Bilel Mohsni

Bilel Mohsni

Mohsni training with Southend United in 2010
Personal information
Full name Bilel Mohsni[1]
Date of birth (1987-07-21) 21 July 1987
Place of birth Paris, France
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current team
 Paris FC
Number 3
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2006 CO Les Ulis 44 (5)
2006–2007 Mende
2007–2008 US Saint-Georges 22 (0)
2008–2009 CO Les Ulis 30 (6)
2009–2010 Sainte-Geneviève Sports 29 (2)
2010–2013 Southend United 62 (18)
2012–2013 → Ipswich Town (loan) 5 (0)
2013–2015 Rangers 44 (11)
2015–2016 Angers 0 (0)
2015 → Angers B (res.) 4 (0)
2016– Paris FC 14 (0)
National team‡
2014– Tunisia 6 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 August 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 30 August 2016

Bilel Mohsni (born 21 July 1987) is a French-born Tunisian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Ligue 2 side Paris FC and the Tunisian national team. Mohsni has previously played for CO Les Ulis, Mende, US Saint-Georges, Sainte-Geneviève Sports, Southend United, Ipswich Town and Rangers.

Early life

Mohsni is of Tunisian descent[2] and grew up in the Les Ulis suburb of Paris, France.[3]

Club career

Early career

In his homeland, he played for CO Les Ulis (twice), Mende, US Saint-Georges and Sainte-Genevieve Sports at the beginning of his career, between the years of 2005 and 2010. He combined playing part-time with coaching children in the community.[3]

Southend United

In the summer of 2010, Mohsni moved to England on the advice of his agent to sign with Southend United of League Two. He was one of seventeen new signings, as new manager Paul Sturrock rebuilt the side following a turbulent period in the club's history which left the club with only a handful of players and in the bottom rung of England's professional football ladder.[4] This followed a successful trial period. This move came despite difficulties in securing his transfer from the French club,[5] after delays in getting the necessary paperwork from the French Football Federation.[6] In September 2010, he signed a new two-year deal with the club.[7]

Mohsni made his Southend debut and his first game in professional football against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the League Cup on 24 August 2010. Mohsni had a goal disallowed for offside and hit the crossbar in the game Southend eventually lost 2–1 after extra time. On 27 August, Mohsni made his league debut against Bradford City. Mohsni scored his first goal for the club on 13 November 2010 in a 1–1 draw against Accrington Stanley. On 21 January 2011 Mohsni scored a 96th-minute equaliser against Bury to salvage a 1–1 draw. In the following game at home to Macclesfield Town, Mohsni was picked to start up front following his leveller against Bury and an injury to Barry Corr. He scored twice in a 4–1 win, with involvement in one of the other goals.[8] On 31 January 2011, Southend rejected a bid of £250,000 from Blackpool for Mohsni.[9] On 5 February 2011 against Shrewsbury Town Mohsni was stretchered off amidst fears he had suffered a broken ankle, scans later revealed no break or fracture but he had suffered ligament damage and would be out of action for at least two months.[10] Mohsni made his return from injury on 2 April 2011 playing the full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw against Aldershot Town.[11] His return to first team action also saw him suffer a broken nose after being elbowed by a player.[12]

Starting the 2011–12 season as a striker due to injuries, Mohsni started playing as a centre forward. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 opening day win at home to Hereford United. On 3 September 2011, again playing as a makeshift centre forward, Mohsni scored after a 35-yard strike against Northampton Town.[13] He was later utilised as a winger for the majority of the 2011–12 season, and praised by manager Paul Sturrock for his versatility.[14] However, Mohsni's on-field discipline was poor, resulting in a series of red and yellow cards. In December 2011 he was sent off for third time since joining Southend, after aleady been given one "last chance" due to his many suspensions. Manager Paul Sturrock expressed his exasperation by describing Moshni as a "walking foul".[15] On 5 January 2012, Southend manager Sturrock confirmed that he would not be sold in the January transfer window, and would remain at Southend until the end of the season.[16] On 20 April 2012, Mohsni scored a hat-trick in Southend's 3–0 win over Barnet, a result which secured their place in the promotion play-offs.[17] Southend, however, were knocked out of the play-offs by Crewe Alexandra.[18]

