FIBA Basketball
Interview with President of WASL & Sagesse Club Henry Chalhoub
Some call him the insurance tycoon, others call him the savior of Sagesse Club! Whether he is one of your favorite figures or not, Henry Chalhoub has earned both respect and admiration from all his fans and foes. Chalhoub, a man who became the savior
From www.libansport.com
Download source here
Some call him the insurance tycoon, others call him the savior of Sagesse Club! Whether he is one of your favorite figures or not, Henry Chalhoub has earned both respect and admiration from all his fans and foes. Chalhoub, a man who became the savior of Sagesse Club, is becoming one of the most significant figures in Lebanese basketball.
With a great passion to basketball, Chalhoub has been the surgeon who got Sagesse out of the operation room back to the title competition field, not to forget making WASL a dream come true through sponsoring the West Asia tournament. In an exclusive interview, Chalhoub has mentioned why he loves the game and his plans for the future.
• Sagesse – Fast Link game: the fans were the best aspect of the game though the cheering was sometimes improper
• We thrive for Pan Arab tournaments
• Hadn’t it been for my love for basketball, WASL would have still been in the drawer.
• One dark night, I decided to leave it all and walk away
• I asked Jaroudi and Hariri to participate and then complain!
• It is a shame to withdraw in sports.
• No one is above the law
• Riyadi can not claim for reimbursement
• WASL is open to all Arabs who want to invest.
• I won’t give a penny to Hagop at all!
• I wish to overcome Riyadi even with Madison on court
• We will be a candidate for the football trophy next year
• Wait for The WASL All-Star game
• LibanSport is for all!
To start with, Sagesse Vs Fast Link game flashed some memories from the old days of Ghazir stadium, Mr. Shoueyri’s days. What did you feel when you saw this much of fans?
That was awesome, and I expect this beautiful scene to become a ritual in all the games that are going to be held in Lebanon; not only Sagesse games, hopefully with Blue Stars encounters too. This is our ambition and we are striving to achieve it.
What was the mechanism to attract such numerous fans?
To begin with we have accentuated that Sagesse facing Fast link is actually representing Lebanon. Second, we have added entertaining and musical shows two hours before the start of the game to entertain the audience, and afterwards to enjoy the thrilling game.
Since you landed in Sagesse top seat, you have raised the “Sagesse for Lebanon” slogan. Was it only Sagesse fans that attended the game?
The audience that attended the game is the Lebanese basketball audience in general. Unfortunately some unacceptable political cheers were heard in the stadium and we are working on blocking such acts in order not to happen again. Away from that the audience was the fruit of the game.
LibanSport overheard that the WASL management may fine the Sagesse team with a hefty sum in response to what have been emanated from the audience. Can you confirm this?
We hope so, and we ask the WASL Administrative Committee to issue their decision in this regard the soonest.
Official representation was widely noticed on the main platform headed by Brigadier Ismail Karkawy, head of the Emirate Basketball Federation. What is the purpose behind that?
WASL is always thriving to cooperate with all Arabs and we hope to reinforce this cooperation with everyone.
Brigadier Karkawy’s presence was obvious. Is there a future strategy to widen the compass of WASL to incorporate Gulf clubs? What is your plan?
This is what WASL is looking for, and we are the sole company that organizes a championship on the West Asian level. Our endeavor is to sponsor all the basketball championships in the region.
How can you achieve this knowing that the Gulf countries are outside the scope of West Asia?
WASL is not limited to West Asia only! We are specialized in organizing sports events, be it in the Levant or outside. For instance, we can organize Dubai Tournament for companies combining the West Asian Teams with the Gulf clubs as well as other Arab clubs, Egypt for example, under the same roof.
In your capacity as Head of WASL Co. how do you evaluate the games played so far in the Tournament, in terms of technical and audience?
