Nejmeh Sporting Club ( ar, نادي النجمة الرياضي, lit=The Star Sporting Club) is a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in Manara, a district in
Ras Beirut
Ras Beirut ("Tip of Beirut") is an upscale residential neighborhood of Beirut. It has a mixed population of Christians, Muslims, Druze, and secular individuals. Ras Beirut is home to some of Beirut's historically prominent families, such as th ...
,
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, Lebanon, that competes in the . The club was established in Beirut in 1945, and received its license in 1947. Nejmeh's board is affiliated with the
Future Movement and the
Hariri family Hariri (in Arabic حريري) is a surname and derivative of ''harir'' (in Arabic حرير meaning silk) which indicates a mercantile background at one point in that field.
People Historic
* Ali Hariri (1009-1079), Kurdish poet
* Al-Hariri of Bas ...
.
Historically, the club is second only to their cross-city rivals
Ansar in the
Lebanese Premier League and the
Lebanese FA Cup. Nejmeh, however, lead in
Lebanese Elite Cup titles. The rivalry between the two clubs has been dubbed the
Beirut derby. In Asia, Nejmeh were runners-up in the
2005 AFC Cup
5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on eac ...
, where they lost to
Al-Faisaly of Jordan. Furthermore, they won the Al-Adha Cup – an Arab tournament – four times, last time being in 1991.
History
![Nejmeh 1945](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Nejmeh_1945.jpg)
Nejmeh was founded in 1945 by the
Druze
The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...
and
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
communities from
Ras Beirut
Ras Beirut ("Tip of Beirut") is an upscale residential neighborhood of Beirut. It has a mixed population of Christians, Muslims, Druze, and secular individuals. Ras Beirut is home to some of Beirut's historically prominent families, such as th ...
,
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, Lebanon,
as an
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
club, with Anis Radwan as their first president.
This committee applied for a license at the Lebanese Government on 4 March 1947,
which was issued on 28 April.
The choice of club's name is said to have came on 11 October 1945, when a meeting was held at Radwan's house at night to discuss the affairs of the team.
Looking at the sky's stars, Radwan decided to call the team Nejmeh (The Star).
The
five-pointed star is the Druze's religious symbol.
On 25 July 1950, Nejmeh won the
Lebanese Second Division
The Lebanese Second Division ( ar, الدوري اللبناني الدرجة الثانية) is the second division of Lebanese football. Established in 1933, it is controlled by the Lebanese Football Association. The 12 teams that participate ...
, but were only officially promoted in 1951,
during which
Papken Poyajian was appointed president of the club. They first competed in the
Lebanese Premier League during the 1953–54 season.
During the 1970s,
Pelé
Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...
and
Bebeto
José Roberto Gama de Oliveira (born 16 February 1964), known as Bebeto (), is a Brazilian former professional football player who played as a forward. He entered politics in the 2010 Brazilian General Elections and was elected to the Legi ...
, played matches with Nejmeh as honorary guests.
Nejmeh won the FA Cup for the first time in its history on 31 October 1971, when they won 3–1 against
Safa.
Hani Abdelfattah scored the first goal for Safa at the 17th minute, and Jamal Al Khatib equalized for Nejmeh in the 25th minute.
The second half saw Nejmeh score two goals:
Hassan Shatila Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to:
People
*Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name
*Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scottis ...
in the 61st minute, and
Mahmoud Chatila
Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''.
Siam Mahmud
*Mahmood (singer) (born 19 ...
in the 78th minute.
Sarkis Demerjian Sarkis may refer to:
* Sarkis, Iran, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Saint Sarkis the Warrior, a saint of the 4th century
* Patriarch Sarkis of Jerusalem (disambiguation), three Armenian patriarchs, from the 13th to 16th centuries
**P ...
refereed the game with Amin Al Fata and Harout Avikian as his assistants.
The game was a repeat of the 1964 final, which Safa had won; Adnan Hariri scored the sole goal of the game.
Colours and badge
Ever since the club's foundation, the traditional and primary color of Nejmeh has been
burgundy red.
The club's badge is composed of a star in the center, in reference to the club's name which, in Arabic, means "Star".
The two
cedars on the side of the logo recall Lebanon's national symbol.
In 2019 the logo underwent various changes: the star changed from white to gold, the cedars from green to burgundy and the text from burgundy to black. Other minor changes have also been made such as the enlargement of the width of the white border, and the shift of the text "Beirut 1945", which moved from the center of the star to underneath it.
Stadium
![Nejmeh Stadium, 2022](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Nejmeh_Stadium%2C_2022.jpg)
The
Rafic Hariri Stadium is located in Manara area of
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
, Lebanon. The stadium consists of a football field, and spaces that accommodate around 5,000 spectators, together with a VIP seats area that accommodates around 100 guests, a cafeteria, and a gymnasium.
The old club stadium first consisted of a sand training field over the land number 704 in
Ras Beirut
Ras Beirut ("Tip of Beirut") is an upscale residential neighborhood of Beirut. It has a mixed population of Christians, Muslims, Druze, and secular individuals. Ras Beirut is home to some of Beirut's historically prominent families, such as th ...
area with no facilities or fences.
The stadium went through a rehabilitation process, with improvements including implanting the field with grass, increasing the seats spaces to allow more spectators, and enhancing the stadium facilities, walls, and fences. The first phase of the process started in June 2003 and was completed in late March 2004.
On 21 February 2005, the stadium was named "The Martyr
Rafic Hariri Stadium" in honour of the late Prime Minister.
Supporters
Founded on 9 February 2018, Nejmeh's "Ultras Supernova" was the first ultras group to be introduced in Lebanon.
