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In fact, the word Homenetmen refers to an Armenian organization devoted to Athletics and Scouting. Its acronym is derived from the initials which stand for Armenian General Athletic Union. The motto is “Elevate yourself and others with you.” It was originally founded in 1918 in Constantinople by Shavarsh Krissian, Krikor Hagopian and Hovannes Hintlian. Originally, Homenetmen emanated as a scout team; the soccer section showed the club’s strength. Homenetmen competed and is still competing in the Lebanese First Division where he realized decent results among the country’s top elites.
The team constitutes a challenge to Homenmen, another Armenian team that tries to overcome Homentmen’s obstacle. When Homenetmen plays against Homenmen, a hot derby is about to begin and the match is always important to watch. Homenetmen is based in Bourj Hammoud, a region of the outskirts of Beirut. Its stadium (Bourj Hammoud National Stadium) is one of the best in Lebanon and all along the 1990s until the 2000s, the majority of the Premier League games of Lebanon were held on this stadium. Homenetmen has given to Lebanese football and to the national team many players who showed solidarity with the cause of improving Lebanese football, especially after the civil war. Therefore, a list of players is always important to mention.
The Players
Homenetmen is known for the solidarity of its players against difficult situations: who are these players and what were their biggest accomplishments? Rafi Joulfayan or Joulfagi (as known by the majority of Lebanese) was a magnificent player in the attacking midfield position. He used to create many scoring chances for his friends. One of his most important goals was in 1993 against Hong Kong Bourj Hammoud Stadium in Lebanon. Rafi was an athlete that some people used to call “Homenetmen’s Abdel Fattah Chehab” due to his pace and his skills. His serving in the army did not stop him from helping his team in all circumstances.
Vartan Ghazarian is another big player in front forward. A machine of goals, Ghazarian was the walking soul of Homenetmen. He used to create obstacles for the adversary team and his teammates used to depend on him in critical moments. Ashud Barsakhian was Homenetmen’s best header. Known for his goals through his head, Ashud looked like Bulgarian player Iordan Letchkov. His skills were fascinating and he was also a specialist in penalty kicks.
One cannot say Homenetmen without remembering Khoren Oganessian who played with the Soviet Union in world cup 1982 in Spain. He scored a famous goal against Belgium in the Second Round. This international player has put his experience in the Lebanese Premier League and has helped the team achieve big results. In the midfield, Khoren was Homenetmen’s playmaker, a very successful one.
Towards Continuity?
One of the most important questions that we may ask concerning a team is whether the efforts he showed in the past still persist or not. Actually, a team like Homenetmen proved its hard work and perseverance. In fact, good legacy is a thing that Homentmen has left after all these years: competing with top level teams shall continue: the boys of Bourj Hammoud as well as the Homenetmen team can never get to an end.
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