The year 2026 has started badly for Bourj FC. The signs were all there in the last weeks of 2025: club president Fadi Nasser announced that December 2025 will be the last month when the salaries are paid. The club management started to look for alternatives, but the situation has been dramatic ever since. In terms of performance, the team has done its job, winning 2-1 over Racing and 1-0 over Al Riyadi Al Abbassiyah, the two main rivals in the fight to avoid relegation. Then, in the last days of December, they lost 4-1 both to Al Ahed and to Ansar, but these defeats were pretty much expected, given the big difference in terms of value between the teams. Even so, Bourj FC classified 10th (out of 12) at the end of the regular season, right above the relegation line, and only one point behind Tadamon Sour and Mabarrah in 8th and 9th respectively, and 2 points above Al Riyadi Al Abbassiyah, the first team below the relegation line.
A year ago, the situation was very similar, with Bourj FC in 10th place at the end of the regular season, and then they had an excellent play-out, with 11 wins, 2 draws and only 2 defeats, finishing first in the play-out and seventh overall.
It is obvious that the results were not the main cause for Fadi Nasser's departure. In fact, he had announced his departure twice before, in summer 2024, and again in summer 2025. In each situation, the club somehow survived, and the president eventually came back and stabilized the club financially. This time, it might be different. In summer, there was enough time for the club management to find alternatives, to sign players, to start the competition even with a (very) low budget. Now, the resignation of manager Ahmad Atwi, a close friend of (former?) president Fadi Nasser, is a clear indication that Nasser would not change his mind.
Ahmad Atwi, former manager of Bourj FC. Photo source: Bourj FC Facebook page
Even if Fadi Nasser changes his mind or another sponsor is found, it would be perhaps too late because most of the players have already left. There is no manager for the moment, it would be a miracle to have training sessions with the remaining players, but who will lead such sessions?
There are less than two weeks before the start of the second half of the season, there will be some cup matches in which Bourj FC are (un)luckily not involved, because they are already out of the competition, but then the play-out will start. A solution is needed quickly for the club to move ahead somehow.
Realistically, there are two possible options. The first option would be to continue the competition with a very low budget and a very young and inexperienced roster. The fact that many of the outgoing players have chosen clubs in the Second Division is an indication of the fact that in the current situation Bourj FC does not match even the budget of a Second Division club. As a result, it would be impossible to sign any good players, but it might be a possibility to attract (very) young talents, who would like to add to their CV the fact that they played in the Lebanese Premier League. With some luck, Bourj FC may even get a few young players from the bigger clubs on loan, the kind of players that would never get a minute in their current team, but who would get (some) playing time in the top Lebanese League for Bourj FC. Of course, in this case, there will be no chance to avoid relegation, and it would be a miracle even to get some points. The main objectives of the club would be to survive, to raise young talented players, and to buy some time until the much needed financial support will be found. Yes, they would be relegated to the Second Division at the end of the 2025-2026 season, but they will have eight months to find a solution for the club to survive beyond this season, and to start the 2026-2027 season in the Second Division with a fighting chance.
The other option is to withdraw. This would be extremely sad, and nobody really wants this, not even the rivals, but it might be the case if the budget is really that low that not even the competition costs cannot be covered, let alone paying the staff and (or) the players. There might be people who would join (almost) for free, but you still have to pay the referees, the medical assistance, the security, and so on. If the club is not able to sustain such costs, the only reasonable choice would be to withdraw. It is hard to tell what are the consequences for this. The club might continue with their junior teams, but at the senior level it might be relegated to the Second Division or lower, or worse it might disappear altogether, although I think it would be highly unlikely for the club to disappear completely, given the strong support it has in Bourj el-Barajneh and within the Shiite community in the Dahieh.
Of course, there is also a third option, which is more like a dream than a realistical option at the moment: the club to be saved financially before the start of the play-out. I am sure that the people involved within the club are looking right now for any solution, even for a short term one, to save the club, and to go forward, to continue in the play-out. Starting the play-out, even with a very limited budget, would enable a potential solution, not just for now, but also for the entire second half of the season.
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