Lebanese Premier League

The Lebanese First Division (Arabic: الدوري اللبناني الدرجة الأولى), commonly known as the Lebanese Premier League (Arabic: الدوري اللبناني الممتاز, romanized: ad-dawrī al-lubnānī al-mumtāz), 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.

Lebanese Premier League
Organising bodyLebanese Football Association
FoundedMay 1934 (May 1934)
CountryLebanon
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams12
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toLebanese Second Division
Domestic cup(s)
League cup(s)Lebanese Federation Cup
International cup(s)
Current championsAhed (9th title)
(2022–23)
Most championshipsAnsar (14 titles)
Top goalscorerFadi Alloush (120)[lower-alpha 1]
TV partnersMTV Lebanon, FIFA+
Websitethe-lfa.com
Current: 2023–24 Lebanese Premier League

The league's first season began in May 1934, with Nahda winning the maiden title. Ansar is the most successful club in the league having won 14 titles; they also set a Guinness World Record by winning 11 consecutive league titles between 1988 and 1999.[lower-alpha 2] The league has a "split" system since 2020, in which the season is divided in two phases.

History
A Beirut derby match between Nejmeh and Ansar during the 2019–20 season.

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] The Lebanese Premier League began in May 1934 as the Edmond Rubeiz Cup, in honour of Nahda player Edmon Rubeiz who died of typhoid the previous year.[3] The competition was held in a knockout format, with Nahda beating DPHB 7–1 in the final to win the inaugural competition.[3][4]

Nahda, AUB, and DPHB shared the titles during the first decade of the league.[4] Between the 1940s and 1960s Armenian clubs, mainly Homenetmen and Homenmen, were the most prominent in the Lebanese footballing scene.[5] The two clubs shared 11 titles in 16 seasons between 1943 and 1969.[4] 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.[4] They set a Guinness World Record for most consecutive league titles, which has been since broken by Skonto of Latvia in 2002.[6]

From 2000, Nejmeh were the dominating force in Lebanon, winning five out of nine league titles until 2009.[4] In 2008, Ahed won their first league title; they have won the league nine times since.[4] After winning the league in 2018–19, Ahed became the three-time defending champions, a feat accomplished only one other time, by Ansar in 1992.[7] Due to financial and political issues in the country, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, the LFA decided to cancel the ongoing 2019–20 season.[8][9]

Competition format

Competition

There are 12 clubs in the Lebanese Premier League. Prior to the 2020–21 season, each club played the others twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents', for 22 games.

Starting from the 2020–21 season, the league has operated on a "split" system.[10] A season is divided in two phases: in the first phase, each club plays each other once for a total of 11 matchdays. After the first phase, the league splits into two halves – a "top six" section and a "bottom six" section. Each club plays a further five matches (once against each club in its own section). Points achieved during the first phase are carried over into the second phase. From the 2022–23 season onwards, the points carried over are halved.[11] The system has been viewed positively by various members of Lebanese football.[12][13]

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:[10]

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

If more than two teams are par on points:[10]

  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.[14] 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.[14] The teams from the First Division had to have at least 7 players from their squad in the previous season.[14]

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.

Video assistant referee

Video assistant referee (VAR), will be introduced to the Lebanese Premier League in the second half of the 2023–24 season. It uses technology and officials to assist the referee in making decisions on the pitch. The match between Ahed and Racing Beirut in the first matchday, on 6 August 2023, will be the first to test the use of VAR.[15]

Clubs
Main article: List of football clubs in Lebanon

Champions

Wins by year
No. Season Champion
11933–34Nahda
21934–35AUB
31935–36DPHB
41936–37AUB
51937–38AUB
61938–39DPHB
1939–40Canceled
71940–41DPHB
81941–42Nahda
91942–43Nahda
101943–44Homenetmen
111944–45Homenmen
121945–46Homenetmen
131946–47Nahda
141947–48Homenetmen
151948–49Nahda
1949–50Canceled
161950–51Homenetmen
1951 to 1953 Not in operation
No. Season Champion
171953–54Homenmen
181954–55Homenetmen
191955–56Racing Beirut
201956–57Homenmen
1957 to 1960Not in operation
211960–61Homenmen
1961–62Not contested
221962–63Homenetmen
1963–64Not contested
231964–65Racing Beirut
1965–66Not contested
241966–67Shabiba Mazraa
1967–68Not contested
251968–69Homenetmen
261969–70Racing Beirut
1970 to 1972Not in operation
271972–73Nejmeh
1973–74 Canceled
28 1974–75 Nejmeh
No. Season Champion
1975 to 1987Not in operation
291987–88Ansar
1988–89Canceled
301989–90Ansar
311990–91Ansar
321991–92Ansar
331992–93Ansar
341993–94Ansar
351994–95Ansar
361995–96Ansar
371996–97Ansar
381997–98Ansar
391998–99Ansar
401999–2000Nejmeh
2000–01Not awarded
412001–02Nejmeh
42 2002–03 Olympic Beirut
43 2003–04 Nejmeh
44 2004–05 Nejmeh
No. Season Champion
452005–06Ansar
462006–07Ansar
472007–08Ahed
482008–09Nejmeh
492009–10Ahed
502010–11Ahed
512011–12Safa
522012–13Safa
532013–14Nejmeh
542014–15Ahed
552015–16Safa
562016–17Ahed
572017–18Ahed
582018–19Ahed
2019–20Not awarded
592020–21Ansar
602021–22Ahed
612022–23Ahed
Wins by club
Club Wins Winning years
Ansar 14 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, 2020–21
Ahed9 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23
Nejmeh8 1972–73, 1974–75, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2013–14
Homenetmen7 1943–44, 1945–46, 1947–48, 1950–51, 1954–55, 1962–63, 1968–69
Nahda5 1933–34, 1941–42, 1942–43, 1946–47, 1948–49
Homenmen4 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 Mazraa1 1966–67
Olympic Beirut 2002–03

2023–24 season

The following 12 clubs will compete in the Lebanese Premier League during the 2023–24 season.

