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Athletico Beirut club honored its Under-16 and Under-12 teams, who won the Lebanese Football Championship titles for the year 2024, at a ceremony held on the club’s green field in Dbayeh.
Atletico’s Chairman of the Board, Robert Paoli, gave a speech in which he looked back two decades to the founding of the Athletico club with René Matta. Over the years, Athletico has built up a reputation as a local force to be reckoned with, thanks to judicious planning to reach the highest levels.
Paoli enumerated the successes of the club’s teams on the national and international stages and the glow it enjoys thanks to the combined efforts of the administration, technical staff, parents, and players. He concluded by saying, “The Atletico dream has no limits, and we are proud of you.”
Partnership with Olympique Lyonnais
For his part, Olympique Lyonnais representative Jean-Francois Vulliez said he was delighted to be back in Lebanon, highlighting the partnership between the Lyon and Athletico clubs for over 10 years and praising the modern training methods adopted by the Lebanese club, which has been training champions since its inception 18 years ago. He said he had visited all the club’s branches and was impressed by the will and determination of the club’s family to achieve success and excellence.
Asked by This is Beirut about the importance of the partnership between Athletico and OL, Vulliez stressed that “the partnership began in 2011. A training strategy was put in place by both parties with the aim of helping coaches to develop young players. Six to seven talents are recruited each year to play and interact with players from the OL academy to improve their level and prepare them for national selections.” The cooperation between Lebanese and French players brings a significant cultural benefit, as the Lebanese youngsters discover training methods in France, while the French youngsters interact with their Lebanese counterparts. This interaction creates a friendly relationship and promotes openness between the young players,” concluded Jean-François Vulliez.
