 |
|
|
|
When the Lebanese FA decided to have the league championship sponsored for the new 2002/2003 season, it took a big step towards commercializing the whole game aiming at fostering and enhancing the football status in the country.
However, this season's edition of the league championship was mainly highlighted by the introduction of newly-promoted side Olympic Beirut to the top flight for the first time in their history.
This being said, the enormous amount of money invested by the club, who really broke the bank after signing no less that 19 new players, including South African international sweeper Pierre Eissa, is threatening to have a double-edge effect on the whole game setting.
Depriving the top local sides in the shape of Al-Tadamon Tyre, Sagesse, and Safa from their international players who were allocated some sky-rocketing transfer fees to lure their services for Olympic Beirut would end by killing the other sides' aspirations in domestic competitions, while investing financially has proved vital for the treasury status of many clubs.
Undeniably, Olympic Beirut are announced as everybody's tip to claim all silverware this season, after brining a four-member Brazilian technical staff, a Brazilian centre-forward and another attacking midfielder. Never before the Lebanese football scene had witnessed such willingness to dominate in the last two decades or so.
Still, traditional 'big guns' are always here to play the leading roles in Lebanese league action, with defending title holders Al-Nijmeh topping the list with a stable squad now under Yugoslav manager Bozidar Vukotic, but also Sagesse, who, despite losing their inspirational starring winger Mohamed Qassas to Olympic Beirut, and under the reign of German boss Theo Bucker, are here to make their presence felt (drawing with big-spenders Olympic Beirut 1-1 in their first league outing.)
Al-Tadamon Tyre won't be the very same side, now that they have seen 5 of their most sparkling key figures moving ranks to Olympic. They can make a nice run but will fade when it matters most, lacking in-depth quality outfits and relying on a bunch of inexperienced but promising youngsters for the new season.
FA Cup winners Al-Ansar, still undergoing a transitional phase that saw them winning just one trophy in the last two seasons, are a side on the move. However, with the Greens lacking genuine financial backing, hampering their plans to sign top-ranked players, it would be safe stating they won't be here to notch some silverware when the curtain is down next May.
The other 7 clubs will be focusing on maintaining their status in the top flight at the end of this season, unless some giantkilling action takes place in the FA Cup at the hands of unexpected minor opposition aiming at forcing themselves at the local scene.
All in all, this is announced as one of the most exciting league campaigns over the last two decades or so. Football in Lebanon, drifted back by the ever-improving basketball game, notably in the last five years, has all the reasons to re-establish its status once again as the most popular game in the country, now that many financial sections of the local society are showing unprecedented interest in the game as a whole.
|
|
|
| |
|