Joan Oumari

Joan Oumari (Arabic: جوان العمري‎, Lebanese Arabic pronunciation: [ʒuˈweːn lˈʕomari, -re]; born 19 August 1988) is a Lebanese professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Japanese club FC Tokyo and the Lebanon national team. Mainly deployed as a center-back, Oumari's main strengths lie in his physical attributes and leadership.

Joan Oumari
Oumari training with Lebanon in 2019
Personal information
Full name Joan Oumari
Date of birth (1988-08-19) 19 August 1988
Place of birth Berlin, Germany
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Playing position(s) Centre-back
Club information
Current team
 FC Tokyo
Number 32
Youth career
NFC Rot-Weiß Neukölln
Reinickendorfer Füchse
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2008 Reinickendorfer Fuchse 53 (6)
2008–2011 SV Babelsberg 03 54 (1)
2011–2013 Rot-Weiß Erfurt 62 (3)
2013–2016 FSV Frankfurt 64 (2)
2016–2017 Sivasspor 30 (2)
2017–2019 Al-Nasr 41 (1)
2018 → Sagan Tosu (loan) 11 (1)
2019–2020 Vissel Kobe 4 (1)
2020– FC Tokyo 0 (0)
National team‡
2013– Lebanon 24 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10 January 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2019

After playing for eight seasons in Germany, between the fifth and second division, Oumari moved to Turkish side Sivasspor in 2016. In 2017, he signed for UAE Pro-League club Al-Nasr, before moving on a six-month loan to Japanese side Sagan Tosu the following season. After returning to Al-Nasr for one year, in 2019 Oumari moved back to Japan, joining Vissel Kobe. In 2020, Oumari signed for FC Tokyo.

Club career

Early career in Berlin

Born in Berlin to Lebanese parents, his career began at NFC Rot-Weiß Berlin. After a few years in the youth department, the defensive player moved to the youth section of Reinickendorfer Fuchse. There, he made the leap to the first team during the 2006–07 season, which was playing in the fifth division (Verbandsliga Berlin). Oumari played 22 league games that season, scoring one goal and finished in third place. The following season, Oumari established himself as a regular player of Reinickendorfer Fuchse, playing 31 of 33 league games and scoring five goals. At the end of the season, his team came first in the league with the fewest goals conceded.

SV Babelsberg 03

The following season Joan Oumari, alongside his older brother Hassan, who also played regularly for Reinickendorfer Fuchse, moved to Regionalliga side SV Babelsberg 03. While his older brother was only used sporadically, Joan Oumari played in about half of the season games, mostly as a substitute.

During the 2009–10 season, Oumari only played 11 league games. His best performance was on 5 March 2010, in 3–0 home win over ZFC Meuselwitz, where he gave two assists and was declared the man of the match.[2] At the end of the season, his team came first with the fewest goals conceded in the league and were promoted to the 3.Liga. There, the defender became a regular. Initially deployed as a left-back, Oumari was later moved as a center-back.[3]

Rot-Weiß Erfurt and FSV Frankfurt

In May 2011, Rot-Weiss Erfurt announced the signing of Oumari on a two-year deal.[4] In his first season he immediately took a regular place in central defense and played 29 league games. After another year in the third division, Oumari made the jump to the 2. Bundesliga, moving to FSV Frankfurt in the summer of 2013.

Sivasspor

2015–16: Süper Lig

During the winter transfer window of the 2015–16 season, Oumari moved to Turkish side Sivasspor.[5] His first game for the club came on 16 January 2016, as a starter in a 3–1 away loss to Galatasaray.[6] On his last game in the season, Oumari scored a goal against Fenerbahce on 19 May 2016 in a 2–2 draw.[7] However, the draw wasn't enough as his team was relegated to the TFF First League.

Oumari played a total of 17 games in the Süper Lig during his first season.[8]

2016–17: TFF First League

In his six-month stay in the TFF First League, Oumari played 13 league matches and scored one goal,[8] on 10 December 2016 against Göztepe.[9]

Al-Nasr

2017–18: First two seasons

In January 2017 Oumari moved to UAE Pro-League side Al-Nasr SC on a two-and-a-half-year deal.[10] He played 32 league games in his first two seasons at the club.[8]

2018: Loan to Sagan Tosu

In August 2018 Oumari signed for J1 League side Sagan Tosu on a six-month loan, becoming the first Lebanese player to play in the J1 League.[11] His first and only goal for the club came on 20 October 2018 against Vegalta Sendai in a 2–3 away win.[12] Oumari played a total of 11 league games for the club.[8]

2018–19: Third season

Upon returning from loan to Al-Nasr, Oumari played nine league games in the 2018–19 season, as well as one cup game.[8] He also debuted in the Asian Champions League, playing against Pakhtakor Tashkent in the 2019 play-off round.[8]