Believe me, this league (WASL) would have never saw the light if it wasn’t for my love of the game. Too many obstacles were thrown in our way; we have witnessed a lot of conflicts of interests from all parties, whereby everyone wanted a piece of the cake. I don’t want to go back to what we have gone through before Minister Ahmad Fatfat intervention to straighten up things.
Your characteristics reveal that when you put your mind to something, you achieve it. Have you had any of those dark moments where you decided to abandon everything?
Honestly, yes! One night before I went to bed, I decided to quit it all. However, on the next day I forfeited the idea because of my love to the game, knowing that a Tournament like WASL could raise the Lebanese and the Arab basketball to higher standards. I urge all involved people not to look at things from a narrow angle, and I reiterate that was it not for Dr. Fatfat’s intervention we would not have reached this far.
Do you think Riyadi’s withdrawal from the Tournament has negatively affected the level?
Absolutely! The first thing I said after revealing the WASL Tournament is that I want Vogel to participate as Lebanese and I repeat it here through LibanSport, but some refuses to listen. I spoke with Mr. Nader Hariri and Mr. Hisham Jaroudi and I asked them to participate and then protest.
Let me ask you this question: suppose Vogel is enlisted in Sagesse roster and 48 hours before the kick off of the tournament you receive a letter denying Vogel from participating as Lebanese after having received promises and promises from West Asia. Would you participate after all this?
For sure I would have participated and then complained. This is the ethics of sports and it is a shame to withdraw in sports. Nobody is above the law, a certain arrangement can be reached in any subject, but no one is above the law.
Riyadi club consider in a statement that WASL Co. receded from fulfilling its obligations with the clubs and the Lebanese Federation, and Riyadi therefore asked for remuneration in this regards. Do you think that Riyadi is just in his demands and why?
I don’t know how Riyadi sees it and I find it strange to raise such demands while they withdrew from the tournament and are not even a partner in it
Do you mean that the door is still open for Riyadi, and others, to participate?
I’m going to be straight with you. The door is always open for everybody who likes to participate in WASL and I’m ready to sell stocks to anybody who wants in. WASL Co. was not built on personal basis; rather it was built for the sake of the game.
Mr. Shalhoub added: I am revealing this as a scoop to LibanSport.com! Soon, we will organize in the Cité Sportif the All-Star game for Wasl Tournament or what you call it “All Star Super League” game. In such a game, one team will be made out of the foreign players in the 8 teams to play against the locals of these 8 teams. Our main target is to raise the game higher for the sake of the game and to bring people to courts and stay away from narrow selfishness. Such game would put the basketball street on fire. We will address invitation for all concerns on the national level as well as on the Arabic and international level, whereby we are going to invite head of FIBA and this game is scheduled before the final game of WASL Tournament.
Riyadi mentioned in one of his statements that the awards were cut to half for the first and second teams. Is that true?
(Laughing) I can’t see the relation with Riyadi in this matter. They already withdrew!
Away form Riyadi statement, don’t you think that everyone is entitled to know the truth?
Mr. Wael, we’ve been working on the super league since August 2005, and the league was delayed for the aforementioned hurdles until February 2006. That means 6 months since the kick off announcement, and during these months we were not approached by any sponsor or advertisement. We stated that we are bound to pay the awards! Nevertheless, we have requested from the teams to understand the situation, whereby the most important thing is the continuity of the game, and I have paid hefty sums up till now with out any financial return. In the past, logistic expenses were to be borne by the teams while we take care of other expenses such as travel and accommodation, add to it that now teams are sharing returns from tickets and ads on the jerseys .
Mr. Jaroudi, the President of Riyadi Club, pinpointed to the fact that Mr. Haghop Khatsharyan is an employee at WASL. My question goes as follows: is Khatsharyan on the payroll or does he get any profit sharing percentage in a way or another?
I do not like to go to this level. Let’s suppose Haghop is an employee at WASL. I would not have accepted him to be Secretary General for West Asia at the same time. This is something I would not accept at all. I appointed Mr. Joe Metri to safeguard myself from such accusations, and they never stop doing so. I have never given nor will give a penny to Aghob, not now or later.
