By Mark Ogagan
Al Ahli Tripoli’s Abou Chacra Fouad was on Friday named the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Coach of the Year, in Pretoria.
Under the leadership of the Italian-Lebanese coach, the Libyan champions won all seven games in the 2024 Road to BAL qualifiers and closed the 2025 BAL Nile Conference undefeated in six games.
To complete their remarkable season, Coach Fouad’s Al Ahli Tripoli reached the 2025 BAL Finals with an 8–1 record.
They will face BAL reigning champions Petro de Luanda on Saturday, June 14, at the Sunbet Arena in Pretoria. The game will be shown live on the BAL YouTube channel at 7:00 p.m. local time.
The 58-year-old led Libya to a successful 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers campaign where they finished 4-2 and secured their place at the African Championship for the first time since 2009. The 2025 AfroBasket will take place in Angola from 12-24 August.
Coach Fouad was at the helm of the Lebanon men’s national team at some point in his career.
BAL Coach of the Year recipients so far
2022: José Neto (Brazilian), Petro de Luanda
2023: Paby Gueye (Senegalese), AS Douanes
2024: Ogoh Odaudu (Nigerian), Rivers Hoopers
2025: Abou Chacra Fouad (Italian-Lebanese), Al Ahli Tripoli
Photo caption: Abou Chacra Fouad celebrates his 2025 BAL Coach of the Year award with some of his Al Ahli Tripoli players and assistant coaches at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.
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