Sagesse Sports Club (French: Club Sportif La Sagesse, lit. 'The Wisdom Sports Club'), known as Hekmeh (Arabic: الحكمة) in Arabic, is a football club based in Achrafieh, a district in Beirut, Lebanon, that competes in the Lebanese Premier League.[3]
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| Full name | Sagesse Sports Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | القَلعَة الخَضراء (The Green Castle)[1] | ||
| Founded | 14 October 1943, as Cercle de la Sagesse | ||
| Chairman | Elie Yahchouchi[2] | ||
| Manager | Paul Rustom | ||
| League | Lebanese Premier League | ||
| 2022–23 | Lebanese Premier League, 9th of 12 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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The club was founded in 1943 as Cercle de la Sagesse. Although they haven't won any major title, Sagesse came second twice in the Lebanese Premier League 2002, and were finalists in both the Lebanese FA Cup, in 2006, and the Lebanese Federation Cup, in 2004. The club is mostly known for its basketball program,[3] and mainly has Maronite Christian ties.[4]
History
Early history
The Collège de la Sagesse school had a football club with their own students; at the end of each season, graduated players would go on to play for other senior teams, mainly Salam Achrafieh.[5]
Sagesse's senior team were formed in 1942 under the patronage of Father Boulos Kik, the general director of the Sagesse Institute, supported by Monseigneur Jean Maroun.[6] The club received their official license on 14 October 1943,[6] and were formed as Cercle de la Sagesse by a group of former students, namely Edward Tyan, Camille Cordahi, Elie Khalife, and Negib Hobeika.[5] Toutoungi was the club's first president.[5]
The team first played in the 1943–44 Lebanese Second Division; initially formed of former students, the club later also accepted other players.[5] They won the Second Division in their first season, and were due to be promoted to the Lebanese Premier League after beating Shabiba Mazraa 4–0 in the promotion play-offs.[5] However, due to a technicality, Sagesse were allocated in the Second Division for the 1944–45 season.[5] From the 1945–46 season, the club were known as Club de la Sagesse.[5]
Recent history
In 2006 Sagesse reached the final of the Lebanese FA Cup, but lost against the cup holder Ansar 3–1.[7] Sagesse finished second in the 2020–21 Lebanese Second Division, and were promoted back to the Lebanese Premier League after five years.[8]
Club rivalries
Sagesse plays the Achrafieh derby with Racing Beirut.[9]
Players
Current squad
- As of 23th of April 2024[10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
| Competition | Player | National team |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 AFC Asian Cup | Ali Fakih |  Lebanon
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| Vardan Ghazaryan | Lebanon
| |
| Fouad Hijazi | Lebanon
|
Honours
- Lebanese Second Division
- Winners (4): 1943–44, 1947–48, 1955–56, 1998–99
- Lebanese Premier League
- Runners-up (1): 2001–02
- Lebanese FA Cup
- Runners-up (1): 2005–06
- Lebanese Federation Cup
- Runners-up (1): 2004
Managerial history
Eugen Moldovan (2000–2001)
Theo Bücker (2001–2002)
Emile Rustom (2005)- Riad Murad
- Fouad Hijazi
- Fouad Leila
- Sohad Zahran (–2021)
- Vardan Ghazaryan (2021–2022)
- Emile Rustom (2022–2023)
- Paul Rustom (2023–present)
See also
References
- ^ almaghribtoday. "almaghribtoday". Almaghribtoday (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ Khaled, Nasser (17 April 2021). "الاستقرار وراء تأهل سبورتينغ والحكمة للدرجة الأولى". Kooora. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ a b "فريق: الحكمة". www.kooora.com. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ Alami, Mona (1 September 2009). "Religious about football". NOW Lebanon. Archived from the original on 19 April 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Khadra, A. (3 August 1946). "Le Cercle de la Sagesse". Le Jour.
- ^ a b "هكذا تأسّس نادي الحكمة بيروت". نداء الوطن. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ "SAGESSE". www.abdogedeon.com. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
- ^ "سبورتينغ بطل الدرجة الثانية والحكمة يعود الى دوري الأضواء". The LFA (in Arabic). Retrieved 16 April 2021.
- ^ "مبارتا دربي اﻷشرفية!". Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ "CS Sagesse". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 8 October 2022.