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Lebanese Premier League

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Lebanese Premier League
Organising bodyLebanese Football Association (LFA)
FoundedMay 1934; 90 years ago (May 1934)
CountryLebanon
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams12
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toLebanese Second Division
Domestic cup(s)Lebanese FA Cup
Lebanese Super Cup
League cup(s)Lebanese Elite Cup
Lebanese Challenge Cup
International cup(s)AFC Champions League
AFC Cup
Current championsAhed (7th title)
(2018–19)
Most championshipsAnsar (13 titles)
Top goalscorerFadi Alloush (120)[a]
TV partnersMTV Lebanon (TV broadcasting)
Mycujoo (Online streaming)
Websitethe-lfa.com
Current: 2020–21 Lebanese Premier League

The Lebanese Premier League (Template:Lang-ar) is the top division of the Lebanese football league system. There are 12 teams competing in the league, which operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Lebanese Second Division.

The league's first season began in May 1934, with Nahda winning the first title. The most successful club in the league is Ansar, with 13 league titles. They have set a Guinness World Record by winning 11 consecutive league titles between 1988 and 1999, a record that has since been surpassed. Seasons run from September to April with each team playing 22 games, playing all 11 other teams both home and away. Most games are played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

History

Nahda holding the Lebanese Premier League cup in the 1940s.

On 22 March 1933, representatives of 13 football clubs gathered in the Minet El Hosn district in Beirut to form the Lebanese Football Association (LFA).[1][2] Hussein Sejaan was the LFA's first president.[3] It joined FIFA in 1935 and the AFC in 1964.[4][5] The Lebanese Premier League began on May 1934 as the Edmond Rubeiz Cup, in honour of Nahda player Edmon Rubeiz who died of typhoid the previous year.[6] The competition was held in a knockout format, with Nahda beating DPHB 7–1 in the final to win the inaugural competition.[6][7]

Most clubs were formed on the basis of sectarianism, such as Sagesse being a Christian club and Ansar having a Sunni fanbase.[8][9] Nahda, AUB, and DPHB shared the titles during the first decade of the league.[7] Between the 1940s and 1960s Armenian clubs, mainly Homenetmen and Homenmen, were the most prominent in the Lebanese footballing scene.[8] The two clubs shared 11 titles in 16 seasons between 1943 and 1969.[7]

Following a 12-year interruption of the league due to the Lebanese Civil War, Ansar dominated the league winning 11 consecutive league titles between 1988 and 1999.[7] They set a Guinness World Record for most consecutive league titles, which has been since broken by Skonto of Latvia in 2002.[10] From 2000, Nejmeh were the dominating force in Lebanon, winning five out of nine league titles until 2009.[7]

During the 2010s Ahed, who had only won one league title prior, won six league titles.[7] After winning the 2018–19 Lebanese Premier League Ahed became the three-time defending champions, a feat accomplished only one other time, by Ansar in 1992.[11] The 2018–19 season was one of the worst in Lebanese football since the end of the Lebanese Civil War, with poor preparations by teams, match-fixing, and tensions between clubs and the Federation being the hot-topics of the season.[12]

Due to financial and political issues in the country, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia, the LFA decided to cancel the ongoing 2019–20 season.[13][14] As a result of the financial crisis in Lebanon, foreign players were excluded from participating in the 2020–21 season.[15]

Competition format

Competition

There are 12 clubs in the Lebanese Premier League. During the course of a season each club plays the others twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents', for 22 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss.

Teams are ranked by total points; in case two teams are par on points, the following rules for classification apply:[15]

  1. Head-to-head points;
  2. Goal difference;
  3. Goals scored;
  4. Decisive match; in case of a draw, a penalty-shootout will determine the winner.

If more than two teams are par on points:[15]

  1. Head-to-head points of the concerned clubs;
  2. Goal difference in the direct confrontation games;
  3. Goal difference in the league;
  4. Goals scored in the league;
  5. Mini-league between the involved teams, which play each other once.

Promotion and relegation

A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Lebanese Premier League and the Lebanese Second Division since 1935. In April 1935, Second Division clubs requested a promotion system to be implemented.[16] It was proposed that, at the end of the season, every Second Division team that wanted to be promoted to the First Division had to play against three teams from the First Division, winning all three.[16] The teams from the First Division had to have at least 7 players from their squad in the previous season.[16]

The two lowest placed teams in the Lebanese Premier League are relegated to the Second Division, and the top two teams from the Second Division promoted to the Lebanese Premier League.

