Al Ansar FC explained

Clubname:	Ansar
Upright:	0.8
Fullname:	Al Ansar Football Club
Nickname:	Arabic: الزعيم الأخضر (The Green Leader)^[1]
Ground:	Al Ansar Stadium
Chairman:	Nabil Badr
Manager:	Youssef Al Jawhari
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Current:	2023–24 Lebanese Premier League

Al Ansar Football Club (Arabic: نادي الأنصار الرياضي|lit=The Supporters Sporting Club) is a football club based in Tariq El Jdideh, a district in Beirut, Lebanon, that competes in the . Formed in 1951, the club did not win its first Lebanese Premier League until 1988. They went on to set a world record by winning the league 11 seasons in a row.

Ansar is the most successful club in the country, having won the Lebanese Premier League 14 times and the Lebanese FA Cup 15 times, both domestic records. They have also won the Lebanese Federation Cup twice, the Lebanese Elite Cup twice and the Lebanese Super Cup six times. Ansar's major rivalry is with Nejmeh; dubbed the Beirut derby, it is the most anticipated game in Lebanon.

The club is primarily supported by the Sunni Muslim community; they had been funded by Rafic Hariri and Salim Diab until 2005.^{[2] [3]} Nabil Badr has been the club's president and main patron since 2012.^{[4] [5]}

History

Early history

In 1948, a group of young Beirutis set up the first administrative board at the club headed by Mustafa Al-Shami. Three years Misbah Dougan, then head of the administrative board, formally requested an official licence for the club allowing them to play football on all Lebanese grounds.^[6] They were to be called "Al-Intisar", Arabic for "Victory", however a club with that name was already present. Mustafa Al-Shami proposed "Ansar" in remembrance of the supporters of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Initially, Ansar was known as a Mount Lebanon team, rather than a team from Beirut. This is because, as Beirut had already too many clubs, the Federation decided to relocate Ansar to Ghobeiry. In 1965, Ansar moved to Beirut and won the 1966 Lebanese Second Division promotion play-offs, gaining promotion to the Lebanese Premier League for the following season.

Recent history

Ansar were crowned champions of the 2020–21 Lebanese Premier League by beating Nejmeh 2–1 in the Beirut derby in the last matchday;^[7] they won their 14th title, their first since 2007.^[8] They made the season a double, after beating Nejmeh in the Lebanese FA Cup final.^[9]

Supporters

Although the club's roots lie in the Sunni community in Beirut,^[10] Ansar's support comes from all areas and religions in Lebanon. The club has been associated with the Hariri family from the early 1990s till 2005. In 2018, following the introduction of ultras groups in Lebanon, "Ultras Ansari 18" (UA18) was formed.^[11]

Club rivalries

The Beirut derby with Nejmeh has historically been the most anticipated game in Lebanon: both located in Beirut, Nejmeh and Ansar have shared the majority of titles. While Nejmeh has been more successful in Asia, Ansar holds the most league titles and FA Cups.^[12]

Another important rivalry is with Ahed: located in Beirut, they are affiliated with Hezbollah, with their fan base mostly coming from the Shia community in Beirut.^[13] In addition Ansar has a rivalry with Safa, also based in Beirut.

Players

Current squad

^[14]

Notable players

Players in international competitions!Competition!Player!National team

1996 CONCACAF Gold Cup	David Nakhid
2000 AFC Asian Cup	Jadir
	Newton
	Jamal Taha
2007 AFC Asian Cup	Ahmad Mnajed
	Salih Sadir
2019 AFC Asian Cup	Hassan Chaito
	Hassan Chaitou
	Adnan Haidar
	Mootaz Jounaidi
2023 AFC Asian Cup	Mouhammed-Ali Dhaini
	Yahya El Hindi
	Hassan Maatouk
	Robert Alexander Melki
	Nassar Nassar
	Ali Tneich

Honours

• Lebanese Premier League
  • Winners (14; record): 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2020–21
• Lebanese FA Cup
  • Winners (16; record): 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2016–17, 2020–21, 2023–24
  • Runners-up (5): 1985–86, 1996–97, 2000–01, 2018–19, 2021–22
• Lebanese Federation Cup
  • Winners (2; joint record): 1999, 2000
• Lebanese Elite Cup (defunct)
  • Winners (2): 1997, 2000
  • Runners-up (8): 1996, 1998, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2016, 2019, 2022
• Lebanese Super Cup
  • Winners (6): 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2012, 2021
  • Runners-up (4): 2002, 2010, 2017, 2019

