Bourj FC
Bourj Football Club, sometimes called Bourj Sports Club and sometimes spelled Al-Bourj, Boroj, Al Borj or Burj (in Arabic: البرج), is a football club founded in 1967 and based in Bourj el-Barajneh, a southern suburb of Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, which competes in the Lebanese Premier League, the top tier of Lebanese football system, after becoming champions of the Lebanese Second Division at the end of the 2018-2019 season. They were also crowned champions of the 2016-2017 Lebanese Third Division, when they promoted to the Second Division. Their greatest achievement so far is winning the Lebanese FA Cup in 1993. They also won the Challenge Cup in 2019 and 2021. Their home ground is Bourj el-Barajneh Stadium, finalized in 2018, but used only as a training ground. For league matches, they use mainly Amin Abdelnour Stadium in Bhamdoun (Aley), which is shared with other football teams in Beirut area. Formerly, they used Al Ahed Stadium in Ouzai area of Bourj el-Barajneh or Safa Stadium in Beirut as their home ground. The team is generally supported by the Shia Muslim communities of the southern suburbs of Beirut and is well-known for the high number of loyal and passionate fans. The traditional colours are yellow and black.
Bourj FC players and staff at the start of the 2023-2024 season. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page
History
The team existed even since the 1940s in Al-Ghadeer area of Bourj el-Barajneh and played unofficially before obtaining an official club license (no. 377) in 1967 under the name Al Bourj Sports Club. Headed by Rafiq Salem Al-Darsa Abboud, the club took its name from the town of Bourj el-Barajneh where it was based and included a group of loyal players such as Suhail Rahal (future president and main figure of the club), Darsa Abboud, Mohamed Hassan Idris, Mohammed Hussein Naboh, Ramiz Mohamed Ammar, Yousuf Ali Yasin and Ali Mahmoud Issa. They played mainly in the lower Lebanon leagues and started to rise in the 1970s when the Civil War broke out and interrupted all competitions. After 1985, the club competed again, succeeding in promoting for the first time to the Lebanon Premier League in 1991.
The greatest achievement of Bourj FC was winning the Lebanese FA Cup in 1993, 4-1 in the cup final against Homenmen Beirut, after several replays, as initial games between the two teams ended with a draw and regulations at that time stipulated that a replay was compulsory if the match ends with a draw.
Bourj FC in the 1990s. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page
During the 1990s, Bourj FC played consistently in the Premier League, reaching the third place in the 1995-1996 season (their best result in the league). Relegated in 1999, they succeeded to promote to the Premier League in 2001, but survived only for two years and in 2003 they were relegated again to the Second Division, where they remained until 2009.
Bourj FC in their alternative orange kits celebrating the promotion to the Third Division (2015)
After a period of downfall to the lower leagues, the club enjoyed relative success in recent years, as they earned promotion to the Third Division in 2015, to the Second Division in 2017 and to the Premier League in 2019.
Bourj FC in September 2017, prepared to start in the Second Division. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page
The team had the same manager, Hassan Mashor Mekdad “Mido”, who led the team from the Fourth Division to the Second Divison. However, he resigned at the end of the 2017-2018 season in Second Division, when Bourj FC was very close to a much-expected promotion to the Premier League, but finished third, after a disappointing 1-1 draw in the last round, when they needed to win against Mabarrah. The new head coach was Mohamad Dakka, former Safa SC head coach, who succeeded to bring the team to the Premier League in 2019. Bourj FC also won the Challenge Cup for the first time in summer 2019.
Bourj FC started perfectly their first season in the Premier League after so many years, with two consecutive wins, but then the 2019-2020 season was interrupted due to the economic and political crisis in Lebanon (starting with October 2019) and then because of the COVID-19 pandemic (starting with March 2020) and was eventually cancelled.
Bourj FC starting line-up in a match in Premier League in September 2019
The 2020-2021 season eventually began in October 2020 and Bourj FC had the same staff and mainly the same players as before. However, after five rounds and only one win, manager Mohamad Dakka was sacked at the beginning of November 2020 and replaced by his assistant manager, Fouad Hijazi, who became full manager. After six rounds, the league was interrupted for the matches of the national teams and afterwards because of a new lockdown in Lebanon. The league eventually resumed in December, but Bourj failed to qualify for the play-off (first six) and instead played in the play-out, finishing first of the bottom six. At the same time, they reached the semifinals of the Lebanese FA Cup. In summer 2021, Bourj FC won the Challenge Cup for the second time in a row.
