Camille Cordahi

Camille Rouhana Cordahi (Arabic: كميل روحانا قرداحي‎; 11 September 1919 – 11 May 2011) was a Lebanese footballer who played as a forward. He is the Lebanon national team's first official goalscorer, scoring his side's lone goal in a friendly game against Mandatory Palestine in 1940.

Camille Cordahi
Cordahi in 1964
Personal information
Full name Camille Rouhana Cordahi
Date of birth (1919-09-11)11 September 1919
Place of birth Faitroun, Lebanon
Date of death 11 May 2011(2011-05-11) (aged 91)
Place of death Lebanon
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
Collège de la Sagesse
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1935–1942 DPHB
1942–1943 Racing Beirut
1943–1950 Sagesse
National team
1940 Lebanon 1 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Cordahi began his senior club career in 1935 at DPHB, winning three Lebanese Premier League titles. Following the club's disestablishment in 1942, Cordahi played one season at Racing Beirut, before joining Sagesse in 1943, which he helped form. He remained at the club until his retirement in 1950.

Known as "the Golden Foot" (Arabic: القدم الذهبية‎), Cordahi has represented Beirut XI unofficially as their captain between 1937 and 1950; his only official cap for Lebanon was the 1940 friendly against Mandatory Palestine, Lebanon's first official game, in which he scored.

Following his retirement as a player, Cordahi assumed various managerial roles at his former clubs Sagesse and Racing Beirut, and was the treasurer of the Lebanese Football Association in 1979. He was also the first mayor of his hometown Faitroun, and was awarded the Lebanese Medal of Merit in 1974.

Early life

Cordahi was born on 11 September 1919 in Faitroun, Lebanon, to Rouhana Cordahi and Catherine Massaad.[1] He had six siblings: Marie, Joseph, Georgette, Eva, Laure, and Marcelle.[1] Cordahi grew up in the Achrafieh district of Beirut, and studied at the Sagesse High School, playing football for the school's team.[1]

While studying at Sagesse, Cordahi was noticed by various French football clubs, who offered him to move to France with a scholarship.[1] Cordahi's parents declined, and he remained in Lebanon.[1]

Club career
Cordahi (top row, third from right) with DPHB in 1939

Cordahi began his senior football career at DPHB, the football club of the Lebanese railways, in 1935;[1] he played at the inaugural game of the Beirut Municipal Stadium that year,[1] alongside teammate Joseph Nalbandian.[2] With DPHB Cordahi won three Lebanese Premier League titles, in 1935–36, 1938–39, 1940–41.[1]

Following the disestablishment of DPHB in 1942, Cordahi moved to Racing Beirut for one season.[1] In 1943 he helped Sagesse form a senior football team,[1] playing their first season in the 1943–44 Lebanese Second Division.[3] In 1944–45 Sagesse played their first season in the Lebanese Premier League;[4] however, they were relegated back to the Second Division after one season.[4] In 1947–48, Cordahi helped Sagesse win the Second Division, gaining promotion back to the Premier League.[4]

Cordahi retired from football in 1950,[1] prior to Sagesse's relegation to the Second Division.[4]

International career
The line-ups of Mandatory Palestine (left) and Lebanon (right) before the friendly in 1940

Nicknamed "the Golden Foot" (Arabic: القدم الذهبية‎), in 1940 Cordahi took part in Lebanon's first international match, in a friendly against Mandatory Palestine.[5] He scored Lebanon's lone goal of the match,[5] assisted by Muhieddine Jaroudi of Hilmi Sports,[6] becoming his country's first international goalscorer.[7] The match was Cordahi's only official international appearance for Lebanon.[1]

Between 1937 and 1950, Cordahi also represented Beirut XI internationally as their captain in unofficial international games.[1] In May 1946, he played for Beirut XI in a friendly game against Egyptian club Alexandria.[8][9] Cordahi was also offered to play for the national teams of Syria and Palestine, but he declined.[1]

Managerial career

Following his retirement as a player, Cordahi worked at Sagesse first, and Racing Beirut later, as an administrator.[1] On 18 January 1971, Cordahi was nominated sporting director of Racing Beirut by the club's General Assembly.[10] In 1979 he was the treasurer of the Lebanese Football Association.[1][11]

Personal life

Cordahi worked for the Lebanese railways between 1935 and 1942, while playing for their football club DPHB.[1] Between 1944 and 1953, Cordahi worked at Régie des Tabacs et Tombacs, a tobacco manufacturing and trade company.[1] In 1962 he became the first mayor of his hometown Faitroun, an occupation he held for over 45 years.[1][12]

On 1 June 1965, Cordahi founded a table tennis club, called Sporting Club Faitroun.[1] The club was located in his home, and the table was put in his garage.[1] In August 1974, Cordahi was awarded the Lebanese Medal of Merit at Racing Beirut's 40th anniversary.[1][13]

On 15 December 1962, Cordahi married his wife Sonia Farid Rizk;[1] the couple had three children: a son, Rouhana, and two daughters, Catherine and Zeina.[1][12] Cordahi died on 11 May 2011.[1]

Career statistics

International
Scores and results list Lebanon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lebanon goal.
List of international goals scored by Camille Cordahi
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 27 April 1940 Maccabiah Stadium, Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine  Mandatory Palestine 1–4 1–5 Friendly [14]

Honours

Club

DPHB

Sagesse

References
  1. Nehme, Ale (21 October 2020). "Remembering Camille Cordahi: Lebanon's first goalscorer". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  2. "KAMIL KORDAHI". www.abdogedeon.com. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  3. "هكذا تأسّس نادي الحكمة بيروت". نداء الوطن. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  4. "SAGESSE". www.abdogedeon.com. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  5. Cazal, Jean-Michel; Bleicher, Yaniv. "British Mandate of Palestine Official Games 1934–1948". RSSSF. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  6. "Lebanon outclassed by Palestine selected". The Palestine Post. 30 April 1940. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  7. "Lebanon - List of International Matches". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  8. منتخب بيروت لكرة القدم. Nidaa Al Watan. 22 April 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  9. بعثة الإسكندرية إلى بيروت. Nidaa Al Watan. 8 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  10. دوري شمعون رئيساً للراسينغ وبشير الجميّل نائباً له. Nidaa Al Watan. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  11. اسماء بعثة لبنان [Members of the Lebanon delegation]. Al Anwar. 13 November 1979. p. 10.
  12. "مرسيل روحانا قرداحي Obituary". Khoolood. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  13. "Le racing club a l'honneur pour le 40e anniversaire de sa fondation" [The racing club has the honor for the 40th anniversary of its foundation]. L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). 5 August 1974.
  14. Nehme, Ale (27 April 2020). "The Cedars' first game". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
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