Mohsni failed to return for the start of pre-season training ahead of the 2012–13 season. Southend manager Sturrock announced that Mohsni was 'reluctant' to return to the club at all believing he could play his football at a higher level than Southend's League Two and that he was scheduled to go on trial with 'a Premier League side'.[19] On 20 July he appeared for a West Ham United development side in a 4–1 defeat to Grays Athletic, scoring both a goal and an own-goal.[20] In August 2012, West Ham's bid of £150,000 for Mohsni was rejected by Southend.[21]

Mohsni was not given a squad number by Southend before the start of the 2012–13 season. On 28 August 2012, it was announced that Mohsni was to go on trial with SPL club Celtic.[22]

Loan to Ipswich Town

He then spent a week on trial with Championship club Ipswich Town in September,[23] however, it was later reported that Ipswich would not be signing Mohsni since he refused an extended trial at Portman Road.[24] Mohsni then spent a fortnight on trial with Birmingham City before eventually securing a three-month loan deal with Ipswich Town on 5 October 2012.[25][26] He played only five games for Ipswich,[27] all substitute appearances, and found first team football opportunities limited due to restrictions on the number of on-loan players a team can field.[28]

Return to Southend

Having returned from Portman Road on 31 December 2012, Mohsni refused to train with the Shrimpers although he remained registered with the club.[29] In January 2013, Mohsni spent time on trial with Stevenage, training with the squad, although no move materialised.[30]

Eventually, on 16 February 2013, when Southend were desperately short of players through injury and suspension, particularly centre-backs, Mohsni agreed to play for the Blues,[31] wearing the number 28 shirt. He made his return that day in a 2–1 defeat to Northampton, which only lasted 27 minutes after a high footed challenge saw him sent off. He was reported to have watched the remainder of the game from the Roots Hall stands, still wearing his kit.[32] Bilel's final appearance for Southend came at Wembley stadium in the Football League Trophy Final, a competition he had played no previous part in.[27][33] On 30 April 2013 Mohsni was released by Southend,[34] just 10 months after the club turned West Ham's £150,000 offer for him.[21]

Rangers

On 4 July 2013, Mohsni began a week's trial at Rangers.[35] The trial was extended by three weeks due to impressive performances in the 2013 pre-season campaign. On 26 July he signed a two-year deal with the club which was due to commence on 1 September when the club's transfer embargo had been lifted.[36] He made his debut for Rangers at Ibrox on 14 September 2013 in a 5–1 win over Arbroath in the league.[37] Mohsni became a regular in the Rangers side, playing in 28 league matches and scoring 10 goals.[38] On 3 May 2014, Rangers players made history by becoming the first Rangers side in 115 years to go an entire league season unbeaten after a 1–1 draw with Dunfermline during which they clinched the Scottish League One championship.[39]

Mohsni's ill-discipline flared up again on 2 August when he was sent-off in a pre-season friendly against Derby County. The defender was red carded for headbutting striker Chris Martin, and as a result received a two match ban from the SFA for the first two competitive domestic fixtures of the season.[40][41] Mohsni returned to the Rangers side after his suspension but found himself in further trouble as a result of an altercation with Hibernian defender Liam Fontaine during Hibs' 3-1 win at Ibrox on 29 September 2014. Mohsni was charged with violent conduct days later by the SFA Compliance Officer, and was suspended for three matches.[42] On 31 May 2015 at Fir Park, in what was to be Mohsni's final game for Rangers, his time with the club ended in controversy following an altercation with Motherwell's Lee Erwin, with Erwin pushing Mohsni in the back. He retaliated by kicking and punching Erwin. He also fought with Motherwell substitute, Fraser Kerr. Mohsni, Erwin and Kerr were all shown red cards by referee Craig Thomson after the game had finished.[43] On 1 June, Police Scotland announced an investigation into the incident at Fir Park.[44] On 2 June, the Scottish Football Association revealed that Lee Erwin had only received a yellow card from referee Thomson for his part in the incident.[45] Mohsni later received a seven match ban for the offences.[46]