The 2021-2022 season was very successful, as Bourj managed to qualify for the play-off in second position, and had a winning streak of eight consecutive matches, which even made them contenders for the championship title at a certain moment. However, in the second half of the play-off their results became poorer and, after losing all chances for the title, they also lost the second position to Ansar in the final rounds. Even so, the third place they obtained at the end of the season equals their best ever, as they were in the same position only in 1995-1996.
Bourj FC players and staff before the start of the 2022-2023 season. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page
In June 2022, Osama Al Sakr became manager, replacing Fouad Hijazi, in view of the 2022-2023 season. Bourj FC played in the Elite Cup in summer 2022, but were eliminated after the first stage. However, they had a strong start in the 2022-2023 league season, winning the first six matches. Then, results started to become poorer and Bourj eventually finished fifth at the end of the regular season. In the championship play-off, Bourj gained only one point in the first three matches, and manager Osama Al Sakr was sacked in January 2023 to be replaced by his former assistant manager, Hussein Tahan. Bourj eventually finished fifth and were eliminated once again in the semifinals of the Lebanese FA Cup. In 2023, Bourj FC participated for the first time after almost 30 years in an official international competition, as they represented Lebanon in the Arab Club Champions Cup. However, they were eliminated in the first qualifying round by Al Wahda (of the United Arab Emirates), losing both legs, 3-0 and 1-0, but both matches were played away in Abu Dhabi.
Results season by season
2023-2024: Premier League:
2022-2023: Premier League: 5th (out of 12). Overall results: 21 9 5 7 25-26 21 points[1].
Regular season: 5th (out of 12). Results: 11 7 2 2 17-11 23 points.
Play-off: 5th (out of 6). Results: 10 2 3 5 8-15 9 points.
2021-2022: Premier League: 3rd (out of 12). Results: 19 9 7 3 22-16 34 points.
2020-2021: Premier League: 7th (out of 12). Results: 16 5 8 3 18-13 23 points.
2019-2020: Premier League: cancelled. Partial results: 2 2 0 0 3-0 6 points.
2018-2019: Second Division: 1st (out of 12) - promoted. Results: 22 17 4 1 42-9 55 points.
2017-2018: Second Division: 3rd (out of 12). Results: 22 14 6 2 42-19 48 points.
2016-2017: Third Division, Group A: 2nd – qualified for the Final Round: 1st – promoted
Results in the first round: 14 8 4 2 31-6 28 points
Results in the final round: 5 3 1 1 10-6 10 points
2015-2016: Third Division, Group C: 4th (out of 7). Results: 12 3 4 5 13-17 13 points
2014-2015: Fourth Division: 1st, promoted to the Third Division.
…
2012-2013: Third Division, Group A: 4th (out of ?)
…
2010-2011: Third Division, position and results unknown.
2009-2010: Third Division, position and results unknown.
2008-2009: Second Division, Group 1: 7th (last) – relegated. Part results: 7 0 1 6 2-12 1 p.
2007-2008: Second Division, Group 1: 4th (out of 7). Results: 12 4 3 5 16-17 15 points
2006-2007: Second Division, Group 1: 6th (out of 7). Partial results: 7 0 3 4 3-8 3 points
2005-2006: Second Division, 9th (out of 12). Results: 22 5 4 13 24-40 19 points
2004-2005: Second Division, position and results unknown
2003-2004: Second Division, position and results unknown
2002-2003: Premier League, 12th (last) – relegated. Results: 22 5 2 15 21-47 11 points.
6 points were deducted for abandoning the match in round 14 (RSSSF).
2001-2002: Premier League, 7th (out of 14). Results: 26 10 5 11 42-42 35 points.
2000-2001: Second Division, Group A: 1st – qualified for the play-off: 1st - promoted
Results in the first round: 12 9 1 2 29-7 28 points
Results in the play-off: 3 2 1 0 7-2 7 points
1999-2000: Second Division, Group 1: 1st – qualified for the promotion play-off: 3rd.