Al Balad newspaper revealed that you ditched Kenny Satterfield instantly when you knew that he had marijuana. Is that true and how did you know about this subject?
I do not want to comment on this subject, because this is an internal matter, but let me assure you that I am against any kind of steroids that harm our players.
There are words about delaying the announcement of the test results until after Tuesday, therefore allowing Tony Madisson to play against Sagesse. What do you think of that?
We have no problem whether Tony is playing or not. We have won while Tony was playing and we will win again in the presence of Tony and Ismail. The Game without Tony would be different. I wish he can participate so the competition would be high; on the other hand the president of the FLB should be rigorous in the steroids subject irrespective of who the player is.
Do you think that the green will overcome the yellow?
I hope so.
Coach Fouad Abou Chacra undermined the defense strategy applied by Coach Dragan Raza by blocking the efficiency of Tony Madisson on the set offense. What do you think of that?
Let us see tomorrow during the game.
There are rumors that the FLB might ban Coach Raza after being disqualified in Sagesse Faytroun game. What do you think of that?
This is not acceptable! Coach Fouad had a disqualification earlier and he was not banned. Is it because coach Raza is good therefore he will be stopped?
Do you feel that the title this year is closer to be won by Sagesse especially that last year you played in the final, despite the tough times you went through?
Sure thing. Last year it was an awesome final between Sagesse and Riyadi. The fans were great and the general ambiance was good, and I wish that this year we shall have the same situation as last year. We have the potential and our ambition is to win, nevertheless all must have Esprit Sportif.
Sagesse football team is on top of the list in the second division. Are we going to witness a strong competing team next year similar to the basketball team?
I guess you got to know who Henry Chalhoub is throughout this interview. So you tell me! I answered with a “Sure”. That brought a smile to his face.
Any last words to LibanSport.com readers?
I am very happy that LibanSport.com finally gave me this chance. I keep reading LibanSport.com regularly and I strongly support the extraordinary efforts that you guys are doing. Let me reiterate to everyone here that LibanSport is for everyone.
Thank you very much, President of WASL Co. and Sagesse Team: Mr. Henry Chalhoub
Download source here
Some call him the insurance tycoon, others call him the savior of Sagesse Club! Whether he is one of your favorite figures or not, Henry Chalhoub has earned both respect and admiration from all his fans and foes. Chalhoub, a man who became the savior of Sagesse Club, is becoming one of the most significant figures in Lebanese basketball.
With a great passion to basketball, Chalhoub has been the surgeon who got Sagesse out of the operation room back to the title competition field, not to forget making WASL a dream come true through sponsoring the West Asia tournament. In an exclusive interview, Chalhoub has mentioned why he loves the game and his plans for the future.
• Sagesse – Fast Link game: the fans were the best aspect of the game though the cheering was sometimes improper
• We thrive for Pan Arab tournaments
• Hadn’t it been for my love for basketball, WASL would have still been in the drawer.
• One dark night, I decided to leave it all and walk away
• I asked Jaroudi and Hariri to participate and then complain!
• It is a shame to withdraw in sports.
• No one is above the law
• Riyadi can not claim for reimbursement
• WASL is open to all Arabs who want to invest.
• I won’t give a penny to Hagop at all!
• I wish to overcome Riyadi even with Madison on court
• We will be a candidate for the football trophy next year
• Wait for The WASL All-Star game
• LibanSport is for all!
To start with, Sagesse Vs Fast Link game flashed some memories from the old days of Ghazir stadium, Mr. Shoueyri’s days. What did you feel when you saw this much of fans?
That was awesome, and I expect this beautiful scene to become a ritual in all the games that are going to be held in Lebanon; not only Sagesse games, hopefully with Blue Stars encounters too. This is our ambition and we are striving to achieve it.
What was the mechanism to attract such numerous fans?
To begin with we have accentuated that Sagesse facing Fast link is actually representing Lebanon. Second, we have added entertaining and musical shows two hours before the start of the game to entertain the audience, and afterwards to enjoy the thrilling game.
