Lebanese association football club
Football club
Racing Club (Arabic: نادي الراسينغ), known as Racing Beirut or simply Racing, is a football club based in Achrafieh, a district in Beirut, Lebanon, that competes in the Lebanese Premier League.[1] They play their home matches at the Fouad Chehab Stadium and are primarily supported by the Christian community.[4]
Racing Beirut won the Lebanese Premier League three times, the Lebanese Challenge Cup twice, and the Lebanese Second Division four times. They also finished runners-up in the Lebanese FA Cup twice.
History
Early history
The club was founded in 1934 by several locals from the Achrafieh and Gemmayzeh districts of Beirut, Lebanon.[5] The club's name is inspired from French football club Racing Paris, who the club's presidents supported.[5] Racing played five years in the Lebanese Second Division, and got its first promotion to the Lebanese Premier League in 1940.[5]
In 1953, Albert Kheir was elected as the club's president.[5] He sought to heighten the club's status in the country, by buying 20-year-old Joseph Abou Murad from Intissar Chayyah, Said Haidar from Al Nahda, and Yuguslavian coach Ljubiša Broćić.[5]
Racing Beirut played international friendly games against a variety of famous clubs and selections during the 1970s, including one against the Brazil national under-23 team.[6]
Recent history
The match between Ahed and Racing Beirut in the first matchday of the 2023–24 Lebanese Premier League, on 6 August 2023, was the first to test the use of video assistant referee (VAR).[7]
Club rivalries
Historically, during the 1960s and 1970s, Racing's main rivals were Nejmeh, also from Beirut.[5] Racing plays the Achrafieh derby with Sagesse.[8]
Players
Squad
- As of 1 October 2022[9]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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