Clubs

Main article: List of football clubs in Lebanon

Champions

Wins by year

No. Season Champion
1 1933–34 Nahda
2 1934–35 AUB
3 1935–36 DPHB
4 1936–37 AUB
5 1937–38 AUB
6 1938–39 DPHB
1939–40 Canceled
7 1940–41 DPHB
8 1941–42 Nahda
9 1942–43 Nahda
10 1943–44 Homenetmen
11 1944–45 Homenmen
12 1945–46 Homenetmen
13 1946–47 Nahda
14 1947–48 Homenetmen
15 1948–49 Nahda
1949–50 Canceled
16 1950–51 Homenetmen
No. Season Champion
1951 to 1953 Not in operation
17 1953–54 Homenmen
18 1954–55 Homenetmen
19 1955–56 Racing Beirut
20 1956–57 Homenmen
1957 to 1960 Not in operation
21 1960–61 Homenmen
1961–62 Not contested
22 1962–63 Homenetmen
1963–64 Not contested
23 1964–65 Racing Beirut
1965–66 Not contested
24 1966–67 Shabiba Mazraa
1967–68 Not contested
25 1968–69 Homenetmen
26 1969–70 Racing Beirut
1970 to 1972 Not in operation
27 1972–73 Nejmeh
No. Season Champion
1973–74 Canceled
28 1974–75 Nejmeh
1975 to 1987 Not in operation
29 1987–88 Ansar
1988–89 Canceled
30 1989–90 Ansar
31 1990–91 Ansar
32 1991–92 Ansar
33 1992–93 Ansar
34 1993–94 Ansar
35 1994–95 Ansar
36 1995–96 Ansar
37 1996–97 Ansar
38 1997–98 Ansar
39 1998–99 Ansar
40 1999–2000 Nejmeh
41 2000–01 Not awarded
42 2001–02 Nejmeh
No. Season Champion
43 2002–03 Olympic Beirut
44 2003–04 Nejmeh
45 2004–05 Nejmeh
46 2005–06 Ansar
47 2006–07 Ansar
48 2007–08 Ahed
49 2008–09 Nejmeh
50 2009–10 Ahed
51 2010–11 Ahed
52 2011–12 Safa
53 2012–13 Safa
54 2013–14 Nejmeh
55 2014–15 Ahed
56 2015–16 Safa
57 2016–17 Ahed
58 2017–18 Ahed
59 2018–19 Ahed
60 2019–20 Not awarded

Wins by club

Club Wins Winning years
Ansar 13 1987–88, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2006–07
Nejmeh 8 1972–73, 1974–75, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2013–14
Homenetmen 7 1943–44, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1962–63, 1968–69
Ahed 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
Nahda 5 1933–34, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1946–47, 1948–49
Homenmen 4 1944–45, 1953–54, 1956–57, 1960–61
AUB 3 1934–35, 1936–37, 1937–38
DPHB 1935–36, 1938–39, 1940–41
Racing Beirut 1955–56, 1964–65, 1969–70
Safa 2011–12, 2012–13, 2015–16
Shabiba Mazraa 1 1966–67
Olympic Beirut 2002–03

2020–21 season

Clubs

The following 20 clubs will compete in the Lebanese Premier League during the 2020–21 season.

Club Home city Position in 2018–19 Top division titles Most recent top division title
Ahed Beirut (Ouzai) 1st 7 2018–19
Akhaa Ahli Aley 4th 0 —
Ansar Beirut (Tariq el-Jdideh) 2nd 13 2006–07
Bourj Beirut (Bourj el-Barajneh) 1st in the Lebanese Second Division 0 —
Chabab Ghazieh Ghazieh 6th 0 —
Nejmeh Beirut (Ras Beirut) 3rd 8 2013–14
Safa Beirut (Wata el-Museitbeh) 9th 3 2015–16
Salam Zgharta Zgharta 10th 0 —
Shabab Bourj Beirut (Bourj el-Barajneh) 2nd in the Lebanese Second Division 0 —
Shabab Sahel Beirut (Haret Hreik) 5th 0 —
Tadamon Sour Tyre 7th 0 —
Tripoli Tripoli 8th 1 2002–03

Maps

Media coverage

The Lebanese Premier League broadcasting rights were distributed to MTV Lebanon starting from the 2016–17 season, on a five-year contract worth $600,000 per season.[17] Live coverage of selected games is broadcast each week, and weekly highlights of each match are produced once a week.[18]

MyCujoo broadcasts some of the remaining matches online.[19] They also stream a selection of Lebanese Second Division and Lebanese Futsal League games weekly.

