Safa SC

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This article is about the men's football club from Beirut, Lebanon. For other uses, see Safa.

Safa
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Full nameSafa Sporting Club
Nicknameالنسور (The Eagles)[1]
Short nameSafa
Founded31 March 1939; 87 years ago (31 March 1939)
GroundSafa Stadium
Capacity4,000
ChairmanRiad Atallah
ManagerHussein Tahan
LeagueLebanese Premier League
2024–25Lebanese Premier League, 2nd of 12
Websitesafasc.com
File:Soccerball current event.svg Current season
Active teams of Safa

Safa Sporting Club (Arabic: نادي الصفاء الرياضي, lit. 'The Purity Sporting Club') is a football club based in Wata El Msaytbeh, a district of Beirut, Lebanon. Competing in the Lebanese Premier League, the club was founded in 1939 and have since won three league titles, three domestic cups, one Super Cup, and two Elite Cups. Safa also finished runners-up in the 2008 AFC Cup.[2]

Safa is primarily supported by the Druze community,[3][4][5] and maintains a strong fanbase throughout Mount Lebanon. As Akhaa Ahli Aley is also based in the Mount Lebanon region, specifically in Aley, matches between the two clubs are referred to as the "Mountain derby" due to their shared regional support.

History

Early history (1933–1961)

Founded in 1933 at an amateur level in the Wata El-Museitbeh of Beirut, Safa Sporting Club was officially established in 1939 by seven people: Maher Wahab, Anis Naaim, Hasib Al-Jerdi, Amin Haidar, Chafik Nader, Toufik Al-Zouhairy and Adib Haidar.[6]

On 23 December 1948, Safa obtained the official membership and license from the government as a private association.[6] In the same year, the club was affiliated to the Lebanese Football Association and was ranked within the Second Division.[7] In 1961, Safa was promoted to the First Division.[citation needed]

Recent history (2021–present)

On 4 May 2012, after defeating Nejmeh, Safa were crowned Lebanese Premier League champions for the first time in 2011–12.[8] They were crowned league champions for the second consecutive time in 2012–13, after defeating Ahed 3–1 on 19 May 2013.[9] Safa also won the 2012–13 Lebanese FA Cup, following a 2–1 win against Shabab Sahel in the final, achieving a domestic double for the first time.[10]

After finishing the 2021–22 Lebanese Premier League in 11th place, Safa were due to be relegated to the Second Division for the first time.[11] However, following Shabab Bourj's withdrawal from the league, they were relegated in place of Safa.[12] Safa also narrowly avoided relegation the following season, finishing 10th above Salam Zgharta on account of their positive head-to-head record.[13]

Kit manufacturers

The following is a list of kit manufacturers worn by Safa.

Period Kit manufacturer
1999–2008 Puma
2008–2010 Adidas
2010–2011 Lotto
2011–2015 Joma
2016–2017 Sportika SA
2017–2018 Jako
2018–2024 Joma
2024- Kelme

Stadium

Safa Stadium
ملعب نادي الصفاء الرياضي
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LocationWata El-Museitbeh
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Capacity4,000
Construction
Opened1948
Main article: Safa Stadium

The Safa Stadium opened in 1948, and has a capacity of 4,000 spectators. Located in the Wata El-Museitbeh district of Beirut, the stadium is five minutes from the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport. While the stadium is of Safa's property, the club plays in various other stadiums around the country.[citation needed]

Club rivalries

Safa has important rivalries with Ansar and Nejmeh, both being based in Beirut. Safa also plays the Mountain derby with Akhaa Ahli,[14] as Akhaa is based in Aley, a city in Mount Lebanon, and Safa's support comes from the Druze community in Lebanon, who mainly live in Chouf and Aley districts.[citation needed]

Players

Current squad

As of 21 August 2025[15]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Ali Hallal
4 DF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Mohammed Hayek
6 MF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Kassem Hayek
8 MF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Ghazi Honeine
14 MF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Karim Jaafar
15 MF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Abdallah Doueik
30 DF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Hussein Sharafeddine
33 DF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Andrew Sawaya
43 FW File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Ali Haidar
50 FW File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Khaled Takaji
70 DF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Abbas Assi
77 FW File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Hussein Haydar
— DF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Mohamad Zein Tahan
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Ali Shaitou (on loan from Nejmeh)
— DF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Maher Sabra (on loan from Nejmeh)
— MF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Ali Mannaa
— GK File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Hassan Ayoub
— GK File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Abdulkarim Saleh
— MF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Habib Shweikh
— FW File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Hassan Mehanna
— FW File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Ali Markabawi
— FW File:Flag of Palestine.svg PLE Adnan Salloum
— DF File:Flag of Lebanon.svg LBN Saad Chweiki
— FW File:Flag of Nigeria.svg NGA Eze Vincent Okeuhie
— FW File:Flag of Cameroon.svg CMR Tidiane Camara

Notable players

See also: Category:Safa SC players
Players in international competitions
Competition Player National team
1996 AFC Asian Cup Yasser Sibai File:Flag of the United Arab Republic (1958–1971), Flag of Syria (1980–2024).svg Syria
2000 AFC Asian Cup Youssef Mohamad File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon
Ahmad Naamani File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon
2019 AFC Asian Cup Ahmad Taktouk File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon
Mohamed Zein Tahan File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon
2023 AFC Asian Cup Hassan Chaitou File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon

Honours

Domestic

Continental

Other achievements

Performance in AFC competitions

2008: Final
2009: Round of 16
2012: Group stage
2013: Group stage
2014: Round of 16
2025–26: Group stage
1992–93: Withdrew in first round
2000–01: Withdrew in first round

Managerial history

See also

References

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