Jumblatt is a Lebanese politician and the current leader of the Progressive Socialist Party . He is the most prominent leader of Lebanon's Druze community.-Family:...
, and receives its support primarily from the Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
community.
Early years
Founded in 1939, Safa Beirut SC (Nadi al-Safa' al-Riyadi Beirut) started playing football on a private field located in Wata El-Museitbeh, BeirutBeirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. 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. Safa Beirut SC had one of the best coaches: Samir Saad. He left the team in 2008. Samir made history for the club as he led them to their first AFC Cup
AFC Cup
The AFC Cup is an annual international association football competition between domestic clubs sides run by the Asian Football Confederation . Qualification to the competition is to clubs from AFC-affiliated countries which fall into the AFC's 'developing nations' category as laid out in their...
final.
Safa was a very strong team back in the 1990s; behind Nejmeh and Al Ansar, this team was able to shine. Despite everything, Al-Safa needs more effort to go back to the old days. Many Safa members saw that the Lebanese Premier League
Lebanese Premier League
Lebanese Premier League is the top division of the Federation Libanaise de Football Association football league competitions. It was founded in 1900 and began in 1934 and their confederation is the AFC...
itself needs to improve its performance vis-à-vis all Lebanese players.
In the 1990s and at the beginning of the 21st century, Al Safa Club showed that it is a persistent team that can pose problems and threats to top level teams. It won the Lebanese cup twice in 1964 and 1986. Located in Beirut, the Safa stadium can include 4,000 seated people. Many prominent players played in al Safa team like: Captain Ghassan Abu Diab,Walid Zeineddine ,shahin ferzan, hamzeh hamzeh , Abdelkarim Hassoun, samer arbid , bassam kassas , mohamed berri ,assad kalout , ali sabra , sindibad albahri , saad and souheil halawi , issam balouk , Walid Dahrouge, Nabih al Jurdi, hassan ayoub ,mohamed al maoula, khaled al bana , farid samaha, nabil sheikho , shawkat horani , joseph abou samra , Daniel al A’war, salman abdel khalek, the goalkeeper Bilal Hachem and fouad mirza and nassif atoue , , and many others like the liberians stars , nima cllions emanuel harris, alexandre freeman , jenjy jackobs, and william do. francky from ghana ,osman saleh from nigeria
Al Safa proved itself as an extremely strong team: throughout the 1990s, its forward tactics were marvelous; the team succeeded in scoring many goals in several games. It was known for the fact that its players were driven towards the attack.
In 2009, led by their new coach Evan, Safa Beirut SC made a new achievement by winning the Lebanese Elite Cup
Lebanese Elite Cup
The Lebanese Elite Cup is a Lebanese cup competition played by the top-6 league finishers of the previous season.The competition was first played in 1996 and was contested by the top four of the league and the cup winners. It was known as the Super League Cup...
for the first time in their history and this marked their first official championship since 23 years.
According to many Lebanese First Division players, Al Safa was a team they should fear because it can be a source of many troubles on the ground. Al Safa officials assured that their team deserved to win at least one cup in the 1990s. However, they accused many administrative sources of being behind plots.
The games between Safa and other teams were considered as the best in Lebanon, especially in the 1990s, because the team was oriented towards forward playing; therefore, many goals were expected.
The Players
Al Safa had a bunch of players who succeeded in drawing their names in the Lebanese soccer history. Walid Dahrouge was a brilliant forward; they call him “The Goal Machine” because he rarely misses chances in front of the net. He was sometimes the only savior when his team failed to score. Against Nejmeh, Al Ansar, or any other strong team, Dahrouge excelled in scoring; Al Safa fans were delighted to have him.
Ghassan Abu Diab is a historical legend in this team. In the 1980s, this player was an idol in the attacking midfield position. In the 1988 Arab Nations tournament in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
, he brilliantly played with the Lebanese national team against Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
: The score was 1–1. Abu Diab represented al Safa in a great way by showing that his skills were not only of a local caliber but of a regional one.
Nabih al Jurdi was one of the best defenders in Safa’s history. In the 1990s and mid 2000s, al Jurdi had the pace of a rabbit in his own penalty area. Scoring goals against his goalkeeper was a difficult task because al Jurdi would run after him.
Bilal Hachem was a fairly good goalkeeper who used to save his teams from dangerous balls. Last but not least, Daniel al A’war was a tough defender along with al Jurdi; he was always there to create difficulties for attackers. Al A’war was a fighter who provided safety for the team.
