Salam Zgharta FC
Lebanese football club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Salam Zgharta Football Club (Arabic: نادي السلام الرياضي زغرتا, lit. 'The Peace Sports Club Zgharta'), known as Salam Zgharta or simply Salam, is a football club based in Zgharta, Lebanon, that competes in the Lebanese Second Division.
15 August 1971, as Salam Zgharta FC
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| Full name | Salam Zgharta Football Club | ||
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| Short name | Salam | ||
| Founded | 1933, as Salam Achrafieh SC 15 August 1971, as Salam Zgharta FC | ||
| Ground | Zgharta Sports Complex | ||
| Capacity | 5,500 | ||
| Chairman | Estephan Frangieh | ||
| Manager | Ricardo Cerqueira | ||
| League | Lebanese Second Division | ||
| 2025–26 | Lebanese Second Division, 3rd of 12 | ||
| Website | www | ||
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Founded in 1933 as Salam Achrafieh, the club was renamed Salam Zgharta in 1971; their supporters are primarily Maronites from the Zgharta region and other districts in North Lebanon.[1] The club's traditional kit colours are red and black.[2] In 2014, they won the Lebanese FA Cup, their only major trophy to date.[3]
History
Salam Zgharta was founded in 1971, after a group of football enthusiasts bought the licence of former club Salam Achrafieh (Arabic: نادي السلام الأشرفية), based in the Achrafieh district of Beirut.[4] In their first season, the club got demoted to the Lebanese Second Division with Riyada Wal Adab, after the early finish of the season due to start of the Lebanese Civil War.[5]
The start of the 1990s was positive for the Northern club, finishing third in the 1990–91 Lebanese Premier League with 35 points.[6] Following the expansion of the Premier League to 20 teams divided into two groups, Salam Zgharta finished the 1991–92 season as second of their group and fourth in the league standing after securing 23 points in 20 games.[6] In 1996, Youssef Jabbour got elected vice president.[7]
In the mid-2000s, Kabalan lost interest in the club; an election took place in October 2006, three games after the start of the 2006–07 season, and Estephan Frangieh became the president.[4]
In the 2020–21 season, after eight consecutive seasons in the top flight, Salam Zgharta were relegated to the Second Division.[8] They were promoted in 2021–22, after finishing second in the Second Division,[9] before being relegated back in 2022–23, finishing 11th in the Premier League.[10]
Club rivalries
Salam Zgharta plays the North derby with Tripoli, as they are both located in the same area.[11] The first derby between Salam Zgharta and Tripoli was played on 18 December 2005, at the Rachid Karame Municipality Stadium.[12] The home team, Salam Zgharta, won the game 1–0 after a goal from Wehbe Douaihy in the 58th minute.[13]
Players
Current squad
- As of 22 September 2024[14]
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 AFC Asian Cup | Walid Ismail |  Lebanon |
| Mostafa Matar | Lebanon |
Honours
- Lebanese FA Cup
- Winners (1): 2013–14
- Lebanese Second Division
- Lebanese Federation Cup
- Runners-up (1): 1999
- Lebanese Super Cup
- Runners-up (1): 2014
- Lebanese Challenge Cup (defunct)
- Runners-up (2): 2016, 2019
Performance in AFC competitions
See also
Notes
- As Salam Achrafieh