Since you landed in Sagesse top seat, you have raised the “Sagesse for Lebanon” slogan. Was it only Sagesse fans that attended the game?
The audience that attended the game is the Lebanese basketball audience in general. Unfortunately some unacceptable political cheers were heard in the stadium and we are working on blocking such acts in order not to happen again. Away from that the audience was the fruit of the game.
LibanSport overheard that the WASL management may fine the Sagesse team with a hefty sum in response to what have been emanated from the audience. Can you confirm this?
We hope so, and we ask the WASL Administrative Committee to issue their decision in this regard the soonest.
Official representation was widely noticed on the main platform headed by Brigadier Ismail Karkawy, head of the Emirate Basketball Federation. What is the purpose behind that?
WASL is always thriving to cooperate with all Arabs and we hope to reinforce this cooperation with everyone.
Brigadier Karkawy’s presence was obvious. Is there a future strategy to widen the compass of WASL to incorporate Gulf clubs? What is your plan?
This is what WASL is looking for, and we are the sole company that organizes a championship on the West Asian level. Our endeavor is to sponsor all the basketball championships in the region.
How can you achieve this knowing that the Gulf countries are outside the scope of West Asia?
WASL is not limited to West Asia only! We are specialized in organizing sports events, be it in the Levant or outside. For instance, we can organize Dubai Tournament for companies combining the West Asian Teams with the Gulf clubs as well as other Arab clubs, Egypt for example, under the same roof.
In your capacity as Head of WASL Co. how do you evaluate the games played so far in the Tournament, in terms of technical and audience?
Believe me, this league (WASL) would have never saw the light if it wasn’t for my love of the game. Too many obstacles were thrown in our way; we have witnessed a lot of conflicts of interests from all parties, whereby everyone wanted a piece of the cake. I don’t want to go back to what we have gone through before Minister Ahmad Fatfat intervention to straighten up things.
Your characteristics reveal that when you put your mind to something, you achieve it. Have you had any of those dark moments where you decided to abandon everything?
Honestly, yes! One night before I went to bed, I decided to quit it all. However, on the next day I forfeited the idea because of my love to the game, knowing that a Tournament like WASL could raise the Lebanese and the Arab basketball to higher standards. I urge all involved people not to look at things from a narrow angle, and I reiterate that was it not for Dr. Fatfat’s intervention we would not have reached this far.
Do you think Riyadi’s withdrawal from the Tournament has negatively affected the level?
Absolutely! The first thing I said after revealing the WASL Tournament is that I want Vogel to participate as Lebanese and I repeat it here through LibanSport, but some refuses to listen. I spoke with Mr. Nader Hariri and Mr. Hisham Jaroudi and I asked them to participate and then protest.
Let me ask you this question: suppose Vogel is enlisted in Sagesse roster and 48 hours before the kick off of the tournament you receive a letter denying Vogel from participating as Lebanese after having received promises and promises from West Asia. Would you participate after all this?
For sure I would have participated and then complained. This is the ethics of sports and it is a shame to withdraw in sports. Nobody is above the law, a certain arrangement can be reached in any subject, but no one is above the law.
Riyadi club consider in a statement that WASL Co. receded from fulfilling its obligations with the clubs and the Lebanese Federation, and Riyadi therefore asked for remuneration in this regards. Do you think that Riyadi is just in his demands and why?
I don’t know how Riyadi sees it and I find it strange to raise such demands while they withdrew from the tournament and are not even a partner in it
Do you mean that the door is still open for Riyadi, and others, to participate?
I’m going to be straight with you. The door is always open for everybody who likes to participate in WASL and I’m ready to sell stocks to anybody who wants in. WASL Co. was not built on personal basis; rather it was built for the sake of the game.