Vissel Kobe

On 23 July 2019, J1 League side Vissel Kobe announced the signing of Oumari on a free transfer.[13] He made his club debut on 17 August 2019, in a 3–0 home win against Urawa Red Diamonds in the league.[14] He scored his only goal for Vissel Kobe on 19 October 2019, in a 1–3 home defeat against his eventual future club FC Tokyo.[15] Oumari ended the 2019 season with one goals in four appearances in the league.[8] He also made one appearance in the 2019 Emperor's Cup,[8] which he won as his side defeated Kashima Antlers 2–0 in the final.[16]

FC Tokyo

On 10 January 2020, Oumari joined J1 League runners-up FC Tokyo.[1][17]

International career
Oumari with Lebanon at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup

Oumari made his debut on 7 September 2013 for Lebanon in a friendly against Syria. His first goal for Lebanon came on 12 November 2015, scoring a long-distance shot against Laos.[18] His second goal came five days later, scoring the lone goal of the match in a friendly against Macedonia.[18] In December 2018, he was called up for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup squad.[19] He played the whole 90 minutes in all three group stage matches,[20] however Lebanon wasn't able to reach the knock-out stages of the tournament.[21]

On 5 September 2019, the Lebanese Football Association (LFA) announced Oumari's indefinite exclusion from the national team, alongside teammate Bassel Jradi, for refusing a call-up for a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against North Korea.[22][23] After issuing an apology explaining his reasons for refusing the call-up, the LFA lifted the exclusion and Oumari was reintegrated to the national team on 19 September 2019.[24]

Style of play

Oumari's strengths lie mainly in his physicality and heading. In 2008, his former coach Dietmar Demuth stated that Joan Oumari, aged 20, had a "frighting commitment and aggressiveness", as well as "the maturity of an experienced footballer".

Personal life

Joan Oumari has a brother, Hassan, who also plays football.[25]

Career statistics

International
As of match played 19 November 2019
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Lebanon 2013 1 0
2014 0 0
2015 8 2
2016 4 0
2017 2 0
2018 4 0
2019 5 0
Total 24 2
Scores and results list Lebanon's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Oumari goal.
List of international goals scored by Joan Oumari
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 12 November 2015 Saida International Stadium, Sidon, Lebanon  Laos 6–0 7–0 2018 World Cup qualification
2 17 November 2015 Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia  North Macedonia 1–0 1–0 Friendly

Honours and achievements

Club

Reinickendorfer Fuchse

  • Berlin-Liga: 2007–08

SV Babelsberg 03

Al-Nasr

Vissel Kobe

Individual
  • Brandenburg U-21 player: 2008

References
  1. "ニュース｜FC東京オフィシャルホームページ". www.fctokyo.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  2. ":: babelsberg03.de - Offizielle Homepage des SV Babelsberg 03". 24 April 2010. Archived from the original on 24 April 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  3. ""Feuerwehrmann" Oumari - Abwehr von Babelsberg 03 will auch gegen Offenbach nichts anbrennen lassen - Märkische Allgemeine - Nachrichten für das Land Brandenburg". 11 April 2011. Archived from the original on 11 April 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  4. "FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt: Neuer Kader nimmt Gestalt an". TLZ (in German). 26 May 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  5. "Medicana Sivasspor'umuz Joan Oumari İle Anlaştı". www.sivasspor.org.tr. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  6. "Galatasaray vs. Sivasspor - 16 January 2016 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  7. "Sivasspor vs. Fenerbahçe - 19 May 2016 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  8. "Lebanon - Joan Oumari - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  9. "Sivasspor vs. Göztepe - 10 December 2016 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  10. "Al Nasr complete deal for Lebanon defender Joan Oumari from Turkish club Sivasspor". The National. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  11. "Joan Oumari signs for Japanese Side Sagan Tosu. He will play with Fernando Torres". FaLebanon. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  12. "Joan Oumari gets first Japanese League goal as Sagan Tosu beat Vegalta Sendai". FaLebanon. 20 October 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  13. "DFジョアン オマリ選手がアル・ナスルSCより完全移籍加入のお知らせ". ヴィッセル神戸オフィシャルサイト. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  14. "Vissel Kobe vs. Urawa Reds - 17 August 2019 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  15. "Vissel Kobe vs. Tokyo - 19 October 2019 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  16. "2019 Emperor's Cup Final" (PDF). 1 January 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  17. Nehme, Ale (18 February 2020). "Lebanese abroad: winter transfer window summary". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  18. Jabra, James (18 November 2015). "Oumari strike helps Cedars sink Macedonia". The Daily Star (Lebanon). Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  19. "AC2019 Final Squads". www.the-afc.com. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  20. Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Joan Oumari". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  21. "Group E: Lebanon 4–1 DPR Korea". www.the-afc.com. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  22. "Circular No. 51/2019". Lebanese Football Association. 5 September 2019.
  23. "استبعاد باسل جرادي وجوان العمري". الأخبار (in Arabic). Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  24. "عودة جرادي والعمري إلى المنتخب". lebanonfg.com. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  25. "جوان "العميد" يعود إلى منتخب لبنان". www.alittihad.ae (in Arabic). Retrieved 23 July 2019.
  26. "Tabelle | 34. Spieltag | Regionalliga Nord (2008-2012) 2009/10". kicker (in German). Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  27. "Lebanon - Joan Oumari - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
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