The Closest Lebanon Ever Got To Qualifying For The World Cup
As the Arab world and Lebanon celebrate Morocco’s victory and advancement into the quarter finals of the World Cup for 2022, some may wonder if Lebanon will ever get a similar opportunity. Unfortunately, we are yet to master the art of time travel, so we can’t answer that. But we can answer when Lebanon got closest to having their World Cup moment, chronicling the tale of how the Lebanese national team almost made it to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
First, some historical background…
Lebanon was one of the first Arab states to found a football association, with the Lebanese Football Association (LFA) coming into being in 1933. The LFA would join FIFA three years later, however the country has still failed to qualify for the international association’s most prestigious tournament to this day.
Lebanon’s first official football match was played against Palestine in 1940, they lost 5-1. They won their first official game 17 years later, beating Jordan 6-3 in the Lebanon-hosted Pan Arab Games.
The 1960s were a better era for Lebanese football, as the team managed to finish 3rd in the first edition of the Arab Cup in 1963, also hosted on Lebanese soil. They finished 4th in the subsequent 1966 edition of the cup. But between those the team recorded its first tournament win, finishing first in the 1964 Tripoli Fair.
Just as Lebanese football was starting to gain momentum, the Civil War would break out and Lebanon would only play nine games between 1975 and 1990.
After the Civil War, Lebanon participated in its first full World Cup qualifying campaign in 1993, earning the record for longest gap between joining FIFA and participating in qualifying, with 57 years between the two events. They failed to qualify.
After finishing last in the Lebanon-hosted 2000 Asia Cup, things were looking as bad for Lebanese football as ever. But just 10 years later, Lebanon would come the closest it ever has to qualifying for a World Cup.
Emile Rustom was appointed head coach of the national team in 2008. Under his stewardship, Lebanon qualified to the second round of qualifying after defeating Bangladesh 4-2 over two games. Right before the country’s participation in the third round of qualifying, Rustom resigned due to an internal power struggle in the LFA.
Enter Theo Bucker. The German manager, who had been in charge of the Lebanese national team in the 2002 qualifying rounds, returned after 9 years and led Lebanon to its best qualifying campaign ever. For the first time since 2005, the LFA allowed Lebanese fans back into the country’s stadiums, and those fans played an essential role in Lebanon’s historic 2-1 victory over South Korea in 2011. Combined with a draw and victory over Kuwait (in Kuwait), the Lebanese national team managed a historic qualification to the fourth and final round of Asian world cup qualifying.
Lebanon was in a draw with Iran, South Korea, Qatar, and Uzbekistan in Group A. The team recorded a historic victory against Iran, beating them 1-0 at home through a goal from Roda Antar. After suffering a couple of away defeats and home draws, Lebanon needed a victory against Qatar to remain in contention.
After 75 minutes of even play between the two teams, tragedy struck. Lebanese defender Ramez Dayoub played a horrible pass back to his goalkeeper, allowing Qatari striker Sebastian Soria to take the ball and score, condemning Lebanon to a 1-0 home defeat.
After the match, head coach Theo Bucker would say: “we were showing some action and then suddenly a (Qatar) player has the ball in a one-on-one situation and you get the feeling that something is wrong. The guy looked paralyzed or something.” He then even more strongly condemned Dayoub, stating that “I never came close to the idea that someone could not just sell the game, but sell their country.”
FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation, and the Lebanese FA were certainly listening, and an investigation into match fixing in Lebanese football was opened. The LFA report found 24 players and 2 officials guilty of match fixing domestically and internationally. Twenty players were fined $2,000, handed a one season suspension from football, and permanently banned from the Lebanese national team. Two players received a $7,000 fine and a three season suspension.
But the biggest punishment would go to Ramez Dayoub and Mahmoud El Ali who were found guilty specifically in connection to the Qatar game, and subsequently fined $15,000 and permanently banned from football for life. Dayoub still defended his innocence, telling the media that “I am not guilty. They have suspended me and accused me of match fixing without any evidence or proof.”
Whether match fixing was involved or not, Lebanon officially crashed out of qualification the next game, after drawing 1-1 with South Korea. The team finished 5th in the group, putting a tragic end to the closest time the country has ever come to qualifying for the World Cup.