Results in the first round: 12 7 4 1 21-7 25 points
Results in the play-off: 3 0 3 0 4-4 3 points, then 3 1 0 2 2-3 3 points.
1998-1999: Premier League, 12th (last) – relegated. Results: 22 4 6 12 15-39 12 points.
6 points were deducted for violent conduct of the players in round 21 (RSSSF).
1997-1998: Premier League, 10th (out of 14). Results: 26 6 12 8 29-31 30 points.
1996-1997: Premier League, 10th (out of 14). Results: 26 7 7 12 19-31 28 points.
1995-1996: Premier League, 3rd (out of 14). Partial results: 25 11 9 5 28-23 42 points[2].
1994-1995: Premier League, 9th (out of 14). Results: 26 6 11 9 21-26 29 points.
1993-1994: Premier League, 12th (out of 14). Results: 26 8 7 11 21-26 23 points.
1992-1993: Premier League – position and results unknown (it was not on the podium)
1991-1992: Premier League, Group A: 5th (out of 10). Results: 18 4 10 4 20-20 18 points.
1990-1991: Second Division – position and results unknown. Promoted.
During the second half of the 1970s and most of the
1980s, football leagues in Lebanon were largely affected by the Civil War and
competitions were not usually held.
The four Rahal brothers (Hassan, Ali, Hussein and Joud), players at Bourj FC for their entire career, mainly during the successful 1990s. Source: Al-Akhbar.
Honours
Lebanese FA Cup: Winners – 1 (1992-1993)
Lebanese Challenge Cup: Winners – 2 (2019, 2021)
Lebanese Premier League: 3rd place – 2 (1995-1996, 2021-2022)
Lebanese Second Division: Winners – 2 (2000-2001, 2018-2019)
Lebanese Third Division: Winners – 1 (2016-2017)
Lebanese Fourth Division: Winners – 1 (2014-2015)
Bourj FC, Challenge Cup winners (August 2019). Photo: Abdallah Mahfouz
International competitions
1994-1995 Asian AFC Cup Winners’ Cup
Bourj FC received a bye to the Second Round of the competition.
Second Round
Bourj FC (LIB) – Al Shaab (UAE) 0-1 and 1-4.
2023 Arab Club Champions Cup (King Salman Cup)
First qualifying round
Bourj FC (LIB) – Al Wahda (UAE) 0-3 and 0-1. Both matches were played in Abu Dhabi.
Stadium
A stadium for the clubs in the area, including Bourj FC, has been built in Bourj el-Barajneh suburb of Beirut. Plans for the stadium were published in 2017 and Bourj el-Barajneh Stadium was finished and officially opened in September 2018, having a capacity for 1500 spectators. However, it apparently does not meet the requirements to host official league matches, and therefore is used only as a training ground. In summer 2023, players and officials complained about the poor state of the artificial pitch, and even some of the training sessions were moved to other stadiums.
Bourj el-Barajneh Stadium. Source: malaeeb.com
Since 2018, Bourj FC have mainly used Amin Abdelnour Stadium in Bhamdoun (Aley) as their home ground
for official matches. This stadium has a capacity of 3,500, is also the main
ground for Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley, and is shared with other teams in and around
Beirut. The stadium was used both in the Second Division and in the Premier
League.
Bourj FC players and staff when they achieved promotion to the Premier League in 2019, encouraged by their fans in the stand of Amin Abdelnour Stadium. Source: elmaestrosport.com.
Before 2016, Bourj FC also played at Al Ahed Stadium in Ouzai area of Bourj el-Barajneh, which has a capacity of only 2,000. In 2020, Bourj FC used again Al Ahed Stadium as their home ground for some of their matches in the Premier League and cup competitions, because the low capacity was no longer an issue, as matches were played without spectators due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Al Ahed Stadium in the southern suburbs of Beirut (Ouzai neighbourhood). Source: europlan-online.de
While in the Third and then Second Division, mainly
between 2016 and 2018, Bourj FC played most of their home matches at Safa Stadium in Beirut, sharing the ground with other teams in Beirut area,
including the owners Safa SC of the
Lebanese Premier League. During the 1990s, they had also used Safa Stadium as
their home ground in the Premier League. The stadium has a capacity of 4,000
seats. However, Bourj FC has not played there since 2018.