Club Home city Position in 2022–23 Top division titles Most recent top division title
Ahed Beirut (Ouzai) 1st 9 2022–23
Ahly Nabatieh Nabatieh 2nd in the Second Division 0 —
Ansar Beirut (Tariq el-Jdideh) 3rd 14 2020–21
Bourj Beirut (Bourj el-Barajneh) 5th 0 —
Chabab Ghazieh Ghazieh 6th 0 —
Nejmeh Beirut (Ras Beirut) 2nd 8 2013–14
Racing Beirut Beirut (Achrafieh) 1st in the Second Division 0 —
Safa Beirut (Wata el-Museitbeh) 10th 3 2015–16
Sagesse Beirut (Achrafieh) 9th 0 —
Shabab Sahel Beirut (Haret Hreik) 4th 0 —
Tadamon Sour Tyre 7th 0 —
Tripoli Tripoli 8th 1 2002–03

Media coverage

Broadcasting rights for the Lebanese Premier League were distributed to MTV Lebanon starting from the 2016–17 season, on a five-year contract worth $600,000 per season;[16] the contract was renewed in 2022 for a further four seasons.[17] Live coverage of three games is broadcast each week, and weekly highlights of each match are produced once a week.[18] The LFA broadcast the other weekly games on its YouTube channel between 2020 and 2022.[19][20]

In October 2022, the LFA and FIFA signed an agreement to show all matches in the Lebanese Second Division, Lebanese Super Cup and Lebanese Women's Football League through the FIFA+ platform;[21] FIFA+ also replaced the LFA YouTube channel in transmitting the remaining Lebanese Premier League games not covered by MTV.[22]

Stadiums
Main article: List of football stadiums in Lebanon
The Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in 2018

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.[23][24] After six years, in 2011, the ban was lifted and fans were allowed to regularly attend matches.[24] 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.[25][26][27] Other teams quickly followed, such as Ansar, Ahed and Bourj.[28][27][29]

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.[30]

Players

Foreign players and transfer regulations

Starting from the 2023–24 season, Lebanese clubs are allowed to have four foreign players at their disposal at any time.[31] Two extra Palestinian players born in Lebanon may also be included in a given match sheet (both of whom can not be fielded at the same time in a match).[32] Previously, the limit of foreign players was set to three,[32] and each club competing in an AFC competition was allowed to field one extra foreign player – to be only played in continental matches – as the AFC allowed four foreign players to play in the starting eleven (one of whom from an AFC country).[33] Starting from the 1998–99 season, the Lebanese Football Association has prevented the acquisition of foreign goalkeepers.[34][35]

Players may only be transferred during transfer windows that are set by the Lebanese Football Association. The two transfer windows run from 15 May to 25 July and from 1 January to 30 January.[36] Due to the economic situation in Lebanon, clubs were barred from fielding foreign players in the league in 2020–21 and the first half of 2021–22.[10]

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 both the league and the Lebanese FA Cup.[37] 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.[37] Initially, the quota was set at 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.[37]

As the 2019–20 season was cancelled, the player quota was ultimately implemented for the 2020–21 season, with a few amendments.[38] Each club had to 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 minutes.[38] 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.[38] In the 2022–23 season, the quotas changed to 2,000 combined minutes for two under-21 players and 3,000 combined minuted for three players.[11]

Top scorers
See also: List of Lebanese Premier League top scorers and Lebanese Premier League Golden Boot
Vardan Ghazaryan is the second-highest goalscorer in Lebanese Premier League history with 117 goals.
As of 28 September 2023[39]
Rank Name Years Goals
1 Lebanon Fadi Alloush 1985–1999 120[lower-alpha 1]
2 Lebanon Vardan Ghazaryan 1992–2002, 2003–2004, 2006–2009 117[lower-alpha 3]
3 Lebanon Abbas Ahmed Atwi 1997–2012, 2012–2022 113[lower-alpha 4]
4 Lebanon Hassan Maatouk 2004–2011, 2017–present 100[lower-alpha 5]

Italics denotes players still playing 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.[lower-alpha 1][39] Seven players were top scorers more than once: Elhadji Malick Tall three times, and Levon Altonian, Fadi Alloush, Mohammad Kassas, Mohammed Ghaddar, Lucas Galán, and Hassan Maatouk twice.[40] Fadi Alloush holds the record for most goals in a season (32) while playing for Ansar.[41]

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.[42]

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

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. Alloush scored a total of 124 goals, however his four goals scored during the 1987–88 season against Shabiba Mazraa, that withdrew, were not counted.
  2. The record has since been surpassed by Latvian First League club Skonto.
  3. Ghazaryan scored a total of 129 goals, however his 12 goals scored during the 2000–01 season were not counted as the season was canceled.
  4. Atwi scored a total of 114 goals, however his goal scored during the 2019–20 season was not counted as the season was canceled.
  5. Maatouk scored a total of 101 goals, however his goal scored during the 2019–20 season was not counted as the season was canceled.

References
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