Safa SC

Safa Sporting Club (Arabic: نادي الصفاء الرياضي‎, lit. 'Purity Sporting Club') is a Lebanese football club based in Wata El-Museitbeh, Beirut. Founded in 1939, they won three league titles, three domestic cups, one Super Cup and two Elite Cups; they have also reached the 2008 AFC Cup final.[2] The club primarily receives its support from the Druze community,[3][4] and plays the Mountain derby with Akhaa Ahli Aley.

Safa
Full nameSafa Sporting Club
Nickname(s)النسور‎ (The Eagles)[1]
Short nameSAF
Founded31 March 1939 (31 March 1939)
GroundSafa Stadium[lower-alpha 1]
Capacity4,000
ChairmanGhazi Chaar
ManagerEmile Rustom
LeagueLebanese Premier League
2019–20Lebanese Premier League (season abandoned)
Active teams of Safa
Men's Women's

History

Founded in 1933 at an amateur level in the Wata El-Museitbeh of Beirut, Safa Sporting Club was officially established in 1939 by seven people: Maher Wahab, Anis Naaim, Hasib Al-Jerdi, Amin Haidar, Chafik Nader, Toufik Al-Zouhairy and Adib Haidar.[5]

On 23 December 1948, Safa obtained the official membership and license from the government as a private association.[5] In the same year, the club was affiliated to the Lebanese Football Association and was ranked within the Second Division. In 1961, Safa was promoted to the First Division.

Kit manufacturers

The following is a list of kit manufacturers worn by Safa.

Period Kit manufacturer
1999–2008 Puma
2008–2010 Adidas
2010–2011 Lotto
2011–2015 Joma
2016–2017 Sportika SA
2017–2018 Jako
2018– Joma

Stadium
Main article: Safa Stadium
Safa Stadium
LocationWata El-Museitbeh, Beirut
OwnerSafa SC
Capacity4,000 seated
Opened1948

The Safa Stadium opened in 1948, and has a capacity of 4,000 spectators. Located in the Wata El-Museitbeh district of Beirut, the stadium is five minutes from the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport. While the stadium is of Safa's property, the club plays in various other stadiums around the country.

Club rivalries

Safa has important rivalries with Ansar and Nejmeh, both being based in Beirut. Safa also plays the Mountain derby with Akhaa Ahli,[6] as Akhaa is based in Aley, a city in Mount Lebanon, and Safa's support comes from the Druze community in Lebanon, who mainly live in Chouf and Aley districts.

Players

Current squad
As of 17 September 2019[7]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  LBN Rabie Al Kakhi
3 DF  LBN Hussein Mortada
4 DF  SEN Fallou Sarr
5 DF  LBN Jad Noureddine
6 MF  LBN Kassem Hayek
7 DF  LBN Mohamed Zein Tahan
8 MF  LBN Ahmad Jalloul
9 FW  LBN Hassan Mhanna
10 FW  LBN Omar Al Kurdi
11 FW  SEN Amady Diop
13 MF  LBN Yahya El Hindi
16 GK  LBN Hassan Hussein
17 FW  LBN Alaa Al Baba (on loan from Ansar)
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 FW  SEN El Hadji Abdou Karim Samb
20 MF  LBN Mostafa Kanso
21 MF  LBN Majed Othman
29 GK  LBN Mark Anthony Awad
30 DF  LBN Hussein Sharafeddine (on loan from Nejmeh)
33 MF  LBN Hatem Eid
40 GK  LBN Zaher Hassan
66 DF  LBN Mohamad Hayek (on loan from Ahed)
69 FW  LBN Mohamad Fahes (on loan from Ahed)
70 FW  LBN Daniel Abou Fakher
71 MF  LBN Youssef Al Hajj
– DF  LBN Bashar Al Mokdad

Notable players
Players in international competitions
Competition Player National team
1996 AFC Asian Cup Yasser Sibai  Syria
2000 AFC Asian Cup Youssef Mohamad  Lebanon
Ahmad Naamani  Lebanon
2019 AFC Asian Cup Ahmad Taktouk  Lebanon
Mohamed Zein Tahan  Lebanon

Honours

Domestic

Continental

Performance in AFC competitions
2008: Final
2009: Round of 16
2012: Group stage
2013: Group stage
2014: Round of 16
1992–93: Withdrew in first round
2000–01: Withdrew in first round

Managerial history
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Notes
  1. Only used as a training ground.

References
  1. Arab-Sport.net | (13 October 2017). "بعزيمة النسور | الصفاء يعود من صيدا بثوب البطل". عرب سبورتس. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  2. "AFC Cup 2017: Match day one - Playoff and group stage preview | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  3. Montague, James (24 October 2007). "In Lebanon, even soccer is tainted by sectarian strife". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  4. Alami, Mona (1 September 2009). "Religious about football". Archived from the original on 19 April 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  5. "فريق: الصفاء بيروت". www.kooora.com. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  6. "جولة دربي الجبل... وملامسة اللقب". Al-Joumhouria. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  7. "Safa Players and Stats". lebanonfg.com. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
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