Season | 2020β21 |
---|---|
Dates | 3 October 2020 β 24 April 2021 |
Champions |
Ansar 14th title |
Relegated |
Chabab Ghazieh Salam Zgharta |
AFC Cup |
Ansar Nejmeh |
Matches played | 96 |
Goals scored | 211 (2.2 per match) |
Top goalscorer |
Hassan Maatouk (14 goals) |
Best goalkeeper | Ali Daher (10 clean sheets) |
Biggest win |
Ansar 6β0
Salam Zgharta (8 December 2020) |
Highest scoring |
Ansar 6β1
Safa (6 November 2020) |
Longest winning run | 4 matches Ansar Nejmeh [1] |
Longest unbeaten run | 15 matches Nejmeh [1] |
Longest winless run | 16 matches Salam Zgharta [1] |
Longest losing run | 12 matches Salam Zgharta [1] |
Total attendance | 0 [a] |
β
2021β22 β |
The 2020β21 Lebanese Premier League was the 59th season of the Lebanese Premier League, the top Lebanese professional league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1934. The league was initially scheduled to start on 18 September, [2] before being postponed to 3 October as part of preventive measures by the state towards the COVID-19 pandemic. [3] [4]
It was the first season to feature a "split" format, in which the season was divided into two phases. In the first phase, each club played against each other once, for a total of 11 matchdays. In the second phase, the league was split into two halves β the "top six" and the "bottom six". Points were carried over from the first phase, and each club played five games within its own half. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all games in the season were played behind closed doors. [5]
Since the 2019β20 season was cancelled, Ahed were the three-time defending champions, having won their 7th title in the 2018β19 season.[ citation needed] Ansar won their 14th Lebanese Premier League title, their first since 2007, beating Nejmeh in the Beirut derby 2β1 in the final matchday.
On 24 June 2020, a player quota for the season was announced. [6] Each club had to involve one player under the age of 22 for at least 600 minutes, two players for at least 800 combined minutes, and three players for at least 1,200 combined minutes. [6] Also, each club was allowed a maximum of eight players over the age of 30, with only five being able to be fielded in a game. [6] In case a club were to not meet the required number of minutes at the end of the season, they would have had three points deducted from their total in the league. [6] Due to the economic situation in Lebanon, other regulations were introduced, namely the abolition of foreign players in the league. [7]
The 2020β21 season consisted of two phases: in the first phase, each team played against one another once. [7] In the second phase, the 12 teams were divided into two groups based on their position in the first phase; the teams carried over their point tally from the first phase. [8] After the first phase was completed, clubs could not move out of their own half in the league, even if they achieved more or fewer points than a higher or lower ranked team, respectively. [8]
The top six teams played against each other once, [7] with the champion automatically qualifying to the 2022 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offsβassuming they met the criteria set by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). [9] The runners-up instead directly qualified to the 2022 AFC Cup group stageβas long as the champions met the AFC criteria for the AFC Champions League. [7] The bottom six teams also played against each other once, with the bottom two teams being relegated to the Lebanese Second Division. [7]
Twelve teams competed in the league β the top ten teams from the 2018β19 Lebanese Premier League season and the two teams promoted from the Second Division. Due to the 2019β20 season being cancelled, the same 12 teams participated in the 2020β21 season.
Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Ahed | Beirut (Ouzai) | Ahed Stadium [note 1] | 2,000 |
Akhaa Ahli Aley | Aley | Amin AbdelNour Stadium | 3,500 |
Ansar | Beirut (Tariq El Jdideh) | Ansar Stadium [note 1] | β |
Bourj | Beirut ( Bourj el-Barajneh) | Bourj el-Barajneh Stadium [note 1] | 1,500 |
Chabab Ghazieh | Ghazieh | Kfarjoz Stadium | 2,000 |
Nejmeh | Beirut ( Ras Beirut) | Rafic Hariri Stadium [note 1] | 5,000 |
Safa | Beirut (Wata El-Museitbeh) | Safa Stadium [note 1] | 4,000 |
Salam Zgharta | Zgharta | Zgharta Sports Complex | 5,000 |
Shabab Bourj | Beirut ( Bourj el-Barajneh) | Bourj el-Barajneh Stadium [note 1] | 1,500 |
Shabab Sahel | Beirut ( Haret Hreik) | Shabab Al Sahel Stadium [note 1] | β |
Tadamon Sour | Tyre | Sour Municipal Stadium | 6,500 |
Tripoli | Tripoli | Tripoli Municipal Stadium | 22,000 |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation [b] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ansar (C) | 16 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 8 | +29 | 40 | Qualification for AFC Cup group stage |
2 | Nejmeh | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 31 | 10 | +21 | 35 | |
3 | Shabab Sahel | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 11 | +4 | 27 | |
4 | Ahed | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 16 | +4 | 24 [c] | |
5 | Safa | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 24 [c] | |
6 | Akhaa Ahli Aley | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 12 | −4 | 20 | |
7 | Bourj | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 18 | 13 | +5 | 23 [d] | |
8 | Shabab Bourj | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 23 [d] | |
9 | Tripoli | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 15 | −4 | 19 | |
10 | Tadamon Sour | 16 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 16 | |
11 | Chabab Ghazieh (R) | 16 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 26 | −14 | 11 | Relegation to Lebanese Second Division |
12 | Salam Zgharta (R) | 16 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 6 | 50 | −44 | 1 |
Teams play each other once.