Once promoted to the Premier League, in 2019, Bourj FC started to use Saida International Stadium, also known as Martyr Rafic Hariri Stadium, in Sidon, as their main home ground. The 2019-2020 season was interrupted shortly after its start and then cancelled, but Bourj FC maintained this stadium as one of their choices for the 2020-2021 season, despite its location at a larger distance from Beirut. The multi-purpose stadium has a capacity for 22,600 spectators, all seated, and was built in 1999 for matches of the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, held in Lebanon. It was also used by other Premier League football clubs in Beirut and by the local Second Division side Al Ahly Saida (Sidon). However, this stadium has no longer been available for Bourj FC or other Premier League clubs since 2021.
Rafic Hariri / Saida International Stadium in Sidon. Source: sportbuddha.site
Crest
The crest has been changed (or rather upgraded) in May 2018. Because the word bourj means “tower”, the former crest featured a yellow tower rising from a yellow-and-black coloured ball. The new crest involves a black ring surrounding the previous crest and several identifying features are added. In the center, the year of foundation (1967) is written with yellow letters on a black part of the ball. On the black ring, the name of the club (Bourj Football Club) is written in yellow Latin letters in the upper half and in yellow Arabic letters in the lower half. Two yellow laurel wreaths are uniting the upper and lower halves on the left and on the right of the black ring. The whole crest is designed on a yellow background and the only colours used are yellow and black. This new crest was voted by a majority of Bourj FC fans according to a poll on the Facebook club page.
The former crest involved only the yellow tower rising from a yellow-and-black coloured football (below, left). A more sophisticated dark-coloured (sometimes yellow-coloured) badge was also in use, including the original crest in the center and the name of the club in Arabic above and in Latin letters below, as well as the year of foundation, 1967 (below, right).
Kit colours
Traditionally, the main kit involved a combination of yellow and black, the club colours. In 2023-2024, Bourj FC returned to yellow and black vertical stripes for the front of the shirts (also used in 2017-2018 in the Second Division), black on the back of the shirts (with yellow numbers), black shorts and yellow socks.
Bourj FC starting line-up in August 2023, using the yellow and black vertical stripes on shirts, black shorts and yellow socks. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page
However, between 2018 and 2023, as well as most years before 2017, yellow shirts, black shorts and yellow socks were used.
For the 2017-2018 season of the Second Division, they also used yellow and black vertical stripes for shirts, and black shorts, but black socks. This was changed to more traditional yellow shirts, black shorts and yellow socks in 2018-2019, which have remained standard until 2023.
The alternative kits varied. Full red kits have been introduced as an alternative in 2023-2024. Full dark grey kits were used rarely in 2022-2023. Before, black shirts and black or yellow shorts and socks were used between 2018 and 2023.
Orange shirts, white shorts and orange socks were used during the 2017-2018 season. Full orange kits were also used before 2017, as well as pink shirts with white or black shorts.
The current kit sponsor is Jako, which replaced the former kit sponsor, Adidas, in 2016. Currently, there is no shirt sponsor. The last shirt sponsor was Zayla for 2022-2023, while before, the shirt sponsor had been Home Depot of Lebanon between 2017 and 2021, with Metropolitan Security as an additional sponsor.
