Ironi Sayid Umm al-Fahm Football Club (), also known as F.C. Umm al-Fahm (), was an Arab-

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

i football club based in

Umm al-Fahm Umm al-Fahm ( , ''Umm al-Faḥm''; ''Um el-Faḥem'') is a city located northwest of Jenin in the Haifa District of Israel. In its population was , nearly all of whom are Palestinian citizens of Israel. The city is situated on the Umm al-Fahm ...

History

The club was established in 1993 following a merger between the Umm al-Fahm clubs of Shimshon and Al-Ahli (no relation to Maccabi Ironi Jatt Al-Ahli). The club played in

Liga Bet Liga Bet () is the fourth tier of the Israeli football league system. It is divided into four regional divisions. History League football started in Israel in 1949–50, a year after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. However, the financial ...

, which was the fifth tier in the

Israeli football league system The Israeli football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Israel. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, and allows even the smallest club to dream ...

at the time, until it won its division in 2006–07 and was promoted to fourth tier

Liga Alef Liga Alef () is the third tier of the Israeli football league system. It is divided into two regional divisions, north and south. History League football began in Israel in 1949–50, a year after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. Howe ...

. In 2009, after Hapoel Umm al-Fahm folded, an informal union was formed between the managements of Hapoel and Ironi Sayid, in order to keep the name of Hapoel active. However, the merger was not confirmed by the IFA, and the team changed its official name to F.C. Umm al-Fahm, while it was informally called "Hapoel Baladi". At the beginning of the 2009–10 season, Liga Alef became third tier after the abolishment of

Liga Artzit Liga Artzit (, lit. ''Country League'') is the defunct third division of Israeli Football League, beneath its highest division Premier League and the second division Liga Leumit. Before being cancelled in 2009, it was run by the Israel Football A ...

, and the club competed for promotion to

Liga Leumit The Israeli Liga Leumit (, HaLiga HaLeumit, ) is the second division of the professional Israeli association football (soccer) league system. This second-tier league is placed directly below the Israeli Premier League. Structure There are 16 ...

. At the end of the season, the club topped its division, but was deducted six points after it was convicted in attempted match fixing, as one of its players contacted a player from local rivals Maccabi Ironi Jatt, who were also aiming for promotion, and offered him several benefits in exchange for throwing the match between the teams. As the club lost the six points, it placed second and played in the Liga Alef promotion play-offs, losing to Maccabi HaShikma Ramat Hen in the first round. The following season, the club finished in 14th place, which meant it had to play a relegation/promotion play-off match against a club from

. In the match, against F.C. Givat Olga, the club lost 2–3 and relegated to

. Over the summer the club folded, and a new team, Ahva Umm al-Fahm, was established instead, with two of Ironi Sayid's board members joining the new club's management. In 2013, Ahva Umm al-Fahm changed its name to Hapoel Umm al-Fahm.Hapoel Umm al-Fahm Returns
Guy Goldfarb, 19 August 2013, Doublepass

Honours

(fifth tier): ** 2006–07

References

External links

F.C. Umm al-Fahm
Israel Football Association {{in lang, he

Association football clubs established in 1993 Association football clubs disestablished in 2011 1993 establishments in Israel 2011 disestablishments in Israel Sport in Umm al-Fahm