Bashir al-Riani
Bashir al-Riani, also listed as Basher Riyani, Bachir Al-Riani, and Bahir Alrayani, (; 1955 – December 2005) was a Libyan football player and coach.
Club career
Al-Riani played for Al-Ittihad Tripoli between 1976 and 1983. He was part of the team which finished as runners-up during the 1976–77 Libyan Premier League.
International career
al-Riani represented the Libya national team between 1975 and 1983. He played in 1976, and during the 1977 Merdeka Tournament, where he scored during the 1–1 draw against Malaysia on 21 July 1977 and during the 2–2 draw against Thailand on 23 July 1977. He also scored against Ethiopia in 1980 African Cup of Nations qualification.
He was also selected to represent Libya at their debut African Cup of Nations tournament in 1982. He was an unused substitute during the final, in which Libya was defeated by Ghana after a penalty shoot-out. He last represented Libya in 1983.
Coaching career
He was a coach at Al-Ittihad Tripoli until he died in December 2005.
Al-Riani was the assistant coach to Mohammed al-Khamisi during the 1985–86 season, and he took over as coach of Al-Ittihad Tripoli for the 1989–90 title-winning season. He was also the coach when Al-Saadi Gaddafi was at the club between 2001 and 2003.
Death
Al-Riani was killed in December 2005.
His death subsequently became the subject of criminal proceedings against Al-Saadi Gaddafi, who was accused of involvement in al-Riani's detention and killing. Gaddafi was acquitted of the murder charge by a Libyan court on 3 April 2018. On 5 August 2024, Libya's Supreme Court overturned the acquittal and ordered a retrial.
Honours
Player
Al-Ittihad Tripoli
- Libyan Premier League: runner-up 1976–77
Libya
- African Cup of Nations: runner-up 1982
Coach
Al-Ittihad Tripoli
- Libyan Premier League: 1989–90, 2001–02, 2002–03
- Libyan SuperCup: 2002