Jamal Taha


Jamal Khamis Taha is a Lebanese professional football coach and former player who is currently the manager of the Lebanon national team.
Nicknamed "the Brown Gazelle", Taha represented the Lebanon national team between 1993 and 2000, scoring 10 goals in 32 appearances. He captained Lebanon at the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, during the country's first appearance in the competition.

Early life

Jamal Taha was born in Lebanon to an Egyptian father and a Lebanese mother; he obtained Lebanese citizenship through naturalization in 1992. Taha joined Ansar's youth team in 1977.

Club career

Nicknamed "the Brown Gazelle", Taha began his senior career with Ansar in 1986, where he ended his career in 2002. He wore the number 6 on his jersey, and was the club's captain from 1997 onwards.

International career

Taha was the national team's captain during the 2000 AFC Asian Cup in Lebanon.

Managerial career

Taha started out as Adnan Hamad's assistant manager at Ansar during the 2005–06 season; he helped his side win the domestic double. The following season, in 2006–07, Taha was appointed first manager of Ansar, winning Ansar's second consecutive domestic double. He remained head coach until the end of the 2007–08 season, where he lost the league title to Ahed by one point.
In July 2011, Taha was re-appointed manager of Ansar, staying there until the end of the 2012–13 season. He won the 2011–12 Lebanese FA Cup, and the 2012 Lebanese Super Cup.
On 10 September 2013, he took charge of Shabab Sahel; he won the Lebanese Challenge Cup in 2014. After two seasons he returned to Ansar, managing them during the 2015–16 season, before resigning after the first league game of the following season in September 2016. In January 2017, Taha became manager of Tadamon Sour until June 2018.
On 3 June 2019, he was appointed assistant manager of the Lebanon national team under Liviu Ciobotariu's tenure. After one year, on 17 June 2020, the Lebanese Football Association decided not to extend Ciobotariu's contract, and appointed Taha as the national team's coach. He became the first Lebanese coach of the national team in almost 12 years, since the appointment of Emile Rustom in November 2008.

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Ansar
Ansar
Shabab Sahel