Al Ansar Beirut
Al Ansar
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Wikipedia - Al Ansar FC
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 Lebanese Premier League. 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. Ansar's major rivalry is with Nejmeh; dubbed the Beirut derby, it is the most anticipated game in Lebanon.
While club's support comes in majority from the Sunni Muslim community in Beirut, the club has fans of all faiths from all around the country; they had been funded by Rafic Hariri and Salim Diab until 2005. Nabil Badr has been the club's president and main patron since 2012.
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. 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; they won their 14th title, their first since 2007. They made the season a double, after beating Nejmeh in the Lebanese FA Cup final.
Het thuisstadion van Al Ansar is het Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, dat 49.500 toeschouwers kan herbergen. De club heeft een sterke fanbase in Libanon en staat bekend om zijn fanatieke supporters. Al Ansar heeft een rivaliteit met Nejmeh SC, een andere succesvolle voetbalclub in Libanon.
Enkele van de meest bekende spelers die voor Al Ansar hebben gespeeld, zijn:
* Mohamed Abdel Latif
* Hassan Maatouk
* Ali Hamam
* Abbas Ahmed Atwi
* Roda Antar