Current squad (as of August 2023)
|
No. |
Nat. |
Position |
Name |
Date of birth |
Transferred from |
Since |
|
1 |
LIB |
Goalkeeper |
Abdelkarim Saleh “Aboudi” |
1996 |
|
2014 |
|
2 |
LIB |
Right Back |
Mohamad El Dor |
15.07.2000 |
Shabab Al Ghazieh |
2021 |
|
3 |
LIB |
Centre Back |
Shadi Skaf |
09.02.1994 |
Nejmeh |
2022 |
|
4 |
LIB |
Centre Back |
Khodor Hallak |
17.01.1994 |
Tadamon Sour |
2020 |
|
5 |
LIB |
Midfielder |
Mohamad Al Faour |
08.06.1988 |
Tadamon Sour |
2019 |
|
6 |
LIB |
Midfielder |
Hussein Ibrahim “Saaouk” |
13.03.1993 |
Al Ansar |
2018 |
|
7 |
LIB |
Wing Back |
Mohamad Zein Tahan |
02.04.1988 |
Safa |
2023 |
|
8 |
LIB |
Midfielder |
Bilal Al Sabbagh |
30.09.1997 |
Al Ahed |
2023 |
|
9 |
LIB |
Forward |
Ali Markabawi |
19.12.2000 |
Al Akhaa Al Ahly |
2021 |
|
10 |
LIB |
Midfielder |
Hassan Chaito “Moni” |
20.03.1989 |
Nejmeh |
2023 |
|
11 |
LIB |
Midfielder |
Ali Chaito |
2002 |
Al Islah Al Bourj Al Shimaly |
2021 |
|
12 |
LIB |
Midfielder |
Mohamad Al Sibaii “Wartan” |
10.01.1994 |
Shabab El Bourj |
2022 |
|
15 |
GHA |
Midfielder |
Prosper Donkor |
16.03.1994 |
Al Orouba (Oman) |
2023 |
|
16 |
LIB |
Left Back |
Mohamad Al Hayek |
19.02.2000 |
Tadamon Sour |
2023 |
|
18 |
LIB |
Midfielder |
Ibrahim Hammoudi |
|
Youth team |
2023 |
|
19 |
LIB |
Defender |
Saad Al Shawiki |
2003 |
Youth team |
2022 |
|
20 |
LIB |
Forward |
Ali Kassas |
25.05.2003 |
Nejmeh |
2023 |
|
21 |
LIB |
Forward |
Ali Rahal |
|
Youth team |
2023 |
|
23 |
LIB |
Wing Back |
Youssef Anbar |
16.11.1990 |
Ansar |
2021 |
|
24 |
TUN |
Playmaker |
Houssem Louati |
12.05.1992 |
Ansar |
2023 |
|
25 |
SYR |
Centre Back |
Ahmad Al Saleh |
20.05.1990 |
Al Jaish |
2023 |
|
30 |
LIB |
Forward |
Mohamad El Saleh |
|
Youth team |
2022 |
|
31 |
LIB |
Goalkeeper |
Hassan Hazimeh |
1996 |
Al Akhaa Al Ahly |
2023 |
|
55 |
LIB |
Centre Back |
Mohamad Al Husseini |
18.12.2002 |
Al Ahed (on loan) |
2023 |
|
70 |
LIB |
Midfielder |
Haidar Khriess |
1996 |
Hikma / Sagesse |
2023 |
|
77 |
LIB |
Winger |
Abou Baker Al Mel “Bako” |
15.11.1992 |
Hikma / Sagesse |
2023 |
|
88 |
SEN |
Striker |
Tidiane Camara |
10.01.1999 |
Al Bashaer |
2023 |
|
90 |
LIB |
Goalkeeper |
Ali Halal |
30.04.1994 |
Nejmeh |
2023 |
|
99 |
LIB |
Forward |
Hilal El Helwe |
24.11.1994 |
Penang FC |
2023 |
Bourj FC players and staff in July 2023. Source: Bourj FC Facebook page
#1 Abdelkarim Saleh “Aboudi” – goalkeeper
#90 Ali Hallal – goalkeeper, transferred in 2023 from Nejmeh
#31 Hassan Hazimeh – goalkeeper, transferred in 2023 from Al-Akhaa Al-Ahly Aley
#2 Mohamad El Dor – right back, transferred from Shabab Al Ghazieh in 2021
#3 Shadi Skaf – centre back or left back, transferred back from Nejmeh in 2022
#4 Khodor Hallak – centre back, transferred in 2020 from Tadamon Sour
#7 Mohamad Zein Tahan – wing back, transferred in 2023 from Safa
#16 Mohamad Al Hayek – left back, transferred in 2023 from Tadamon Sour
#19 Saad Al Shawiki – defender, transferred in 2022
#23 Youssef Anbar – wing back, transferred in 2021 from Ansar
#25 Ahmad Al Saleh – Syrian centre back, transferred in 2023 from Al Jaish
#55 Mohamad Al Husseini – centre back, transferred in 2023 from Al Ahed