After 11 matches, the league splits into two sections of six teams i.e. the top six and the bottom six, with the teams playing every other team in their section once.
Rank | Player | Club | Goals [10] |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
Ansar | 14 |
2 |
![]() |
Shabab Bourj | 10 |
3 |
![]() |
Ahed | 7 |
![]() |
Tripoli | ||
5 |
![]() |
Ansar | 6 |
![]() |
Nejmeh | ||
7 |
![]() |
Ansar | 5 |
![]() |
Bourj | ||
![]() |
Ansar |
Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
Ahed | Bourj | 3β2 [11] | 4 October 2020 |
![]() |
Ansar | Bourj | 3β0 [12] | 26 December 2020 |
![]() |
Shabab Sahel | Salam Zgharta | 4β0 [13] | 27 December 2020 |
![]() |
Safa | Salam Zgharta | 5β0 [14] | 3 January 2021 |
Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets [10] |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
Shabab Sahel | 10 |
2 |
![]() |
Bourj | 9 |
3 |
![]() |
Ansar | 8 |
![]() |
Akhaa Ahli Aley | ||
5 |
![]() |
Tadamon Sour | 7 |
6 |
![]() |
Nejmeh | 6 |
7 |
![]() |
Tripoli | 5 |
8 |
![]() |
Safa | 4 |
![]() |
Ahed |
Season | 2020β21 |
---|---|
Dates | 3 October 2020 β 24 April 2021 |
Champions |
Ansar 14th title |
Relegated |
Chabab Ghazieh Salam Zgharta |
AFC Cup |
Ansar Nejmeh |
Matches played | 96 |
Goals scored | 211 (2.2 per match) |
Top goalscorer |
Hassan Maatouk (14 goals) |
Best goalkeeper | Ali Daher (10 clean sheets) |
Biggest win |
Ansar 6β0
Salam Zgharta (8 December 2020) |
Highest scoring |
Ansar 6β1
Safa (6 November 2020) |
Longest winning run | 4 matches Ansar Nejmeh [1] |
Longest unbeaten run | 15 matches Nejmeh [1] |
Longest winless run | 16 matches Salam Zgharta [1] |
Longest losing run | 12 matches Salam Zgharta [1] |
Total attendance | 0 [a] |
β
2021β22 β |
The 2020β21 Lebanese Premier League was the 59th season of the Lebanese Premier League, the top Lebanese professional league for association football clubs since its establishment in 1934. The league was initially scheduled to start on 18 September, [2] before being postponed to 3 October as part of preventive measures by the state towards the COVID-19 pandemic. [3] [4]
It was the first season to feature a "split" format, in which the season was divided into two phases. In the first phase, each club played against each other once, for a total of 11 matchdays. In the second phase, the league was split into two halves β the "top six" and the "bottom six". Points were carried over from the first phase, and each club played five games within its own half. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all games in the season were played behind closed doors. [5]
Since the 2019β20 season was cancelled, Ahed were the three-time defending champions, having won their 7th title in the 2018β19 season.[ citation needed] Ansar won their 14th Lebanese Premier League title, their first since 2007, beating Nejmeh in the Beirut derby 2β1 in the final matchday.