  • MTV Lebanon (TV broadcasting)
  • MyCujoo (Online streaming)

Stadiums

Main article: List of football stadiums in Lebanon

At the start of the 2005–06 season, the Lebanese government imposed a ban on spectators due to fears of political and sectarian-inspired violence in the stadiums.[20][21] After six years, in 2011, the ban was lifted and fans were allowed to regularly attend matches.[21] While attendance was initially scarce, spectators started to show up more regularly season after season. Indeed, in 2018 ultras groups started to form, with Nejmeh's "Ultras Supernova" being the first.[22][23][24] Other teams quickly followed, such as Ansar, Ahed and Bourj.[25][24][26]

Prior to the start of each season, every team chooses two stadiums as their home venues. In case both stadiums are unavailable for a certain matchday, another venue is used. While teams such as Nejmeh and Ahed have their own stadiums, respectively Rafic Hariri Stadium and Ahed Stadium, they prefer to use bigger stadiums in Lebanon such as the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium and the Beirut Municipal Stadium.[27]

Players

Foreign players and transfer regulations

Lebanese clubs are allowed to have three foreign players at their disposal at any time, as well as one extra Palestinian player born in Lebanon.[28] Moreover, each club competing in an AFC competition is allowed to field one extra foreign player, to be only played in continental matches, as the AFC allows four foreign players to play in the starting eleven (one of whom from an AFC country).[29] Starting from the 1998–99 season, the Lebanese Football Association has prevented the acquisition of foreign goalkeepers.[30][31]

Players may only be transferred during transfer windows that are set by the Lebanese Football Association. The two transfer windows run from 1 July to 15 September and from 20 December to 19 January.[32] During the 2020–21 season, due to the economic situation in Lebanon, foreign players were barred from participating in the league.[15]

Homegrown players

Starting from the 2019–20 season, all teams in the Lebanese Premier League and Lebanese Second Division must involve a certain number of under-22 players in the both the league and the Lebanese FA Cup, with a minimum of 1,000 minutes for one player, a minimum of 1,500 aggregate minutes for two players and a minimum of 2,000 aggregate minutes for three players.[33] In case a club were to not meet the required number of minutes at the end of the season, they would have three points deducted from their total in the league.[33]

As the 2019–20 season was cancelled, the player quota would be ultimately implemented for the 2020–21 season, with a few amendments.[34] Each club must involve one player for at least 600 minutes, two players for at least 800 combined minutes, and three players for at least 1,200 combined players.[34] Also, each club is allowed a maximum of eight players over the age of 30, with only five being able to be fielded in a game.[34]

Top scorers

See also: List of Lebanese Premier League top scorers and Lebanese Premier League Golden Boot
Vartan Ghazarian is the second-highest goalscorer in Lebanese Premier League history with 117 goals.
As of 31 October 2020[35]
Rank Name Years Goals
1 Lebanon Fadi Alloush 1985–1999 120[a]
2 Lebanon Vartan Ghazarian 1992–2002, 2003–2004, 2006–2009 117[b]
3 Lebanon Abbas Ahmed Atwi 1997–2012, 2012– 112[c]

Italics denotes players still playing professional football,
Bold denotes players still playing in the Lebanese Premier League.

The Golden Boot is awarded to the top Lebanese Premier League scorer at the end of each season. Fadi Alloush holds the record for most Lebanese Premier League goals with 120.[a][35] Six players were top scorers more than once: Levon Altonian, Fadi Alloush, Mohammad Kassas, Mohammed Ghaddar, Lucas Galán and El Hadji Malick Tall have all been top scorers twice.[36] Fadi Alloush holds the record for most goals in a season (32) while playing for Ansar.[37]

Official match ball

On 30 July 2019, the Lebanese Football Association announced a three-year deal with German sportswear company Jako for €120,000, with the Jako Match 2.0 becoming the league's official match ball starting from the 2019–20 season.[38]

  • 2019–2020: Jako Match 2.0
  • 2020–present: Jako Galaxy Match 2.0

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Alloush scored a total of 124 goals, however his four goals scored during the 1987–88 season against Shabiba Mazraa, who withdrew, were not counted.
  2. ^ Ghazarian scored a total of 129 goals, however his 12 goals scored during the 2000–01 season were not counted as the season was canceled.
  3. ^ Atwi scored a total of 113 goals, however his goal scored during the 2019–20 season was not counted as the season was canceled.