#5 Mohamad Al Faour – defensive midfielder, transferred from Tadamon Sour in 2019
#6 Hussein Ibrahim “Al Saaouk” – central midfielder (loaned from Ansar in summer 2018, fully transferred in summer 2019)
#8 Bilal Sabbagh – attacking midfielder, transferred in 2023 from Al Ahed
#10 Hassan Chaito ”Moni” – attacking midfielder, transferred in 2023 from Nejmeh
#11 Ali Chaito – midfielder, transferred in 2021 from Al Islah Al Bourj Al Shimaly
#12 Mohammad Sibaii ”Wartan” – midfielder, transferred in 2022 from Shabab El Bourj
#15 Prosper Donkor – Ghanaian midfielder, transferred in 2023 from Al Orouba (Oman)
#18 Ibrahim Hammoudi – midfielder
#24 Houssem Louati – Tunisian playmaker or winger, transferred in 2023 from Ansar
#70 Haidar Khreiss – midfielder, transferred back from Hikma/Sagesse in 2023
#9 Ali Markabawi – forward, transferred from Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley in 2021
#20 Ali Kassas – forward, transferred in 2023 from Nejmeh
#21 Ali Rahal – forward, transferred in 2023
#30 Mohammad El Saleh – forward
#77 Abou Baker Al-Mel ”Bako” – winger, transferred back from Hikma/Sagesse in 2023
#88 Tidiane Camara – Senegalese striker, transferred in 2023 from Al Bashaer (Oman)
#99 Hilal El Helwe – forward, contracted in 2023 (last played for Penang FC, Malaysia)
Technical staff members
Manager: Hussein Tahan (since January 2023, assistant manager since November 2020)
Assistant manager: Ahmed Atwi (since January 2023)
Physiotherapist (physical coach): Bilal Alawiyya (since May 2023)
Goalkeepers’ coach: Nazih Tai (since June 2022)
Sporting director: Abbas Ali Atwi “Onika” (since June 2022)
Psychologist: Danny Othman (since November 2020)
Youth teams
Youth team supervisor: Mohamad Ibrahim (since July 2020)
Sporting director of youth teams: Hamad Rahal (since July 2020)
Administrative staff members
Honorary President: Al-Rayes Atef Mansour (mayor of Bourj el-Barajneh)
Spiritual Leader: Hassan Khan Qassem Al-Sabaa
Owner: Fadi Nasser (since May 2019)
President: Nabih Fadi Nasser (since May 2019)
Vice-President: Samir Shamkha
Manager: Ali Rahal
Team manager: Mousa Mohamed Ali Al-Sibaei
Administrative manager: Ahmed Nasser
Ali Kazma
Zuhair Hatoum, member of Bourj el-Barajneh Municipality
Fadi Yassin
Ashraf Sibai
Nadil Najdi
Jaafar Hasan Rahal
Nader Nawaf Ammar
Jalal Neboh
Notable former players
Hassan Rahal
Ali Rahal
Hussein Rahal
Joud Rahal
Ali Mtairik (who passed away in the 2010s)
Brahim Abo Jabal
Zein Tahan
Mohammed Al-Sayyed
Mahmoud Gamlouche (Gamloush)
Ali Hattit – goalkeeper
Jihad Kanaan
Mohamed Ismail
Fouad Hijazi
Bilal Zarkat
Amer Farhat
Abdel Amir Siblini
Elie Berjo
Osama Idris Faraj Allah Al Sakr (Sudanese player)
Ali Ghnoum
Hassan Hamdan
Hussein Hadeer
Darlington Chigoze
Fadl Al-Sayyed
Mohamad Dakka
Khalil Watfa
Toray Toronka
Mustapha Za’ayter (Zoayter)
Hussein Tahhan
Youssef Diaa
Bilal Hammoud
Rami Qaddoura
Kenneth Oliseh
Tanko Saleh
Hassan Abdullah
Bassel Hadid
Mohamed Galayyini
Hassan Meqdad
Madio Konati
Ahmed Jradi
Mazen Jradi
Ghassan Showaikh
Abdulrahman Shawmar (Shoumari)
Hassan Al-Sek
Tony Amado
Abdulqader Al-Rifayi
Lamine Bob
Malam Boubakar
Magdi Morgan Kassala (Sudanese player)
Sanousi
Rachidi
Mohammed Babayaro
Suhail Rahal
Abbas Rahal
