Bourj Football Club (Arabic: نادي البرج الرياضي, lit.'Tower Sporting Club') is a football club based in Bourj el-Barajneh, Beirut, Lebanon, that competes in the Lebanese Premier League.[2] Founded in 1967, the club has won one Lebanese FA Cup and two Lebanese Challenge Cups.[3][4]

Bourj
Full nameBourj Football Club
Nickname(s)زعيم الضاحية (Leader of Dahieh)[1]
Founded1967; 57 years ago (1967)
GroundBourj el-Barajneh Stadium[a]
Capacity1,500
ChairmanVacant
ManagerFouad Hijazi
LeagueLebanese Premier League
2023–24Lebanese Premier League, 5th of 12
Current season

Nicknamed "the Leader of Dahieh" (Arabic: زعيم الضاحية), the club earned promotion to the Lebanese Premier League in 2019, for the first time in 16 years.[1]

History

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In 1993 Bourj, captained by Mohammad Ismail, won the final the Lebanese FA Cup 4–1 in extra time, against Homenmen.[5] Mallarby and Hassan Rahhal scored a brace each, while Papken Melikian scored the sole goal for the opposing team.[5] This was the second replay of the final, after both previous encounters ended in a draw after extra time.[5] In 2008, Bourj FC were relegated to the Fourth Division.[6]

On 1 August 2021, Bourj won the Lebanese Challenge Cup for the second time, beating Tripoli in the 2021 final; they refused to attend the crowing ceremony, following a verbal altercation between Fadi Nasser, Bourj's president, and a member of the Lebanese Football Association (LFA)'s executive committee.[7] On 2 August, the LFA imposed a fine of £L22 million on the club.[8] The same day, Bourj announced their withdrawal from the Lebanese Premier League through their social media, and that they would not pay the fine imposed.[9] They eventually took part in the 2020–21 season.[10]

Supporters

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Founded as the first club in the area, Bourj is considered to be the representative of all the families of the town.[11] Following the introduction of ultras groups in Lebanon in 2018, "Ultras Borjawi" (Arabic: ألتراس برجاوي) was formed at the start of the 2018–19 Lebanese Second Division season.[12]

Club rivalries

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Bourj's main rival have historically been Shabab Sahel, as they both fight for supremacy over the Dahieh suburbs.[11] The match has been dubbed the Dahieh derby.[1] Another important rivalry is with Shabab Bourj, due to the fact that they are both based in the Bourj el-Barajneh district.[11]

Players

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Current squad

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As of 22 September 2024[13]

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 Ahmad Diab
2 DF   LBN Mohammad Fneish
3 DF   GHA Ibrahim Abdulai
4 DF   LBN Ali Abboud
5 DF   LBN Mohammad Farhat
6 MF   LBN Ibrahim Hammoudi
7 MF   LBN Haidar Khreis
8 MF   LBN Mohamad El Sibai
9 FW   LBN Hassan Mehanna
10 FW   LBN Hassan Chaito
11 FW   LBN Ali Rahhal
12 DF   LBN Abdallah Aich
14 DF   LBN Hassan Abdallah Hazime
15 MF   LBN Hasan Koteish
16 MF   LBN Mohammad Ali
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF   SEN Abdoulaye Fall
19 MF   LBN Mohammad Choumar
20 FW   LBN Ali Haddad
21 DF   LBN Mohamad Hammoud
22 GK   LBN Hasan Hazimeh
23 MF   LBN Ali Reslan
27 FW   CIV Chris Calvin Nawatta
30 MF   LBN Youssef Atriss
33 GK   LBN Mahdi Mzannar
70 MF   LBN Shadi Jouni
71 FW   SYR Abbas Shahine
77 DF   LBN Youssef Anbar (captain)
80 MF   LBN Hasan Mokdad
99 FW   LBN Ahmad Hijazi
GK   LBN Hadi Shahine

Notable players

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Players in international competitions
Competition Player National team
2023 AFC Asian Cup Hilal El-Helwe   Lebanon

Honours

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Only used as a training ground.

References

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  1. ^ a b c ""زعيم الضاحية" يعود". lebanonfg.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  2. ^ "فريق: البرج". kooora.com. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Lebanon 1992/93". RSSSF. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  4. ^ Haroun, Ali (24 August 2019). "البرج ب"جدارة " بطل كأس التحدي السابعة". El Maestro Sport (in Arabic). Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "اللقب الأول للبرج". نداء الوطن. 23 May 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  6. ^ "الشبيبة المزرعة". www.abdogedeon.com. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  7. ^ "بالصور: البرج يهزم طرابلس ويرفض استلام الكأس". كووورة. 1 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  8. ^ "اعتماد البرج بطلًا.. وتكبيده غرامة غير مسبوقة". كووورة. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  9. ^ "البرج يصعّد ويعلن انسحابه من الدوري". كووورة. 2 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  10. ^ "الاتحاد اللبناني يعتمد انطلاق الدوري.. وإيقاف أونيكا". كووورة. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  11. ^ a b c FaLebanon
  12. ^ ""معركة" في جونية و"ألتراس" في برج البراجنة". موقع ياصور. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  13. ^ "Bourj SC". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
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