Lebanese national football team player Celine Haidar was injured Saturday morning after an Israeli airstrike targeted the Chiyah area in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Haidar suffered a head injury from shrapnel and was rushed to St. George Hospital in Hadath, where she remains in critical condition. At the time of writing this article, the hospital is urgently requesting donations of type O+ blood to help with his treatment.
South Beirut and several areas of Lebanon have been hit hard by Israeli strikes since last September.
Lebanon, already in the grip of a multidimensional crisis, has seen its infrastructure and daily life heavily impacted, with sporting events — once a source of joy and unity for the Lebanese people — paralyzed. Haidar, who was summoned by the Lebanese Football Federation last August to prepare for the next qualifiers, now finds herself facing an uncertain future.
As the Lebanese people continue to endure this brutal war, the country’s athletes, like Céline Haidar, find themselves fighting not only for their careers but also for their lives.
In recent days, some foreign leagues have started to consider more flexible regulations to include Lebanese players in their squads. This change comes while sport in Lebanon is at a standstill. Lebanese athletes are considered among the best in the region, making them highly sought after by foreign clubs. This raises concerns about the potential migration of Lebanese talent due to the ongoing war.