On 24 June 2020, a player quota for the season was announced. [6] Each club had to involve one player under the age of 22 for at least 600 minutes, two players for at least 800 combined minutes, and three players for at least 1,200 combined minutes. [6] Also, each club was allowed a maximum of eight players over the age of 30, with only five being able to be fielded in a game. [6] In case a club were to not meet the required number of minutes at the end of the season, they would have had three points deducted from their total in the league. [6] Due to the economic situation in Lebanon, other regulations were introduced, namely the abolition of foreign players in the league. [7]
The 2020β21 season consisted of two phases: in the first phase, each team played against one another once. [7] In the second phase, the 12 teams were divided into two groups based on their position in the first phase; the teams carried over their point tally from the first phase. [8] After the first phase was completed, clubs could not move out of their own half in the league, even if they achieved more or fewer points than a higher or lower ranked team, respectively. [8]
The top six teams played against each other once, [7] with the champion automatically qualifying to the 2022 AFC Champions League qualifying play-offsβassuming they met the criteria set by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). [9] The runners-up instead directly qualified to the 2022 AFC Cup group stageβas long as the champions met the AFC criteria for the AFC Champions League. [7] The bottom six teams also played against each other once, with the bottom two teams being relegated to the Lebanese Second Division. [7]
Twelve teams competed in the league β the top ten teams from the 2018β19 Lebanese Premier League season and the two teams promoted from the Second Division. Due to the 2019β20 season being cancelled, the same 12 teams participated in the 2020β21 season.
Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Ahed | Beirut (Ouzai) | Ahed Stadium [note 1] | 2,000 |
Akhaa Ahli Aley | Aley | Amin AbdelNour Stadium | 3,500 |
Ansar | Beirut (Tariq El Jdideh) | Ansar Stadium [note 1] | β |
Bourj | Beirut ( Bourj el-Barajneh) | Bourj el-Barajneh Stadium [note 1] | 1,500 |
Chabab Ghazieh | Ghazieh | Kfarjoz Stadium | 2,000 |
Nejmeh | Beirut ( Ras Beirut) | Rafic Hariri Stadium [note 1] | 5,000 |
Safa | Beirut (Wata El-Museitbeh) | Safa Stadium [note 1] | 4,000 |
Salam Zgharta | Zgharta | Zgharta Sports Complex | 5,000 |
Shabab Bourj | Beirut ( Bourj el-Barajneh) | Bourj el-Barajneh Stadium [note 1] | 1,500 |
Shabab Sahel | Beirut ( Haret Hreik) | Shabab Al Sahel Stadium [note 1] | β |
Tadamon Sour | Tyre | Sour Municipal Stadium | 6,500 |
Tripoli | Tripoli | Tripoli Municipal Stadium | 22,000 |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation [b] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ansar (C) | 16 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 8 | +29 | 40 | Qualification for AFC Cup group stage |
2 | Nejmeh | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 31 | 10 | +21 | 35 | |
3 | Shabab Sahel | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 11 | +4 | 27 | |
4 | Ahed | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 16 | +4 | 24 [c] | |
5 | Safa | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 24 [c] | |
6 | Akhaa Ahli Aley | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 12 | −4 | 20 | |
7 | Bourj | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 18 | 13 | +5 | 23 [d] | |
8 | Shabab Bourj | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 23 [d] | |
9 | Tripoli | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 15 | −4 | 19 | |
10 | Tadamon Sour | 16 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 16 | |
11 | Chabab Ghazieh (R) | 16 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 26 | −14 | 11 | Relegation to Lebanese Second Division |
12 | Salam Zgharta (R) | 16 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 6 | 50 | −44 | 1 |
Teams play each other once.
After 11 matches, the league splits into two sections of six teams i.e. the top six and the bottom six, with the teams playing every other team in their section once.
Rank | Player | Club | Goals [10] |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
Ansar | 14 |
2 |
![]() |
Shabab Bourj | 10 |
3 |
![]() |
Ahed | 7 |
![]() |
Tripoli | ||
5 |
![]() |
Ansar | 6 |
![]() |
Nejmeh | ||
7 |
![]() |
Ansar | 5 |
![]() |
Bourj | ||
![]() |
Ansar |
Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
Ahed | Bourj | 3β2 [11] | 4 October 2020 |
![]() |
Ansar | Bourj | 3β0 [12] | 26 December 2020 |
![]() |
Shabab Sahel | Salam Zgharta | 4β0 [13] | 27 December 2020 |
![]() |
Safa | Salam Zgharta | 5β0 [14] | 3 January 2021 |
Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets [10] |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
Shabab Sahel | 10 |
2 |
![]() |
Bourj | 9 |
3 |
![]() |
Ansar | 8 |
![]() |
Akhaa Ahli Aley | ||
5 |
![]() |
Tadamon Sour | 7 |
6 |
![]() |
Nejmeh | 6 |
7 |
![]() |
Tripoli | 5 |
8 |
![]() |
Safa | 4 |
![]() |
Ahed |