RIYADH: After nearly 11 months, the Lebanese Premier League has finally come to an end but no one envisioned it would take this long when newly-promoted Jwayya defeated Bourj 3-0 on the opening day back in September.
But with the Lebanese Football Association forced to halt football in late February due to the conflict in the country, simply reaching a conclusion is being treated as an achievement in itself.
What was initially supposed to be a short break was extended further by Israel’s invasion of south Lebanon, which led to the LFA freezing all footballing activity until the end of April.
A short exhibition, the National Solidarity Tournament, was held in May to give players a chance to prepare, before the league itself resumed on June 11.
Yet even as Ansar lifted their 16th title, the loudest voices around the season were not celebrating. Ansar President Nabil Badr came out with scathing statements on MTV Lebanon in a podcast before the game on July 29.