Performance in AFC competitions

AFC Champions League

11 appearances

1988–89

Qualifying stage

1989–90

Qualifying stage

1991

Qualifying stage

1993–94

Quarter-finals

1994–95

Quarter-finals

1995

Second round

1997–98

Quarter-finals

1998–99

Second round

1999–2000

Second round

2000–01

First round

2002–03

Qualifying stageAFC Cup

8 appearances

2007

Group stage

2008

Group stage

2011

Group stage

2013

Group stage

2018

Group stage

2020

Cancelled

2021

Group stage

2022

Group stage

Asian Cup Winners' Cup

2 appearances

1991–92

First round

1996–97

First round

Chairmen history

• Mustafa El-Shami (1948–1950)
• Ameen Itani (1950–1954)
• Fouad Rustom (1954–1956)
• Abdul Jalil Al-Sabra (1956–1963)
• Jamil Hasbeeny (1963–1965)
• Abed El-Jamil Ramadan (1965–1967)
• Khaled Kabbani (1967–1975)
• Said Wanid (1975–1977)
• Salim Diab (1977–2008)
• Karim Diab (2008–2012)
• Nabil Badr (2012–present)

See also

• Al Ansar FC (women), defunct women's team
• List of football clubs in Lebanon

External links

• Al Ansar FC at the AFC
• Al Ansar FC at LebanonFG

Notes and References

1. Web site: الأنصار يواصل البحث عن النجمة 14... الاتحاد والتحكيم ضربا الزعيم الأخضر؟. 16 April 2019. An-Nahar. ar. 24 April 2019. 24 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190424144909/https://newspaper.annahar.com/article/961259-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%86%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D9%8A%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B5%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%AB-%D8%B9%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%A9-14-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%B6%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B2%D8%B9%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%B6%D8%B1. dead.
2. News: Montague. James. 24 October 2007. In Lebanon, even soccer is tainted by sectarian strife. The New York Times. 15 October 2010. 17 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150217182627/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/24/sports/24iht-CUP.1.8030583.html. live.
3. Web site: Alami. Mona. 1 September 2009. Religious about football. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110419190012/http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=111940. 19 April 2011. 15 October 2010.
4. Web site: Lebanon's national teams fly above entrenched sectarianism among supporters. 20 April 2019. The National. en. 8 November 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221108080905/https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/mena/lebanon-s-national-teams-fly-above-entrenched-sectarianism-among-supporters-1.810861. live.
5. Web site: مدير الانصار ليوروسبورت: هذه أسباب إستقالة نبيل بدر وهذه المقترحات!. 2020-03-13. arabia.eurosport.com. ar.
6. Web site: The Birth, Death and Re-Birth of Lebanese Football Ahdaaf. en-US. 17 March 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402204736/https://ahdaaf.me/2016/03/29/the-birth-death-and-re-birth-of-lebanese-football/. 2 April 2019. dead.
7. Web site: استياء جماهيري من تقرير LBCI. 2021-04-27. lebanonfg.com. en. 27 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210427180115/http://lebanonfg.com/single/2622. live.
8. Web site: 24 April 2021. ar:لقب 14 قياسي للأنصار على حساب النجمة بعد انتظار 14 سنة في بطولة كرة القدم. A record 14th title for Ansar at the expense of Nejmeh after waiting 14 years in the football championship. live. 24 April 2021. bintjbeil.org. ar. 24 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210424152756/https://bintjbeil.org/post.php?id=40039.
9. Web site: 2021-05-12. بالصور: ركلات الترجيح تتوج الأنصار بالكأس. 2021-05-12. كووورة. 12 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210512212258/https://www.kooora.com/?n=1030249. live.
10. Web site: Lebanon's national teams fly above entrenched sectarianism among supporters. The National. en. 21 April 2019. 8 November 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221108080905/https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/mena/lebanon-s-national-teams-fly-above-entrenched-sectarianism-among-supporters-1.810861. live.
11. Web site: https://al-akhbar.com/Sport_Lebanon/258278. ar:البداية من "المدينة" والختام فيها. الأخبار. ar. 21 April 2019. 21 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190421114612/https://al-akhbar.com/Sport_Lebanon/258278. live.
12. Web site: Great Asian Derbies – Al Ansar SC vs Nejmeh SC (Beirut). GhanaSoccernet. en. 23 February 2019. 10 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180710133111/https://ghanasoccernet.com/great-asian-derbies-al-ansar-sc-vs-nejmeh-sc-beirut. live.
13. Web site: The Hezbollah Club. BabaGol. en-US. 2019-05-24. 26 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200226142655/https://www.babagol.net/blog/2018/9/30/the-hezbollah-club. live.
14. Web site: Al Ansar SC. 30 September 2022. Global Sports Archive. 28 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220928103037/https://globalsportsarchive.com/team/soccer/al-ansar-sc/16373/. live.