Angers

Mohsni returned to French football in August 2015 when he signed a two-year contract with newly promoted Ligue 1 club Angers SCO.[47]

Paris

After six months in Angers without playing with the first team, Mohsni left Angers in January 2016 and signed a six-month contract with Ligue 2 club Paris FC.[48]

International career

Mohsni was born and raised in France, but is also of Tunisian descent where his father was born.[3] He was named in Tunisia's international squad for their friendly match against South Korea on 28 May 2014, where he made his international debut in a 1–0 win.[38][49]

Tunisia coach Georges Leekens selected Mohsni for the 23 man squad taking part in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.[50] However, Mohsni was an unused substitute in their opening 1–1 draw against Cape Verde and he had to deny reports of quitting the tournament after storming out of the dressing room at full-time.[51] Tunisia reached the quarter-finals, where they lost 2–1 after extra-time to host nation Equatorial Guinea. Mohsni however did not feature in any of Tunisia four matches at the tournament.[52]

After an absence from the team of over 18 months, Mohnsi played against Togo on 29 March 2016 in a qualifier tie for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.[53]

Personal life

Mohsni is a devout Muslim. During his time at Rangers, a room was set aside at both Murray Park (Rangers' training complex) and Ibrox Stadium to enable him to pray at the required times throughout the day. He was also permitted to arrive at a later time for training on Fridays to allow him to attend his mosque.[54]

