"They Killed Her Dream." Israel Strike Leaves Céline Haidar In Induced Coma.

Céline Haidar: The rising Lebanon national player who has been left in a coma after Israeli air strikes, but no one is talking about it.

Since 7th October 2023, wars across Israel have flooded the news, but as time has gone on, people have come to forget about what is going on there, and not many have kept up with the news, despite seeing many signs, banners and protests across the world pleading for “Free Palestine”. 

Despite not as much media coverage as time has gone on, the war is very much still ongoing, and recently the women’s football community has had the sad news of 19 year old Lebanese footballer Céline Haidar, who on Saturday 16th November, was hit with shrapnel during the recent air strikes near her home in the southern suburbs of Beirut, causing severe injuries and leaving her in a coma. Haidar underwent surgery the same day, however her condition deteriorated, with the bleeding in her brain resuming which has left her in a coma. The Lebanon Women’s National Team, who haven't played a game since September, posted a brief message of support towards Céline and her family, saying, “We wish a speedy recovery to Lebanon national team player and Beirut Academy club, Céline Haider, who was injured during the vicious aggression on Al-Shiah. The Lebanese football family stands by Céline Haider and wishes her a speedy recovery.”

It is known that Céline is alive despite her injuries, despite being in the coma. She was first taken to St George’s Hospital in Hadath before being transferred to Saint George Hospital in Achrafieh where she currently remains in intensive care. 

Haidar has represented Lebanon’s Under-20 women’s national team numerous times, including winning the West Asian Championship twice. She came through school football teams as well as after school clubs before joining the Beirut Football Academy (BFA). She helped the club win the Lebanese Women's Football League last season without losing a single game, and she even got to wear the captain's armband next season. Haidar is just 19, but has already had an amazing career in the women's football industry. Céline refused to allow her training to be interrupted by Israel's bombardment, even as her own family fled to a mountain town east of Beirut.

Céline’s former teammate, Assile Toufaily said that “the whole women’s football community in Lebanon is in disbelief” and expressed her frustration at the lack of a reaction from the wider women’s football community. “I don’t expect male footballers to have any sort of reaction. I had hoped that it was different for female footballers. The community is different, players are often more vocal about such issues, yet their silence is very loud.”

It is very clear that the women's football community are unaware of what has happened, with hardly anything being shared by footballers or fans, so those who are aware of this tragedy are doing all they can to spread the word and to help people spread some light onto the situation. The war across Gaza, Palestine and Israel is very much ongoing, and having it hit so close to home in our community, we hope that more people will be able to spread awareness of it. 

We wish Céline the very best and hope for a speedy recovery.