Founders
Maher Wahab, Anis Naaim, Hasib Al-Jerdi, Amin Haidar, Shafik Nadir, Toufik Al-Zouhairy, Adib Haidar.Stadium
- Name: Safa SC Stadium.
- Opened: 1948.
- Owner: Safa Beirut SC.
- Location: Wata El-MuseitbehBeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, BeirutBeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. - Transport: 5 Minutes from Beirut Rafic Hariri International AirportBeirut Rafic Hariri International AirportBeirut Rafic Hariri International Airport is located 9 km from the city centre in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon and is the only operational commercial airport in the country. It is the hub for Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines...
. - Seating CapacitySeating capacitySeating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
: 4,000 Spectators. - Tickets: Sold at Main Gate.
- Surface: Artificial Grass (Part of the FIFAFIFAThe Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
"Goal Project" that was approved on 22 September 2004).
Domestic competitions
- Safa Beirut SC won the Lebanese second division league for twelve consecutive years from 1948 till 1960.
- Winner of the Lebanese Cup: 1964, 1986
- Finalist of the Lebanese Cup: 1971, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2008
- Safa Beirut SC never won the Lebanese first division league, but was first runner up for seven times in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2007
- Winner of "City of Alley" cup: 1972, 1974
- Winner of "Al-Adha Tournament": 1979, 1984
- Winner of "16 March Tournament": 1983, 1984
- Winner of the Lebanese Elite CupLebanese Elite CupThe Lebanese Elite Cup is a Lebanese cup competition played by the top-6 league finishers of the previous season.The competition was first played in 1996 and was contested by the top four of the league and the cup winners. It was known as the Super League Cup...
: 2009
AFC competitions
- AFC Cup Winners Cup:
-
- 1992/93: Withdrew in first round.
- 2000/01: Withdrew in first round.
- AFC CupAFC CupThe AFC Cup is an annual international association football competition between domestic clubs sides run by the Asian Football Confederation . Qualification to the competition is to clubs from AFC-affiliated countries which fall into the AFC's 'developing nations' category as laid out in their...
:
- AFC Cup
- AFC Cup 2008AFC Cup 2008The 2008 AFC Cup was the 5th edition of the AFC Cup, playing between clubs from nations who are members of the Asian Football Confederation.-Qualified teams:...
: Runner-up with a record of 6 wins, 4 draws, and 2 losses. - AFC Cup 2009AFC Cup 2009The 2009 AFC Cup was the 6th season of the AFC Cup and is competed among clubs from nations who are members of the Asian Football Confederation....
: Round of 16
walid bou mjahed
Current squad
| Pos. | # | Name | Nat. | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | 1 | Nazih Tay |  |
|
| GK | 24 | Mohamad Mustapha El Doraa | |
|
| GK | 35 | Ziad Al-Samad Ziad Al-Samad Ziad El Samad is a Lebanese football player born in 1978 on the 6th of August. He plays for Al-Ansar FC as a goalkeeper. He has been playing for Al-Ansar since the 1999-2000 season... |
|
International |
| DF Defender (association football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... |
2 | Ali Al Saadi Ali Al Saadi Ali Al Saadi is a Lebanese football player who currently is a Safa Beirut player and represents Lebanon internationally. He plays as a defender. He participated in the ONGC Nehru Cup as part of the Lebanese team and scored the winning goal in the opening match against India, defeating India... |
|
International |
| DF Defender (association football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... |
3 | Milat Pierre Polycarpe |  |
|
| DF Defender (association football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... |
4 | Abdallah Taleb | |
|
| DF Defender (association football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... |
8 | Mohamad Korhani Mohamad Korhani Mohamad Korhani is a Lebanese international footballer. He currently plays for Safa Sporting Club in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.Korhani has also made four appearances for the Lebanon national football team and scored no goals.-International goals:... |
|
International |
| DF Defender (association football) Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking.... |
18 | Hamzeh Abboud | |
International |
| MF Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
12 | Ramy Kaddoura | |
|
| MF Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
14 | Amer Khan | |