Honours

Southend United

Rangers

References

  1. ↑ "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/10/2012 and 31/10/2012" (PDF). The Football Association. p. 13. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  2. ↑ Sank, Sam. "Mohsni close to Blues move". www.ftbpro.com. Retrieved 4 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Herron, Lindsay (18 October 2013). "Rangers defender Bilel Mohsni: I escaped the nightmare of Paris streets and now I'm living the dream". Daily Record. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Shrimpers' boss Sturrock wants to be Essex's "Special One"" (9 September 2010). Thurrock Gazette. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "Southend United hopeful on Bilel Mohsni papers". BBC Sport. 12 August 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  6. ↑ "Southend United's Bouzid and Mohsni registered to play". BBC Sport. 18 August 2010. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  7. ↑ "MOHSNI SIGNS NEW DEAL". southendunited.co.uk. 17 September 2010. Archived from the original on 21 September 2010. Retrieved 17 September 2010.
  8. ↑ "Southend United 4 – Macclesfield Town 1". BBC Sport. 25 January 2011. Archived from the original on 24 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  9. ↑ "Shrimpers shun Blackpool bid". Sky Sports. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  10. ↑ "MOHSNI OUT FOR 6–8 WEEKS". Southend United F.C. 9 February 2011. Archived from the original on 18 April 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  11. ↑ "Mohsni starts against Shots". Southend United F.C. 2 April 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  12. ↑ "Bilel Mohsni unhappy return for Southend United against Aldershot Town". Echo News. 4 April 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  13. ↑ "BBC Sport - Southend 2-2 Northampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  14. ↑ "Southend United boss Paul Sturrock praises Bilel Mohsni". BBC Sport. 26 October 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  15. ↑ "'A walking foul!' Hot-head Mohsni blasted by his own boss after latest red card shame". Mail Online. 14 December 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  16. ↑ "Sturrock will keep Mohsni at Southend". BBC News. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  17. ↑ "Southend 3 - 0 Barnet". BBC Sport. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  18. ↑ Osbourne, Chris (16 May 2012). "Southend 2 - Crewe 2 (agg 2-3)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "Bilel Mohsni puts Southend United future in doubt". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  20. ↑ Phillips, Chris (20 July 2012). "Southend United's Bilel Mohsni scores at both ends for West Ham United in trial game against Grays Athletic". www.echo-news.co.uk. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  21. 1 2 "Hammers' Mohsni bid rejected". www1.skysports.com. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  22. ↑ Phillips, Chris (28 August 2012). "Celtic trial for Southend United's Bilel Mohnsi". Echo News. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  23. ↑ Stuart Watson. "TRANSFER LATEST: Fiery Frenchman Bilel Mohsni on trial at Ipswich Town". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  24. ↑ "BBC Sport - Southend's Bilel Mohsni walks away from trial with Ipswich". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  25. ↑ SouthendUnited_user. "Mohsni joins Ipswich on loan". Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  26. ↑ Tattum, Colin (6 October 2012). "Birmingham City: No deal for Bilel Mohsni as he joins Ipswich Town on loan". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  27. 1 2 3 "Bilel Mohsni". SoccerWay. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  28. ↑ Watson, Stuart (30 November 2012). "Bilel Mohsni's loan at Ipswich Town will not be terminated". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  29. ↑ "BBC Sport - Bilel Mohsni not at Southend United training". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  30. ↑ "Stevenage hand trial to Southend United defender". The Comet. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
  31. ↑ Phillips, Chris (16 February 2013). "Bilel Mohnsi returns to Southend United and should start against Northampton Town". Echo News. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  32. ↑ "Ten-man Blues suffer last-gasp defeat". southendunited.co.uk. 16 February 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  33. 1 2 Osbourne, Chris (7 April 2013). "Crewe 2 - 0 Southend". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  34. ↑ "Southend United: Bilel Mohsni among five to leave club". BBC Sport. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  35. ↑ Yorke, Graeme (4 July 2013). "Former Southend defender Mohsni seals Gers trial as McCoist looks to step up summer recruitment". Mail Online. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  36. ↑ "Defender Bilel Mohsni is eighth summer signing". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  37. ↑ "Bilel Mohsni". Fitba Stats. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  38. 1 2 "Bilel Mohsni set to make debut with Tunisian National Team". Rangers Report. 18 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  39. ↑ "Dunfermline 1–1 Rangers". BBC Sport. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  40. ↑ Mackie, Fraser (2 August 2014). "Derby 2-0 Rangers: Bilel Mohsni sent off after Chris Martin's brace gives Championship side easy victory". Mail Online. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  41. ↑ "SFA uphold Mohsni ban". BT Sport. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  42. ↑ "Rangers to contest Boyd 'butt' ban, with Mohsni penalty accepted". BBC Sport. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  43. ↑ "BBC Sport - Rangers co-operate over 'disgraceful' Fir Park brawl". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  44. ↑ "Motherwell v Rangers: Police investigating ugly scenes involving fans and player Bilel Mohsni". The Independent. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  45. ↑ "Motherwell's Lee Erwin was NOT SENT OFF for his part in the 'Battle of Fir Park' with Bilel Mohsni". Daily Record. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  46. ↑ "BBC Sport - Bilel Mohsni: Former Rangers defender gets seven-match ban". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  47. ↑ "Bilel Mohsni joins French side Angers after leaving Rangers". Sky Sports. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  48. ↑ "Deux nouvelles arrivées en provenance de Ligue 1 au Paris FC". parisfootballclub.com (in French). 18 January 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  49. ↑ "International Friendly: South Korea 0 Tunisia 1". Soccerway. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  50. ↑ Okeleji, Oluwashina (13 January 2015). "Tunisia call up Rjaibi and Akaichi for Nations Cup duty". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  51. ↑ "Bilel Mohsni 'phoned his mum' after Tunisia snub". The Scotsman. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  52. ↑ Crocker, Sam (1 February 2015). "Bilel Mohsni outraged at Tunisia's Africa Cup of Nations referee 'injustice'". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  53. ↑ "Mohsni, Bilel". National Football Teams. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  54. ↑ Duffy, Marisa. "Keeping the faith is no obstacle for Muslim Rangers player Mohsni" (15 March 2014). Herald Scotland. Retrieved 26 May 2014.

External links

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