The name "
Supernova
A supernova is a powerful and luminous explosion of a star. It has the plural form supernovae or supernovas, and is abbreviated SN or SNe. This transient astronomical event occurs during the last evolutionary stages of a massive star or when ...
" is a reference to the etymology of Nejmeh which, in Arabic, means "Star".
Prior to the
Arab Club Champions Cup
The Arab Club Champions Cup ( ar, كأس العرب للأندية الأبطال, french: Ligue des Champions Arabe) is an annual regional club football competition organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) and contested by eli ...
game against
Al-Ahly of Egypt, played on 13 August 2018, seven "Ultras Supernova" fans were arrested by the Egyptian national security because of the negative connotations the word "Ultras" has in Egypt. The fans have been returned to Lebanon by request of the Lebanese Ambassador to Cairo.
During the
2022 FIFA World Cup
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...
in Qatar, Nejmeh ultras were employed by the Qatari government to act as
Qatar national team fans during their games. The 1,500 "adopted" ultras wore maroon t-shirts with "Qatar" stamped on front, sang the
Qatari national anthem and beat drums while singing chants.
Club rivalries
The
Beirut derby with
Ansar has historically been the most anticipated game in Lebanon: both located in Beirut, Nejmeh and Ansar have shared the majority of titles. While Nejmeh has been more successful in Asia, Ansar holds the most
league titles and
FA Cups.
In recent years another fierce rivalry has developed, between Nejmeh and
Ahed. Also based in Beirut, Ahed have won the majority of league titles since the
2014–15 season. Tensions between the two teams have also forced the federation to change venues multiple times.
Most noticeably, in the
2016–17 season, Nejmeh refused to play against Ahed in the league title decider and were sanctioned six points by the federation.
Another rivalry that has developed in recent years is with
Salam Zgharta
Salam Zgharta Football Club ( ar, نادي السلام الرياضي زغرتا, lit=Zgharta Peace Sporting Club), known as Salam Zgharta or simply Salam, is a football club based in Zgharta, Lebanon, that competes in the .
Founded in 1933 ...
. Since the
2016–17 season, Salam Zgharta and Nejmeh have played various intense games between each other, with some escalating in offensive chants.
Other important matches are with
Safa and
Racing
In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
, both located in the same city as Nejmeh.
Players
Current squad
Notable players
Honours
Domestic
League
*
Lebanese Premier League
**Winners (8): 1972–73, 1974–75,
1999–00,
2001–02,
2003–04,
2004–05,
2008–09,
2013–14
*
Lebanese Second Division
The Lebanese Second Division ( ar, الدوري اللبناني الدرجة الثانية) is the second division of Lebanese football. Established in 1933, it is controlled by the Lebanese Football Association. The 12 teams that participate ...
**Winners (1): 1950–51
Cup
*
Lebanese FA Cup
**Winners (7): 1970–71, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1996–97, 1997–98,
2015–16,
2021–22
**''Runners-up (9):'' 1950–51, 1963–64, 1995–96, 2002–03, 2003–04,
2011–12,
2014–15,
2017–18,
2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*
Lebanese Elite Cup
**Winners (12; record): 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005,
2014
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,
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
,
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
,
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
,
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
**''Runners-up (2):'' 1997, 2013
*
Lebanese Super Cup
**Winners (6): 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2014, 2016
**''Runners-up (5):'' 1996, 1997, 2005, 2018,
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
Continental
*
AFC Cup
The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying s ...
** ''Runners-up (1):''
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
*
Arab Club Champions Cup
The Arab Club Champions Cup ( ar, كأس العرب للأندية الأبطال, french: Ligue des Champions Arabe) is an annual regional club football competition organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) and contested by eli ...
**''Runners-up (1):''
1981–82
Awards
*Best Team in Asia
**Winners (1): March 2000
Performance in AFC competitions
In 1982, Nejmeh reached the
Arab Club Champions Cup
The Arab Club Champions Cup ( ar, كأس العرب للأندية الأبطال, french: Ligue des Champions Arabe) is an annual regional club football competition organised by the Union of Arab Football Associations (UAFA) and contested by eli ...
final but lost to Iraqi club
Al-Shorta
Al-Shorta Sports Club ( ar, نادي الشرطة الرياضي, lit=''Police Sports Club'') is an Iraqi sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Baghdad. It has teams in 17 different sports, more than any other Iraqi club, and the best known sectio ...
.
In 2005, Nejmeh reached the final of the AFC Cup and lost to
Al-Faisaly of Jordan: this was the first time a Lebanese football team had reached the final of any Asian competition.
*
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...
: 2 appearances
::
1996–97: Second round
::
2002–03: First Round
*
AFC Cup
The AFC Cup is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Under its current rules, the competition is played primarily between clubs from nations that did not receive direct qualifying s ...
: 10 appearances
::
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
: Quarter-finals
::
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
: Final
::
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
: Semi-finals
::
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
: Semi-finals
::
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
: Group stage
::
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
: Round of 16
::
2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
: Group stage
::
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
: Group stage
::
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
: Group stage
::
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
: Group stage
*
Asian Cup Winners' Cup: 3 appearances
::
1990–91: First round
::
1997–98: First round
::
1998–99: First round
See also
*
List of football clubs in Lebanon
This is a list of football clubs that compete within the leagues and divisions of the Lebanese football league system as far down as the Lebanese Third Division.
By league and division
* Lebanese Premier League (Level 1)
* Lebanese Second Division ...
Footnotes
References
External links
Nejmeh SCat the
AFC
Nejmeh SCat LebanonFG
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nejmeh SC
Football clubs in Lebanon
Association football clubs established in 1945
1945 establishments in Lebanon
Shia Islam in Lebanon
Sunni Islam in Lebanon