(Vice Captain) / International |
| MF Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
15 | Mba Derick Ebi |  |
|
| MF Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
16 | Salih Sadir Salih Sadir Salih Sadir Salih Al-Sadoun is an Iraqi midfielder. He currently plays for Safa Beirut SC. Previously, Sadir played with Rah Ahan F.C. in the Iran Pro League on loan. He also plays for the Iraq national football team since 2003... |
 |
International |
| MF Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
19 | Ali Khalil | |
|
| MF Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
20 | Khodor Salameh | |
Captain / International |
| MF Midfielder A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role... |
25 | Hamid Termina Hamid Termina Hamid Termina is a Moroccan football player. As of February 2009, he plays for Safa Sporting Club. He made his Bundesliga debut for FC Energie Cottbus on August 19, 2001 when he started in a game against Hertha BSC Berlin.... |
 |
International |
| FW | 7 | Mahmoud Al-Zoughbi | |
|
| FW | 9 | Hussein Tahan | |
|
| FW | 10 | Roni Azzar | |
|
| FW | 11 | Guy Charles Jimgou | |
|
| FW | 13 | Davidson Charles Davidson Charles Davidson Charles is a Haitian football player, who currently plays for Safa Beirut SC.-Club career:Charles played for different teams in the lower French divisions before moving to L'Entente SSG in summer 2007.... |
 |
International |
| HC | – | Samir Saad | |
Head Coach |
- Salih SadirSalih SadirSalih Sadir Salih Al-Sadoun is an Iraqi midfielder. He currently plays for Safa Beirut SC. Previously, Sadir played with Rah Ahan F.C. in the Iran Pro League on loan. He also plays for the Iraq national football team since 2003...
arrived in February 2010 from
Rah Ahan F.C. as on loan from Al-Ahed.
Notable former managers
Walid Zeineddine Mahmoud SaadMahmoud Saad
Mahmoud Saad محمود سعد is an Egyptian football player. Currently, he is the assistant coach of Zamalek. He was previously the manager of Zamalek, and of the Egyptian National Olympic Team in the 1992 Summer Olympics.- Titles as a Manager for Zamalek :...
Ghassan Abou Diab Samir Saad
Notable former players
Mahmoud SaadMahmoud Saad
Mahmoud Saad محمود سعد is an Egyptian football player. Currently, he is the assistant coach of Zamalek. He was previously the manager of Zamalek, and of the Egyptian National Olympic Team in the 1992 Summer Olympics.- Titles as a Manager for Zamalek :...
Nabih Al-Jerdi Walid Al-Miri Ahmad Al-Naamani Hasan Ayoub Walid Dahrouj Ramez Dayoub
Ramez Dayoub
Ramez Dayoub born 9 August 1984 in Beirut, Lebanon) is a Lebanese footballer who currently plays for Selangor FA in the Malaysia Super League and the Lebanon national football team.-External links:*...
Ghassan Abou Diab
Bilal Hachem Fouad Badih Talhouk Youssef Mohamad
Youssef Mohamad
Youssef Wasef Mohamad is a Lebanese footballer currently playing for Al-Ahli in the UAE Football League and the Lebanon national team. He represented Lebanon at the 2000 Asian Cup and also captained of the team from November 2004 to August 2005.-Club career:...
(Played and Captained 1.FC Koln and also played for SC Freiburg
SC Freiburg
Sport-Club Freiburg, commonly known as SC Freiburg, is a German association football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. SC Freiburg has played in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German football, since their promotion in 2009...
)
Brazil SalomãoSalomão Mazuad Salha
Salomão Mazuad Salha , also simply as Salomão, is a former naturalized Lebanese football midfielder.- Biography :Salomão was born in Floriano, a city located in the Brazilian state of Piauí....
Walid Zeineddine Hisham Shleikh Hani Abdul Fattah Abdelkarim Hassoun Kemokai Kallon
Kemokai Kallon
Kemokai Kallon nickname Panbody is a Sierra Leonean footballer playing currently for Kallon F.C. where he is the captain of the team. He is the older-brother of Sierra Leonean international footballer Mohamed Kallon and the younger brother of former Sierra Leonean international footballer Musa...
Kit Manufacturer
- 1999-2008: PumaPUMA AGPuma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
- 2008: AdidasAdidasAdidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
- 2009: PumaPUMA AGPuma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
- 2010- : LottoLotto Sport ItaliaLotto Sport Italia is an Italian sports apparel manufacturer. Its products are now distributed in more than 60 countries.-History:Lotto was established in 1973 by the Caberlotto family in Montebelluna, northern Italy, the world centre of footwear manufacturing. In June 1973, Lotto made its debut...