Bassem Marmar is a Lebanese professional football coach and former player who is currently the manager of Kuwaiti club Al-Arabi. Starting his playing career at Ahed in 1996, Marmar helped Ahed win multiple titles, most notably the 2003β04 Lebanese FA Cup, Ahed's first major trophy, and the 2007β08 Lebanese Premier League, Ahed's first league title. He was the club's captain from 2007 to his retirement in 2010. In 2016 Marmar was appointed head coach of Ahed, helping them win numerous domestic titles, as well as the 2019 AFC Cup, the first AFC Cup title for a Lebanese side. In 2020 Marmar took charge of Kuwaiti side Al-Arabi, becoming the first Lebanese coach to manage abroad.
Club career
Marmar joined Ahed on 20 June 1996. He helped his side gain promotion to the Lebanese Premier League in 1998. In 2003β04 Marmar helped Ahed lift their first major trophy: the Lebanese FA Cup. Marmar stated that, at the time, he refused the captain's armband; in 2007, however, the club's management decided for Marmar to become the club's captain. As captain, in 2007β08 Marmar helped Ahed win their first ever Lebanese Premier League. In 2010, Marmar retired as a footballer; despite his multiple injuries throughout his career, Marmar won two league titles, three Lebanese FA Cups, two Lebanese Elite Cups, a Lebanese Federation Cup, and two Lebanese Super Cups.
Managerial career
Ahed
In 2007 Marmar was appointed assistant manager of Ahed, which was coached by German manager Robert Jaspert. Describing his time as Jaspert's assistant, Marmar stated that he "felt like a partner", which was "what made want to become a coach". Following his retirement as a player in 2010, Marmar went to Germany to get coaching courses. Upon his return to Lebanon, he was appointed technical director of Ahed's academy and youth sector. He won the under-15 league in 2012, the under-17 league in 2013 and 2014, and the under-17 league in 2015 and 2016. In 2014 and 2015, Marmar was Ahed's caretaker manager; he became Ahed's first team manager in 2016 following the departure of Robert Jaspert. In his first season as coach, Marmar won the 2016β17 Lebanese Premier League. Marmar was nominated 2016β17Lebanese Premier League Coach of the Season. After winningthe league, Marmar went back to coaching Ahed's youth side, citing difficulties with the players as the main reason. Three matchdays into the 2017β18 season, Marmar was re-appointed as head coach of Ahed. Marmar stated: "At that moment, there was a shift of mentality in the club. The players were starting to get accountable for their actions. The issues I faced when I was there started to vanish, so I took back the job." That season, Marmar helped Ahed win the domestic double, lifting both the league and FA Cup titles. He was awarded Lebanese Coach of the Season for the second consecutive time. In 2018β19, Marmar helped Ahed win a second successive domestic double, lifting the league, FA Cup, and Super Cup. He went unbeaten for 46 games in a span of over two years. In 2019 Ahed beat North Korean club 25 April 1β0 in the 2019 AFC Cup Final: they became the first Lebanese football club to accomplish the feat. Ahed only conceded three goals in 11 games, going unbeaten throughout the whole tournament. For the third consecutive time, Marmar was named Lebanese Coach of the Season. As Ahed's manager Marmar has won three league titles, two FA Cups, and two Super Cups, as well as the 2019 AFC Cup.
Al-Arabi
On 25 July 2020, after being involved with Ahed for 24 years as a player and as a manager, Marmar was hired as head coach of Kuwaiti club Al-Arabi. He became the first Lebanese manager to coach outside of Lebanon at professional level. Marmar reunited with former Ahed players Ahmad Al Saleh and Issah Yakubu.