Fadel Rahal
Darsa Abboud
Mohamed Hassan Idris
Mohammed Hussein Naboh
Ramiz Mohamed Ammar
Yousuf Ali Yasin
Ali Mahmoud Issa
Ibrahim Miqdad – goalkeeper
Samir Shamkha - goalkeeper
#3 Ali Wassef Mohamed – defender / centre back (former team captain)
#4 Abdul Sondos – defender / centre back
#14 Ali Rida Nayef Kallout – defender / centre back
#99 Bika Hareb – midfield
#5 Hassan Darwish – midfield
#6 Mohammad Rammal – defensive midfield
#11 Hamlet Qassem Shamkha Ibrahim – midfield
#9 Eto’o Forlan Fode – central forward / striker (from Guinea)
#30 Mori Keita – secondary striker / attacking midfield (from Guinea)
#15 Hassan Fawaz - striker
#33 Daniel Hareb
#17 Mohammed Mousa
Mohammed Moudi
Abelas Sweidan
Hamza Fahda
#41 Ibrahima Camara “Angloma” – secondary striker (from Guinea)
#7 Ali Jawad – defender / left back
#70 Nasrat Al Jamal – midfielder
#3 Hisham Shheme – defender
#4 Bilal Nasrallah – defender
#5 Mustafa Al Khateeb – defender (transferred from Safa in summer 2018)
#8 Hassan Hammoud – left winger
#10 Ali Fakih – right winger / attacking midfield / right midfield
#10 Yannis Bessaa – French/Algerian right midfield / winger
#11 Hassan Mallah – left back / winger
#13 Mohammed Abdul Karim – defensive midfield
#14 Wassem Abdel Hadi – forward
#20 Hassan Fardous – central midfield
#21 Ali Harb – defender / right back
#23 Mohamed Hammoud – defender
#30 Amir El Haf – midfielder (transferred from Safa in summer 2018)
Ali Harouni – left midfield / winger
#98 Papy Thinaldum – Senegalese playmaker
#99 Abdullah Kanoute – forward (Senegalese striker)
#33 Mohammed Santina – goalkeeper
#11 Abdulfattah Achour – defender
#13 Malik Ismaila Intiri – Ghanaian defender
#4 Amin Halal – defender
#19 Ali Karaki – left midfielder
#30 Thiago do Amaral – Brazilian forward
#70 Mohamed Al-Mirkabaoui “Aiker” – midfielder
#17 Mohamed Jawad Abou Khalil – forward
#90 Mohamad Hammoud – goalkeeper
#3 Walid Ismail – left back
#19 Hassan Al Annan – midfielder
#10 Mohamad Jaafar – forward
#21 Mohamad Nasser – forward
#9 Fadel Antar – forward
#71 Zain Al Abidin Farran – left winger
Mohammad Roda El Dor – defender
#15 Ali Kiki – defender
#90 Hassan Mehanna – forward
#11 Ibrahim Abou Hamdan – left midfielder
#13 Akram Moghrabi – forward
#10 Abbas Ali Atwi “Onika” – playmaker
#14 Mohamad Kassem – Palestinian playmaker
#19 Eid Jeshi – midfielder
#21 Ali Kharoubi – midfielder
#23 Hamza Abboud – right back
#29 Hussein Ghanem
#30 Hassan Abdallah Bitar – centre back
#40 Ghassan Farran – midfielder
#44 Ahmad Al Khatib – centre back
#70 Samih Damaj – right midfielder
#88 Youssef Atriss – midfielder
#90 Bersyl Obassi – Congolese striker
#14 Zaher Al Samahi – Palestinian midfielder
#20 Ali Hammoud – midfielder
#50 Hassan Moghnieh – goalkeeper
#90 Richard Baffour – Ghanaian centre back
#21 Mohamad Hammoud – left back
#16 Mohamad Safwan – midfielder
#17 Dennis Tetteh – Ghanaian midfielder
#10 Khaled Takaji – playmaker
#18 Youssef Barakat – playmaker
#14 Mohammad Nassereddine – winger
#7 Hussein Al-Outa – winger
#70 Mahmoud Kawar – winger
#8 Mohammad Omar Sadek – winger
#88 Stephen Sarfo – Ghanaian striker
Hassan Rahal, Bourj FC leading goalscorer in the 1990s. Source: Al-Akhbar.
