F.C. Bnei M.M.B.E. HaGolan VeHaGalil

Before Bnei M.M.B.E. was established, residents of the four Golan Druze villages — Majdal Shams, Mas'ade, Buq'ata, and Ein Qiniyye — competed only in an internal local league of four teams, played without official referees or stewards, with spectators watching from surrounding hills.[3] There was no club representing the area in the broader Israeli league framework, and talented players had no organized route for development.[3]

The idea for a united club originated with Wajdi Al-Kish, a sports teacher from Buq'ata and former Hapoel Kiryat Shmona player, who later recalled: "I dreamed of it for years. I saw that there were a lot of good players in the villages and that if we united, we could put together a strong team."[1] A first attempt to establish a team in Majdal Shams was made in 2013, coached by Nadib Ayoub, but it encountered opposition from protesters who argued that "This is Syrian land and uniting with Israeli soccer has no authority here."[1] Ayoub described the episode as a disaster, particularly for the children involved, noting that the planned first home game had been intended to be historic.[1]

The club was formally established in 2015.[1] Its four founders were Wajdi Al-Kish, Mou'ad Shufi, Adham Rabah, and Samih Samara, a mango farmer.[3] Al-Kish served simultaneously as a board member, coach, and player in the early years, with Afif Hamadi managing matches from the sideline when Al-Kish played.[3] Co-founder Samih Samara captured the significance of the moment: "The Druze in the Golan work with the Defense Ministry, teach in Israeli schools, and are lawyers in Israeli courts, but playing soccer with the Israelis was the only thing that wasn't allowed."[1]

Bnei M.M.B.E. entered Israeli football at the fifth league (Liga Gimel) and advanced to the fourth league (Liga Bet) in just its second year.[1] The club plays its home matches on a field in Buq'ata at the foot of Mount Hermon.[1] In the 2017–18 period, however, the club still lacked a regulation-standard home ground and traveled approximately 50 kilometers each week to play at Tuba-Zangariyye near Rosh Pina.[4]

The club's annual operating budget during that period stood at around 600,000 shekels, supported by local assistance, donations, sponsorship, and private funds from its founders and members.[4] The squad at that stage comprised one senior team and four youth teams, with most players drawn from the four Golan villages; the roster also included players with experience in other Israeli lower divisions and, in some cases, the Palestinian league.[4] Former Maccabi Haifa goalkeeper Eyal Vockrat was among those who played for the club.[4]

During its 2017–18 State Cup run, the club produced a landmark result by defeating Liga Alef side Beitar Nordia at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, advancing to a match against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Netanya.[4] Five buses of supporters were expected to travel from the Golan for that fixture.[4] The match ended in a 3–0 defeat, but a January 2018 club post described it as historic and praised the team's performance.[1] The televised exposure brought the club wide recognition and helped establish it as the representative team of the entire Golan.[1]

Following the 2018 breakthrough, Bnei M.M.B.E. expanded its youth and children's programs, adding teen teams, children's teams, and girls' teams.[1] The club grew into an important social and sporting institution for residents of the four villages.[1] In a youth match against a team from Tamra played in Kiryat Shmona, players from both sides competed in mixed formations, shouting in Hebrew and Arabic, with girls and a man in traditional Druze clothing seated on the bench — an image illustrating the club's integrative character.[1]

By July 2024, the youth department was continuing to grow; a club post from that month reported ongoing development across age groups.[1] A February 2024 match saw an MMBA Golan youth side draw 3–3 away with Galil Golan, with goals credited to Ryan Abu Saleh (Mishal), Javad Al-Kahlouni, and Lian Tarbiah.[1] Al-Kish summarized the founding philosophy: "We built the team for all the players in the area, so they could progress. People had always played football in the villages, but not in an organized way."[3]

On July 27, 2024, a rocket struck the football field at the center of Majdal Shams while children were playing there.[1] Twelve children were killed in the attack, which was attributed to Hezbollah.[2] Reports documented six people seriously wounded, three moderately wounded, and ten lightly wounded or suffering from anxiety.[2]

Reports differed on the number of victims who were club youth players. The Times of Israel identified three: Ameer Abu Saleh, 16, described as a left-back and a star of the team; Hazem Abu Saleh, 15, who had played for the club for two years; and Johnny Ibrahim, 13, described as a dominant and energetic player. All three were reported to have been wearing MMBA uniforms.[1] ONE quoted the club's manager as saying that at least four of those killed had been players from the youth department, at the under-15 level and younger.[2]

The July 27 gathering was not an official training session — the scheduled session had been planned for the following week — but youths from Majdal Shams regularly came together for weekend games.[1] When a siren sounded, the players ran toward a shelter installed at the edge of the field but did not reach it before the explosion.[1]

Wajdi Al-Kish said the disaster was a blow to the community, the Golan Heights, the state, football, and the club.[1] He stated that the club did not know whether it would be able to register youth teams for the following season because people no longer wanted to play or go to the field, while also affirming that the club would gather itself and prepare for what came next.[1] Former Maccabi Haifa star Wiam Amasha, who played for the club, said he had considered retiring but continued so that the season could be dedicated to the children who were killed.[5]

Despite the security situation in northern Israel, the club prepared to compete in Liga Bet North A for the 2024–25 season, relying mainly on homegrown players while adding midfielder Idan Benjamin and retaining defender Akram Hiyb.[5] The club had finished the preceding season in the upper playoff group.[5]

In February 2025, Bnei M.M.B.E. petitioned the Israel Football Association to freeze relegation for its youth teams from the national youth league, describing the request as a moral and equitable demand rather than a sporting one.[6] The club argued that the deaths of youth players and the psychological aftermath of the Majdal Shams attack had left the club and its players attempting to recover under exceptionally difficult conditions.[6]

In the opening round of the 2025–26 Liga Bet North A season, the club won 5–1 away against Hapoel Bnei Jadeidi-Makr. Nagy Abu Jabel and Idan Benjamin each scored twice, with an own goal by Muhammad Najm completing the scoring.[7] In the second round, Bnei M.M.B.E. drew 3–3 with Ahwa Sha'ab; Idan Benjamin scored twice and Tamer Abu Jabel once, though the club conceded an equalizer in the 90th minute after defensive errors.[8] Manager Al-Kish said the team would learn from its mistakes and focus on its next fixture against Hapoel Kaukab.[8]

The club's entry into Israeli football was not without friction. When the 2013 founding attempt was made in Majdal Shams, protesters interrupted the effort, telling the youth that the club had no authority to join Israeli soccer on land they considered Syrian.[1] That attempt collapsed, described by coach Nadib Ayoub as a disaster for the young players involved.[1]

A broader tension surrounded the club's identity. In the 2017–18 period, most residents of the four villages held the status of permanent residents rather than Israeli citizens, and many declined Israeli passports, with accounts describing the community as retaining a Syrian national identity.[3] These circumstances made the club's participation in Israeli football a pointed social act as well as a sporting one, a dimension its founders acknowledged openly.[1]