Mr. Shalhoub added: I am revealing this as a scoop to LibanSport.com! Soon, we will organize in the Cité Sportif the All-Star game for Wasl Tournament or what you call it “All Star Super League” game. In such a game, one team will be made out of the foreign players in the 8 teams to play against the locals of these 8 teams. Our main target is to raise the game higher for the sake of the game and to bring people to courts and stay away from narrow selfishness. Such game would put the basketball street on fire. We will address invitation for all concerns on the national level as well as on the Arabic and international level, whereby we are going to invite head of FIBA and this game is scheduled before the final game of WASL Tournament.
Riyadi mentioned in one of his statements that the awards were cut to half for the first and second teams. Is that true?
(Laughing) I can’t see the relation with Riyadi in this matter. They already withdrew!
Away form Riyadi statement, don’t you think that everyone is entitled to know the truth?
Mr. Wael, we’ve been working on the super league since August 2005, and the league was delayed for the aforementioned hurdles until February 2006. That means 6 months since the kick off announcement, and during these months we were not approached by any sponsor or advertisement. We stated that we are bound to pay the awards! Nevertheless, we have requested from the teams to understand the situation, whereby the most important thing is the continuity of the game, and I have paid hefty sums up till now with out any financial return. In the past, logistic expenses were to be borne by the teams while we take care of other expenses such as travel and accommodation, add to it that now teams are sharing returns from tickets and ads on the jerseys .
Mr. Jaroudi, the President of Riyadi Club, pinpointed to the fact that Mr. Haghop Khatsharyan is an employee at WASL. My question goes as follows: is Khatsharyan on the payroll or does he get any profit sharing percentage in a way or another?
I do not like to go to this level. Let’s suppose Haghop is an employee at WASL. I would not have accepted him to be Secretary General for West Asia at the same time. This is something I would not accept at all. I appointed Mr. Joe Metri to safeguard myself from such accusations, and they never stop doing so. I have never given nor will give a penny to Aghob, not now or later.
Al Balad newspaper revealed that you ditched Kenny Satterfield instantly when you knew that he had marijuana. Is that true and how did you know about this subject?
I do not want to comment on this subject, because this is an internal matter, but let me assure you that I am against any kind of steroids that harm our players.
There are words about delaying the announcement of the test results until after Tuesday, therefore allowing Tony Madisson to play against Sagesse. What do you think of that?
We have no problem whether Tony is playing or not. We have won while Tony was playing and we will win again in the presence of Tony and Ismail. The Game without Tony would be different. I wish he can participate so the competition would be high; on the other hand the president of the FLB should be rigorous in the steroids subject irrespective of who the player is.
Do you think that the green will overcome the yellow?
I hope so.
Coach Fouad Abou Chacra undermined the defense strategy applied by Coach Dragan Raza by blocking the efficiency of Tony Madisson on the set offense. What do you think of that?
Let us see tomorrow during the game.
There are rumors that the FLB might ban Coach Raza after being disqualified in Sagesse Faytroun game. What do you think of that?
This is not acceptable! Coach Fouad had a disqualification earlier and he was not banned. Is it because coach Raza is good therefore he will be stopped?
Do you feel that the title this year is closer to be won by Sagesse especially that last year you played in the final, despite the tough times you went through?
Sure thing. Last year it was an awesome final between Sagesse and Riyadi. The fans were great and the general ambiance was good, and I wish that this year we shall have the same situation as last year. We have the potential and our ambition is to win, nevertheless all must have Esprit Sportif.
Sagesse football team is on top of the list in the second division. Are we going to witness a strong competing team next year similar to the basketball team?
I guess you got to know who Henry Chalhoub is throughout this interview. So you tell me! I answered with a “Sure”. That brought a smile to his face.
Any last words to LibanSport.com readers?
I am very happy that LibanSport.com finally gave me this chance. I keep reading LibanSport.com regularly and I strongly support the extraordinary efforts that you guys are doing. Let me reiterate to everyone here that LibanSport is for everyone.
Thank you very much, President of WASL Co. and Sagesse Team: Mr. Henry Chalhoub