Racing Club (Arabic: نادي الراسينغ), known as Racing Beirut or simply Racing, is a football club based in Achrafieh, a district in Beirut, Lebanon, that competes in the Lebanese Premier League.[1] They play their home matches at the Fouad Chehab Stadium and are primarily supported by the Christian community.[4]

Racing Beirut
Full nameRacing Club
Nickname(s)القلعة البيضاء (The White Castle)[1]
سندباد الكرة اللبنانية (The Sinbad of Lebanese Football)[2]
Short nameRacing
Founded1934; 90 years ago (1934)
GroundFouad Chehab Stadium
Capacity5,000
ChairmanPaula Faraoun Rizk[3]
ManagerVladimir Vujović
LeagueLebanese Premier League
2022–23Lebanese Second Division, 1st of 12 (promoted)
Current season

Racing Beirut won the Lebanese Premier League three times, the Lebanese Challenge Cup twice, and the Lebanese Second Division four times. They also finished runners-up in the Lebanese FA Cup twice.

History

Early history

The club was founded in 1934 by several locals from the Achrafieh and Gemmayzeh districts of Beirut, Lebanon.[5] The club's name is inspired from French football club Racing Paris, who the club's presidents supported.[5] Racing played five years in the Lebanese Second Division, and got its first promotion to the Lebanese Premier League in 1940.[5]

In 1953, Albert Kheir was elected as the club's president.[5] He sought to heighten the club's status in the country, by buying 20-year-old Joseph Abou Murad from Intissar Chayyah, Said Haidar from Al Nahda, and Yuguslavian coach Ljubiša Broćić.[5]

Racing Beirut played international friendly games against a variety of famous clubs and selections during the 1970s, including one against the Brazil national under-23 team.[6]

Recent history

The match between Ahed and Racing Beirut in the first matchday of the 2023–24 Lebanese Premier League, on 6 August 2023, was the first to test the use of video assistant referee (VAR).[7]

Club rivalries

Historically, during the 1960s and 1970s, Racing's main rivals were Nejmeh, also from Beirut.[5] Racing plays the Achrafieh derby with Sagesse.[8]

Players

Squad

As of 1 March 2024[9]

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 Ali Hajj Hassan
2 DF   LBN Hilal Warid
3 DF   LBN Hassan Bitar
4 MF   LBN Hussein Saleh
5 DF   LBN Jad Noureddine
6 MF   CGO Brel Mohendiki
7 DF   LBN Hussein Haidar
8 MF   LBN Miguel Karam
9 FW   LBN Ali Imad Moussawi
10 MF   SRB Lazar Arsić
11 FW   LBN Hussein Ezzeddine
12 DF   LBN Ali Ayoub (captain)
13 FW   LBN Maygen Raad
14 FW   LBN Jimmy Kazan
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 FW   CGO Roland Okouri
16 DF   LBN Mohamad Kdouh
17 DF   LBN Andrew Al Azzi
18 MF   LBN Joseph Aoun
19 DF   LBN Mostafa Al Shamaa
20 MF   LBN Hussein Jawad Khalife
21 FW   CGO Yann Mokombo
22 GK   LBN Omar Idlibi
23 MF   PLE Jehad Abou El Aynein
30 MF   LBN Mostafa Chehine
70 FW   LBN Ibrahim Abou Jabal
77 FW   LBN Daniel Abou Fakher
90 GK   LBN Hassan Ayoub

Shirt manufacturers

Honours

League

Cup

Managerial history

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "racing club beirut". abdogedeon.com. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  2. ^ "الراسينغ "سندباد الكرة اللبنانية" - صورة من الماضي". نداء الوطن. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  3. ^ https://the-lfa.com.lb/news/LFA_Congress92.php
  4. ^ Montague, James (24 October 2007). "In Lebanon, even soccer is tainted by sectarian strife". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "الراسينغ: نادي الأشرفية ومحيطها... يعاند التاريخ". asasmedia.com. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  6. ^ "RACING CLUB BEIRUT". abdogedeon.com. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  7. ^ Khaled, Nasser (26 July 2023). تقنية الفيديو حاضرة في لقاء العهد والراسينغ [Video technology will be present in the match between Ahed and Racing]. Kooora (in Arabic). Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  8. ^ "مبارتا دربي اﻷشرفية!". Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Racing Club Bayrūt". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 1 October 2022.