Sagesse Sports Club (), known as Hekmeh () in Arabic, is a football club based in Achrafieh, a district in Beirut, Lebanon, that competes in the , and is primarily supported by the Maronite Christian community.
The club was founded in 1943 as Cercle de la Sagesse. Although they have not won a major title, Sagesse came second in the Lebanese Premier League, in 2002, and were finalists in both the Lebanese FA Cup, in 2006 and 2026, and the Lebanese Federation Cup, in 2004.
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.
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. The club received their official license on 14 October 1943, and were formed as Cercle de la Sagesse by a group of former students, namely Edward Tyan, Camille Cordahi, Elie Khalife, and Negib Hobeika. Toutoungi was the club's first president.
The team first played in the 1943–44 Lebanese Second Division; initially formed of former students, the club later also accepted other players. 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. However, due to a technicality, Sagesse were allocated in the Second Division for the 1944–45 season. From the 1945–46 season, the club were known as Club de la Sagesse.
Recent history In 2006 Sagesse reached the final of the Lebanese FA Cup, but lost against the cup holder Ansar 3–1. Sagesse finished second in the 2020–21 Lebanese Second Division, and were promoted back to the Lebanese Premier League after five years. They finished runners-up in the 2025–26 Lebanese FA Cup, losing 2–0 to Nejmeh in the final.
Club rivalries Sagesse plays the Achrafieh derby with Racing Beirut.
Kit manufacturers The following is a list of kit manufacturers worn by Sagesse. +PeriodKit manufacturer1999–2012Adidas2012–2016Legea2016–2022Jako2022–presentCapelli Sport Stadium Historically, Sagesse used the Bourj Hammoud Stadium as their home ground before moving to the Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh.
In 2026, Sagesse announced they would be renovating the Ain Saadeh Stadium to use it as their home ground.
Players Current squad
Notable players
+ Players in international competitionsCompetitionPlayerNational team2000 AFC Asian CupAli FakihVardan GhazaryanFouad Hijazi
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 (2): 2005–06, 2025–26 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 Sagesse SC Sagesse SC (basketball) List of football clubs in Lebanon
References
External links