Former managers (coaching history)
Hassan Mashor Mekdad “Mido” (2014 – March 2018)
Mohammad Dakka (April 2018 – November 2020)
Fouad Hijazi (November 2020 – June 2022)
Osama Idris Faraj Al Sakr (June 2022 – January 2023)
Former staff members
Adnan Yassine – former president (April 2018 – May 2019)
Abou Ali Dawood – former president (in the 2010s, until April 2018)
Ramez Ammar – club secretary until November 2021 (when he passed away)
Mohamed Al Merkabaoui “Aiker” – assistant coach between November 2020 and June 2022
Fayez Rahal – former board member, resigned in October 2018
Ahmed Mukhtar Abdul Aziz – former club doctor (passed away in 2023)
Suhail Rahal – involved since the early days of the club, he was president during the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s. He was suspended by the Lebanese FA for one year in 2003 for some of his comments in mass-media.
Ahmed Rahal – president of the club in the 2000s.
Farid Al-Jundi – manager (coach) from Egypt in the 1990s.
Shouki Ammar – vicepresident during the 2000s
Nabil
Khalil Ismail – secretary of the Board
Riad Alama – treasurer
Nawaf Ammar – accountant
Adel Jalloul
Saba Salim
Bassam al-Sibai
Bassam Farhat
Rafiq Salem Al-Darsa Abboud – club founder and president in the 1960s and 1970s
Rafiq Salem Al-Darsa Abboud, founder and first president of the club. Source: Bourj FC official Facebook page
Supporters, fans and attendance
Bourj FC has always enjoyed a high number of loyal and passionate fans, mainly from the Shia Muslim communities of the southern Beirut suburbs, and especially from Bourj el-Barajneh, their home town. While official attendance numbers are not provided for football matches in Lebanon, it is well-known and easily noticeable that Bourj FC matches have an attendance that is clearly above the average. This is equally true for the home and the away matches, because many fans are accompanying the team for the away games too, and sometimes their number is higher than the number of fans supporting the host teams.
Fans create a specific atmosphere during Bourj FC matches and sometimes their behaviour has crossed the approved limits and has led to sanctions for the club from the Lebanese FA.
They are also very active on social media. Before the Bourj FC official page was even created, several fan-led pages provided information about the team on Facebook, for instance. Bourj Fans Tube and Ultras Borjawi have also broadcasted live on Facebook or You Tube some of Bourj FC matches in the Second Division, in addition to broadcasts provided by the official Bourj FC page and related.
Ultras Borjawi has been created in 2018 as an “ultras” section of the Bourj FC fans.
Rivalries
The most important rivalry is with Shabab Sahel, the other prominent football club based in the Southern Suburbs (Dahieh) of Beirut. Bourj FC and Shabab Sahel were both involved in the fight for promotion in the Premier League in 2017-2018 and have met again in the Premier League since 2019, where they play the so-called Dahieh derby.
Another rivalry was with Shabab El Bourj, because this was another football club from Bourj el-Barajneh, which fought along Bourj FC for promotion to the Premier League in 2018-2019. They had also met again in the Premier League, before Shabab El Bourj disbanded in summer 2022.
There are less important rivalries with the “giant” football clubs in or around Beirut, such as Al Ahed, Nejmeh, Al Ansar or Safa SC, or even with smaller Beirut teams, like Mabarrah, Racing, Hikma (La Sagesse), Shabab Al Arabi and Homenetmen.
Data sources
Facebook official page (mainly in Arabic)
Facebook fans page (mainly in Arabic)
Facebook former club page (mainly in Arabic) (outdated)
Facebook Ultras Borjawi page (mainly in Arabic)
Al-Akhbar (in Arabic)
Al-Mada (in Arabic)
El Maestro Sports (in Arabic)
Frank Jasperneite
RSSSF - Lebanon - Historical Domestic Results
Wikipedia
Goalzz
[1] Points from the regular season were halved and rounded up before the championship play-off.
[2] One match of Bourj FC is missing from the results published by the RSSSF, where the team is classified fourth, having the same number of points with the third classified. However, Al Akhbar notes that the team finished third that year, which is quite possible if Bourj FC did not lose that game missing from the published archives.
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