The Lebanese championship has been disrupted in tragically similar circumstances to last season’s, with the final round of the Bank of Beirut Rugby League Championship suspended this weekend due to the worsening violence and deteriorating political situation in Lebanon. Exactly a year ago, in May, the Spring Championship was brought to a premature halt after fighting in the Nahr El Bared camp spread into north Lebanon, and now fighting in Beirut between opposition and government forces has resulted in much of the capital closing down, with Hezbollah checkpoints commanding most of the city’s roads.  

Two of the league’s five teams, LAU and AUB, are situated in West Beirut, with most of those clubs’ players, and a number of players from other teams, unable to move freely around the city. LAU officials this morning reported a rocket attack that had targeted the neighboring Qoreitem residence of government MP Saad Hariri, had impacted property belonging to the university, which has been closed since Wednesday. AUB coach Faysal Jaber, under lockdown in the Hamra district, has been trapped in the middle of the fighting since it began: “it’s been a hellish time, not knowing what’s going on. I’ve been watching the army just standing by letting Hezbollah take over. The streets are empty; every few minutes gunfire and RPGs start blazing.”

LRLC Chief Operating Officer Danny Kazandjian stated: “Nobody knows what will happen so all we can do is hope that the fighting stops and that some semblance of normality resumes. But at the moment that doesn’t seem likely.”