The 2019–20 Lebanese Premier League was intended to be the 59th season of the Lebanese Premier League, the top Lebanese professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1934.
| Season | 2019–20 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 20 September 2019 – 17 October 2019 |
| Champions | None |
← 2018–19 2020–21 → | |
Ahed were the three-time defending champions.[citation needed] Bourj and Shabab Bourj joined as the promoted clubs from the 2018–19 Lebanese Premier League. They replaced Bekaa and Racing, who were relegated to the 2019–20 Lebanese Second Division.
On 21 January 2020, the LFA decided to suspend all football leagues until further notice, and cancelled the three match days that were previously played (the last one being on 17 October 2019), due to the ongoing economic crisis and the impending arrival of the coronavirus pandemic. The season was officially cancelled on 28 May 2020.
Summary edit
Starting from the 2019–20 season, all teams in the Lebanese Premier League and Lebanese Second Division had to involve a certain number of under-22 players in 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. 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.[1]
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.[2]
Due to political and financial issues in the country, the LFA decided to suspend all football leagues until further notice on 21 January 2020, and cancelled the three match days that were previously played (the last one being on 17 October 2019).[3] With the COVID-19 pandemic also stopping sporting activities globally, the season was officially cancelled on 28 May 2020.[4]
Teams edit
Twelve teams were due to compete in the league – the top ten teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the Second Division. The promoted teams were Bourj (returning to the top flight after a 16-year absence) and Shabab Bourj (promoted for the first time in their history).[5][6] They replaced Bekaa and Racing, ending their top flight spells of five and eleven years respectively.[7][8]
Stadiums and locations edit
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.
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahed | Beirut (Ouzai) | Ahed Stadium[a] | 2,000 |
| Akhaa Ahli Aley | Aley | Amin AbdelNour Stadium | 3,500 |
| Ansar | Beirut (Tariq El Jdideh) | Ansar Stadium[a] | — |
| Bourj | Beirut (Bourj el-Barajneh) | Bourj el-Barajneh Stadium[a] | 1,500 |
| Chabab Ghazieh | Ghazieh | Kfarjoz Stadium | 2,000 |
| Nejmeh | Beirut (Ras Beirut) | Rafic El-Hariri Stadium[a] | 5,000 |
| Safa | Beirut (Wata El-Museitbeh) | Safa Stadium[a] | 4,000 |
| Salam Zgharta | Zgharta | Zgharta Sports Complex | 5,000 |
| Shabab Bourj | Beirut (Bourj el-Barajneh) | Bourj el-Barajneh Stadium[a] | 1,500 |
| Shabab Sahel | Beirut (Haret Hreik) | Shabab Al Sahel Stadium[a] | — |
| Tadamon Sour | Tyre | Sour Municipal Stadium | 6,500 |
| Tripoli | Tripoli | Tripoli Municipal Stadium | 22,000 |
Personnel and kits edit
Foreign players edit
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.[9] 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).[10]
- Players in bold have been registered during the mid-season transfer window.
- Players in italics have left the club during the mid-season transfer window,.
| Team | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Palestinian player | AFC Cup player | Former players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahed |  Ahmad Al Salih
|
 Issah Yakubu
|
 Ahmed Akaïchi
|
— | ||
| Akhaa Ahli Aley |  Carlos Lomba
|
 Carlos Alberto
|
 Christopher Munthali
|
 Mohamad Abou Atik
|
— | — |
| Ansar |  El Hadji Malick Tall
|
Houssem Louati
|
 Aboubacar Leo Camara
|
— | ||
| Bourj | Stephen Sarfo
|
Malik Ismaila Antiri
|
Thiago Amaral
|
Mohammed Qasem
|
— | — |
| Chabab Ghazieh | Stephen Essaw
|
Kennedy Koranteng
|
Ernest Barfo
|
— | — | |
| Nejmeh | Idrissa Niang
|
Mourad Hedhli
|
Issaka Abudu Diarra
|
— | — | |
| Safa | Fallou Sarr
|
El Hadji Abdou Karim Samb
|
Daouda Diop
|
— | — | |
| Salam Zgharta | Vinícius Calamari
|
Cosmos Dauda
|
Mostafa Sall
|
Ali Hamam
|
— | — |
| Shabab Bourj |  Lorougnon Christ Remi
|
Sadick Adams
|
Agostinho Cá
|
— | — | |
| Shabab Sahel | Bakary Coulibaly
|
Abdou Aziz Ndiaye
|
Daouda Guèye Diémé
|
— | — | |
| Tadamon Sour | Kofi Yeboah
|
Abdul Basit
|
 Musa Kabiru
|
— | — | |
| Tripoli | Mamadou Sylla
|
 Issouf Ouattara
|
Hael Al Badri
|
Ahmad Yassine
|
— | — |
League table at abandonment edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ansar | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 6 | Qualification for AFC Cup group stage |
| 2 | Bourj | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | Nejmeh | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 | |
| 4 | Shabab Sahel | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| 5 | Akhaa Ahli Aley | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 6 | Safa | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 | |
| 7 | Ahed | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 | |
| 8 | Salam Zgharta | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
| 9 | Tripoli | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | |
| 10 | Shabab Bourj | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 3 | |
| 11 | Tadamon Sour | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 1 | Relegation to Lebanese Second Division |
| 12 | Chabab Ghazieh | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Draw.
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ "Circular No. 2019/38". Lebanese Football Association. 17 July 2019.
- ^ "توقيع عقد رعاية JAKO للدوري اللبناني لكرة القدم". football-lebanon.com. 30 July 2019. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
- ^ "القرار المرّ: نشاط الفوتبول معلّق حتى إشعار آخر". الأخبار (in Arabic). Retrieved 27 January 2020.
- ^ "رسميا.. إلغاء الموسم الكروي في لبنان". كووورة. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ ""زعيم الضاحية" يعود". lebanonfg.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ "شباب البرج يتأهل لأول مرة في تاريخه إلى دوري الأضواء". كووورة. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
- ^ للإعلام, الوكالة الوطنية. "بطولة كرة القدم: البقاع إلى الدرجة الثانية ومعركة مفتوحة على هوية ثاني الهابطين". الوكالة الوطنية للإعلام (in Arabic). Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ للإعلام, الوكالة الوطنية. "هبوط الراسينغ بيروت الى الدرجة الثانية والأنصار يقترب من مركز الوصيف". الوكالة الوطنية للإعلام (in Arabic). Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- ^ "2018/2019 Lebanese Premier League Squads confirmed". FA Lebanon. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
- ^ Gineprini, Nicholas (20 March 2019). "Is a limit on foreign players, a limit for the development of Asian Football?". Calcio8Cina. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
External links edit