References

  1. ^ الإعلام الرياضي في لبنان بين شباك السياسة والإهمال [Sports media in Lebanon between politics and neglect]. الأخبار (in Arabic). Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. ^ لمحة عن الإتحاد [About the Federation]. الاتحاد اللبناني لكرة القدم (in Arabic). Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  3. ^ Sakr 1995, p. 17.
  4. ^ عساف, فراس ابو. لمحة عن الإتحاد [Lebanese Football Federation]. الاتحاد اللبناني لكرة القدم (in Arabic). Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  5. ^ تاريخ تاسيس الاتحاد اللبناني لكرة القدم؟ [The date of the establishment of the Lebanese Football Federation?]. Elsport News (in Arabic). Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  6. ^ a b Sakr 1992, p. 21.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Lebanon - List of Champions". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  8. ^ a b Mouawad, Jamil (2018). "Lebanese Football: Imagining a Defiant and United Lebanon". Middle East Critique. 27 (3): 289–302. doi:10.1080/19436149.2018.1485301. S2CID 150228818. Retrieved 14 March 2019 – via www.academia.edu.
  9. ^ "The Birth, Death and Re-Birth of Lebanese Football - Ahdaaf". Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  10. ^ terrythetourist (29 June 2013). "Lebanese Football: From Beirut to Buecker". Terry The Tourist. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  11. ^ الميادين, شبكة (7 April 2019). نادي العهد... قصة طموح ومثابرة نحو المجد. شبكة الميادين (in Arabic). Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  12. ^ Afiouni, Nadim (1 June 2019). "Poor preparations, match-fixing and tensions between clubs and the FA result in worst domestic season in recent years". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  13. ^ "القرار المرّ: نشاط الفوتبول معلّق حتى إشعار آخر". الأخبار (in Arabic). Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  14. ^ "رسميا.. إلغاء الموسم الكروي في لبنان". كووورة. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  15. ^ a b c d Abou Diab, Rami (25 June 2020). "The new regulations for the Lebanese Premier League". FA Lebanon. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  16. ^ a b c Sakr 1992, p. 25.
  17. ^ "كووورة يكشف مصير النقل التلفزيوني للدوري اللبناني". كووورة. 31 May 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  18. ^ "MTV Lebanon - Program - ALFA Lebanese Football League - 2019". www.mtv.com.lb. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  19. ^ mycujoo.tv. "mycujoo live football streaming: Watch Football Online". mycujoo.tv. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  20. ^ Lebanon, Zeina Khodr in Beirut. "Lebanon's empty football stadiums". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  21. ^ a b Neumann, Jeff (1 March 2012). "Sectarian Violence Makes Getting in to Lebanese Soccer Games a Real Bitch". Vice. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  22. ^ "المدرجات لا تعترف إلا بالشجعان". lebanonfg.com. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  23. ^ COPA90. "Ultras Supernova: Lebanon's First Ultras Group". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 23 February 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ a b مباريات قويّة في الجولة العاشرة. الأخبار (in Arabic). Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  25. ^ البداية من «المدينة» والختام فيها. الأخبار (in Arabic). Retrieved 21 April 2019.
  26. ^ ""معركة" في جونية و"ألتراس" في برج البراجنة". موقع ياصور. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  27. ^ LebanonFG
  28. ^ "2018/2019 Lebanese Premier League Squads confirmed". FaLebanon. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  29. ^ Gineprini, Nicholas (20 March 2019). "Is a limit on foreign players, a limit for the development of Asian Football?". Calcio8Cina. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  30. ^ "أزمة الحراسة اللبنانية.. حاضر لا يمت بصلة للماضي". كووورة. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  31. ^ "القفاز الذهبي: 22 عاما على منع الحراس الأجانب في لبنان.. والنتيجة مبهمة". كووورة. 11 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  32. ^ "Worldwide registration periods calendar" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  33. ^ a b "Circular No. 2019/38". Lebanese Football Association. 17 July 2019.
  34. ^ a b c "الاتحاد اللبناني يعلن عن قرارات حاسمة". كووورة. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
  35. ^ a b من هو الهداف التاريخي للدوري اللبناني ؟ .. فادي علوش أم فارطان غازاريان وما حقيقة الجدل؟ [Who is the historical top scorer for the Lebanese League? Fadi Alloush or Vartan Ghazarian, and what is the truth behind the controversy?]. Aljadeed Sport. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  36. ^ Mubarak, Hassanin; Nehme, Ale. "Lebanon – List of Topscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  37. ^ LNN Sports (20 January 2008). "هـدافـو الـدوري اللـبـنـانـي عـبـر الـتـاريـخ" [The goals of the Lebanese League throughout history]. forum.kooora.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  38. ^ "توقيع عقد رعاية JAKO للدوري اللبناني لكرة القدم". football-lebanon.com. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.

Bibliography

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