Fajr Ibrahim ( ar, فجر إبراهيم) is a
Syrian
football coach and former
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
.
Club career
Fajr started playing in the
Syrian League with
Al-Wahda team in 1979. He remained with the club until he retired from the playing. He won the
Syrian Cup
The Syrian Cup ( ar, سوريا) is Syria's premier knockout Cup tournament in men's football. It was first contested in 1959. Al-Ittihad SC has won the competition on 10 occasions. The final was first played in the 1960-61 season during the UAR ...
in 1993 with Al-Wahda team and won the title of best left back in 1986 season.
International career
Fajr played several international matches with
Syria for five years from 1982 until 1987.
Coaching career
He managed the Syrian first team more than 50 matches between 2006 and 2019. He did an emergency mission and replaced the German manager
Bernd Stange
Bernd Walter Stange (born 14 March 1948) is a German football manager who last managed the Syria national team.
During his playing career, he played for Chemie Gnaschwitz, Vorwärts Bautzen, and HSG DHfK Leipzig as a defender.
Playing caree ...
in the last match for the team in
2019 Asian Cup
The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 ...
against
Australia. Many pundits referred that he had the
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
visa since the middle of December, so he could be ready to replace the manager if the things went wrong.
Widely unpopular with the fans and criticized by the media, Ibrahim is often considered one of the reasons for the Syria national team's poor results after their 2019 Asian Cup exit, citing his lack of achievements, and lack of vision, as some of his weakest traits, although Syria at that time had already in problem before Fajr took charge. However, he has repeatedly and openly refused to resign and has been kept as manager by the
Syrian Federation
The Syrian Federation ( ar, الاتحاد السوري; french: Fédération syrienne), officially the Federation of the Autonomous States of Syria (french: Fédération des États autonomes de Syrie), was constituted on 28 June 1922 by High Comm ...
, despite losing to many lesser-ranked and weaker teams, much to the bewilderment of both fans and journalists.
However, the sentiment changed surprisingly during the
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – AFC Second Round. Syria, under the same command of Fajr Ibrahim, surprised the whole qualifiers by topping the group with five straight victories, including two important victories against rising
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, and a resounding 2–1 win in the UAE against
China. However, he was later replaced by Tunisian coach
Nabil Maâloul
Nabil Maâloul ( ar, نَبِيْل مَعْلُول; born 25 December 1962) is a Tunisian professional football manager and former player who is currently managing Espérance de Tunis.
Maâloul was capped 74 times for his country, and partici ...
.
In September 2020, Ibrahim joined newly-promoted club
Al-Horgelah.
Managerial statistics
Honours
Player
Club
*
Syrian Cup
The Syrian Cup ( ar, سوريا) is Syria's premier knockout Cup tournament in men's football. It was first contested in 1959. Al-Ittihad SC has won the competition on 10 occasions. The final was first played in the 1960-61 season during the UAR ...
** Winner 1993 with
Al-Wahda
*
Syrian Super Cup
The Syrian Super Cup ( ar, كأس السوبر السوري) is a Syrian association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Syrian Premier League and the winners of the Syrian Cup. It was first played in 1982, after ...
** Winner 1993 with
Al-Wahda
Manager
Club
*
Syrian Premier League
The Syrian Premier League ( ar, الدوري السوري الممتاز) is a professional association football league in Syria and the top division in of the Syrian football league system. The league comprises 12 teams and operates on a system ...
:
** Winner
2011–12 with
Al-Shorta
International
*
Syria
**
Nehru Cup
The Nehru Cup was an international association football tournament organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), named after the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. It was launched in 1982, but was not held from 1998 to ...
(2):
2007 and
2009 as a runner-up
Individual
* 1985–86 Syrian League: Best Left Back of the season
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibrahim, Fajr
Living people
Syrian football managers
Syrian footballers
Syria national football team managers
Sportspeople from Damascus
1964 births
Al-Wahda SC (Syria) players
Expatriate football managers in Iraq
Al-Mina'a SC managers
Kelantan FA managers
Association football defenders
2019 AFC Asian Cup managers
Syrian Premier League players
Syrian expatriate football managers