Jamal Fakir (born 30 August 1982) is a Moroccan
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer who plays as a or for the
Lézignan Sangliers Lézignan may refer to:
In geography:
* Lézignan, Hautes-Pyrénées, a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, France
* Lézignan-Corbières, a commune in the Aude department, France
* Lézignan-la-Cèbe
Lézignan-la-Cèbe (; oc, Lesinhan ...
club in the
Elite One Championship
Elite 1 is the top level rugby league competition in France, sanctioned by the French Rugby League Federation. The season runs from September to April, which is in contrast to the majority of other major domestic rugby league competitions worl ...
.
Background
Fakir was born in
Fez, Morocco
Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès, Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the List of cities in Morocco, second largest city i ...
. He is
Moroccan-French.
Career
Fakir caught the attention of
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
and French
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
sides before the Dragons' entry into Super League in 2006. After a strong debut season in Super League, Fakir's progress has been hampered by two serious knee injuries, firstly a ruptured patella tendon sustained in late 2006, and then cruciate ligament damage sustained in May 2007 which ended his season.
Fakir was named in the
France training squad for the
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 2000 tournament. The tournament was held in Australia from 26 October, culminating in the final b ...
.
He was named in the
France squad for the
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 2000 tournament. The tournament was held in Australia from 26 October, culminating in the final b ...
.
Fakir became a Moroccan international in 2009.
He agreed to switch codes in May 2010 to play
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
, and intended to join
Castres Olympique
Castres Olympique () is a French rugby union club located in the Occitanian city of Castres and is currently competing in the top level of the French league system.
Founded in 1898, the club took its current name in 1906. They play at the Sta ...
on a one-year deal at the beginning of the 2010/2011 season. In addition to his deal with Castres he also had interest from Scottish club
Glasgow Warriors
Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...
. Fakir however reversed his decision and decided to stay with the Catalans for a further three seasons.
Capped for France against
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in the
2013 Rugby League World Cup
The 2013 Rugby League World Cup was the fourteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup and took place in England, Wales, France and Ireland. between 26 October and 30 November 2013.
It was the main event of the year's 2013 Festival of World ...
group play round 2, coming off the bench to make an impact in the loss.
On 3 April 2014, Fakir signed for
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
team
Bradford Bulls
The Bradford Bulls are a professional rugby league club in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, playing in the Championship. They have won five Challenge Cups, six league championships and three World Club Challenges. The team jersey is predom ...
.
He played in the
2014 European Cup
The 2014 European Cup was an international rugby league football tournament. The tournament took place in England, Wales, France, Ireland and Scotland between 17 October and 2 November. It was announced beforehand that the winner of the tournamen ...
.
References
External links
Super League profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fakir, Jamal
1982 births
Living people
Catalans Dragons players
France national rugby league team players
French sportspeople of Moroccan descent
French rugby league players
French rugby union players
Lézignan Sangliers players
Moroccan rugby union players
Moroccan rugby league players
Morocco national rugby league team players
People from Fez, Morocco
RC Baho XIII coaches
Rugby league second-rows