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Akhaa Ahli Aley Football Club (Arabic: نادي الإخاء الأهلي الرياضي عاليه, lit. 'National Brotherhood of Aley Sporting Club'), commonly referred to as Akhaa Ahli Aley, Akhaa Ahli or simply Akhaa, is a football club based in Aley, Lebanon, that competes in the Lebanese Second Division, and is primarily supported by the Druze community.[2]
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| Full name | Akhaa Ahli Aley Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short name | Akhaa | ||
| Founded | 1962, as Akhaa Club 1990, as Akhaa Ahli Aley Football Club | ||
| Ground | Amin AbdelNour Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 3,500 | ||
| Chairman | Samer Khalaf[1] | ||
| Manager | Ahmad Atwi | ||
| League | Lebanese Second Division | ||
| 2023–24 | Lebanese Second Division, 6th of 12 | ||
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Akhaa have played in the Lebanese Premier League since 2010–11 season, after gaining promotion from the Lebanese Second Division. They won the Lebanese Challenge Cup in 2022. The club is supported by the Lebanese MP Arkram Chehayeb, who was the key person to ratify the merging of the two clubs Ahli and Akhaa in the city of Aley.[citation needed]
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Origins: Akhaa and Ahli
Akhaa was first founded in 1962 by Adel Baz, who led the club till the early 1980s amid the Lebanese Civil War. The club obtained its license in 1966 and was close to promotion in 1971, failing to reach the Lebanese Premier League in the last match. The club halted its activities in 1982 during the Lebanese war and resumed in 1989.[citation needed]
Ahli Club was established in the 1970s by Ahmad Radwan, an educator and the owner of a school in Aley. Ahli Club obtained its license later and joined the Lebanese Third Division in 1987. Various players who would go on to play in the Lebanese Premier League played for Ahli Club, such as Walid Zeineddine, Fouad Sayegh, Riad Al Halabi, Yazeed Halimi and others. Ahli Club was ranked first in the American University of Beirut Football Cup twice in a row, in 1987 and 1988.[citation needed]
Formation of Akhaa Ahli
In 1990, Bahij Abou Hamzeh, the president of Akhaa, realized that promotion to the Lebanese Premier League would be difficult, so he decided to merge with Ahli Club. The merger added extra value to Akhaa Club as Ahli's team was full of young players of Aley, such as Zaher Andary, who represented the Lebanon national football from 1994 to 2001, Said Abu Muna and Raji Abi Said, who was elected captain of Ahkaa Ahli. Ahli's management found the merger to be of mutual interest as they needed physical and logistical support to get promoted to the Lebanese Second Division.[citation needed]
Promotion and stay in the Premier League
Akhaa won the Lebanese Second Division in 1992–93. The team managed to hit excellent results during its stay in the Lebanese Premier League, especially in its first appearance.[citation needed] It returned to the first division in 2010–11.[citation needed]
On 21 August 2022, after defeating rivals Safa 1–0 in the final, Akhaa were crowned 2022 Lebanese Challenge Cup champions.[3] Akhaa were relegated to the Lebanese Second Division, after finishing last in 2022–23.[4]
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Current squad
- As of 14 December 2023[6]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
| Competition | Player | National team |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 AFC Asian Cup | Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail |  Iraq |
| Gilberto |  Lebanon | |
| Marcílio | Lebanon |
Retired numbers
In 2020, Akhaa Ahli Aley retired the squad number 20 for two seasons, in memory of Mohamad Atwi who died on 18 September 2020 from a stray bullet to the head.[7]
- 20
Mohamad Atwi, midfielder (2018–2020) – posthumous honour (2020–2022)
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- Lebanese Challenge Cup (defunct)
- Winners (1): 2022
- Lebanese Second Division
- Winners (2): 1992–93, 2002–03
- Lebanese Elite Cup (defunct)
- Runners-up (1): 2018
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