Western Sydney’s Yahya El Hindi has defied the odds to carve out a professional career in Lebanon

Yahya El Hindi has been told he wasn’t good enough and left stranded by fraud allegations against an owner, but the Lebanese-Australian 24yo is still living his dream as a professional footballer.

THE easy option would’ve been for Yahya El Hindi to give up on his dreams and find another profession to be a part of instead of playing football for a living.

Quitting isn’t in the 24-year-old’s vocabulary however, and he’s now been rewarded with the fifth season in his professional career.

Growing up in western Sydney around Lakemba and Punchbowl, football became apart of El Hindi’s life from a very young age thanks to the most important mentor.

Yahya El Hindi growing up in western Sydney. Picture: Contributed

It’s why he has been determined from the start to never give up on his dreams.

“My father got me into it. I started playing when I was four or five years old,” he said.

“He was my coach growing up. It’s always been my thing from day dot.

“I’m a western Sydney boy. I played for the Lakemba Roos when I was young, and that’s the club Tim Cahill started at.

“I had the dream and aspiration when I was young (to play professionally). That’s all I could see myself doing. It’s all I wanted and would help take my mind off things. It was something I loved from the beginning.

“As I got older I understood the requirements of what it takes to be a professional. I always pictured myself being in this position I am today.”

It wasn’t always the clearest path to get to the stage he is at now however.

While in the NPL system in Sydney, El Hindi was told he didn’t have what it takes to cut it professionally.

Yahya El Hindi with his current club in Lebanon, Al-Ansar FC. Picture: Al-Ansar FC

Instead of him giving up, he flipped the script and used it as a driving force to secure his first pro contract.

“For me, no is never an answer. I’m not good enough? I’ll show you I’m good enough,” he said.
“Maybe I was perceived a little bit differently, but I never took that as an answer.

“Leo Carle Snr had a big influence on my career and that transition from NPL to professional football. I put my head down, I went to work and I let it motivate and drive me so I could show them otherwise.

“It lit that fire in me. If I can’t get a gig in the A-League, I’ll do it elsewhere.”

That opportunity came to El Hindi when he was given the chance to link with one of Lebanon’s biggest clubs in Nejmeh in 2019.

Yahya El Hindi with his current club in Lebanon, Al-Ansar FC. Picture: Al-Ansar FC

“When I first came at 19 and played for Nejmeh it was insane. The fans and the passion,” he said.

“For me it was a big step, but I was ready to take it. You see how much the club means to the fans.

“The first time I came here I was only a young kid. I couldn’t remember how the country was.

“The way the opportunity came was, Lebanon came to Australia to play in a friendly in Tim Cahill’s farewell game.

“I was lucky enough to be in that camp at 19. I really impressed in that camp and that made headlines in Lebanon. Clubs reached out to me from there.

“Back then I decided to go to Nejmeh is because the person that put me onto them was an ex-player and captain.

“I was at Sydney Olympic so I ended up going to Beirut for a two-week trial and they offered me a contract after that.”

Yahya El Hindi growing up in western Sydney. Picture: Contributed

That then led to a chance to represent his country at 20 years of age, before moving abroad to continue his journey.

“Straight after I made my AFC Cup debut and made my national team debut against Iraq in the West Asian Championship in 2019,” he said.

“It was surreal. It was a sold out crowd and I got man of the match. From there I got an offer to sign in the Bahrain First Division and be the youngest foreigner in the league.

“The pressure was big, but I felt like I handled it and a standout season. It was the first time they were promoted and stayed there.

“I had offers in Saudi Arabia and Dubai, but I knocked them back because I really wanted to fulfil my European dreams.”

It seemed too good to be true, but El Hindi’s form caught the eye of Bill Papas.

A contract was signed and the young man was ready to live out his dream, before allegations came to light that would turn it into a nightmare.

“Bill Papas ended up reaching out to me and gave me an opportunity to go to the club he owned in Greece which was Xanthi FC.

“When I came back to Sydney I had a couple of meetings. I showed him the offers coming my way, he said he couldn’t match them, but he offered a two-year deal.

“I thought it was a good way to make an introduction to Europe. He told me had links with the president of Aston Villa. His plan was to send me within two years to the English Premier League.

“I was young and I thought I could always come back to the Gulf and it wouldn’t hurt to make a move to the Greek League.

Yahya El Hindi with his current club in Lebanon, Al-Ansar FC. Picture: Al-Ansar FC

“A week after I signed my contract and the (plane) ticket was booked, things came out (fraud allegations) about Bill Papas and everything went haywire. He fled the country without me knowing. I had no idea what was happening.

“I talked to me FIFA lawyer and she advised me not to take the flight. She said they would probably strip away the club from him.

“That left me without a club and stranded.”

There was always the desire to continue on in Europe, but for now El Hindi just wanted to get back on the field and do what he does best, albeit on the back of a huge setback.

“I was like, what now?” he said.

“The transfer window closed. Where can I find something quick all of a sudden. It’s not easy to find a club from one day to another, especially when things go haywire.

“It was a setback for me. I was riding the momentum coming off a standout season in Bahrain. I was ready to take that next step, so it really held me back a lot.

“It was an obstacle I had to overcome, but more so mentally to get back on my feet again. It really took it out of me.”

The path became clearer, and after training with one of Germany’s biggest clubs, he was again back on the professional scene.

“I got an opportunity to go to Schalke in Germany for about two months,” he said.

“That was a good experience and I got to play a friendly with them.

“I needed to play. It was almost six months and I needed to be playing week in, week out.

“When I came back to Sydney the president of Al Ansar reached out to me and asked how it sounded for me to go there on a six-month deal.

“Initially I wasn’t interested because of the political issues the country was going through. He assured me through everything in the contract would be provided.

“One of the main reasons I came was because they were playing in the AFC Cup which was good to get on my CV again.”
El Hindi impressed in that initial six months, earning him another year with the club, which saw them top the Lebanese regular season standings, and currently sit atop the Championship ladder.

Among his future goals is to play in the national colours again, representing his parents and his heritage with an unmatched pride.

“I’m eyeing a return to the national team,” he said.

“To see the reaction of my parents during my debut, seeing my mum cry and how proud my dad was, it was a surreal moment.

“For me it was a feeling I can’t explain. Every time I did step on that field, I was giving everything and more.

“I’m representing my people in a good way. Sometimes Lebanese people back home in Sydney, maybe they’re not in the media for the right reasons, For me to make headlines in a positive way sheds light to the community.”