 07-04-08, 05:17 PM | #1 (permalink) |
| Hot Prospect Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Dublin Posts: 93 Thanks: 5 Thanked 29 Times in 28 Posts Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTW/F/M Award(s): 0 |  Israeli League - Ligat ha'Al (Super League)
Ligat ha'Al (Super League), often referred to as the Israeli Premier League and currently known as Ligat Toto (for sponsorship reasons, is the top division in the Israeli football league system.
Competition Format
There are 12 clubs in the league. During the course of a season each club plays the others three times, with the third round matches scheduled according to positions after the first two rounds. At the end of each season the two lowest placed teams are relegated to Liga Leumit and the top two teams from Liga Leumit are promoted in their place.
The top team in the league qualifies for the early qualification stages of the UEFA Champions League, this means they must win a two-legged knockout tie in order to enter the group phase. The second and third placed teams together with the State Cup winner qualify for the early qualification stages of the UEFA Cup, though if the State Cup champions finish in the top three, the State Cup's UEFA Cup spot goes to the fourth placed team in the League.
If the cup winner is not one of the top four clubs in the table, the forth club qualifies for the second stage of the UEFA Intertoto Cup that leads to qualify in the UEFA Cup. If the cup winner is one of the top four clubs in the table, the ticket to the Intertoto Cup moves to the fifth place in this league
A Brief History
Ligat ha'Al was created in 1999 to replace Liga Leumit (which became the second tier) when the Israel Football Association decided to reshuffle all the leagues in hopes of improving competition. In its first season there were 14 clubs; the top thirteen clubs from the 1998-99 season and the top place club from the Liga Artzit (then the second division). That season three clubs were relegated and one from Liga Leumit was promoted. Over the years the league has changed names though the new names were simply commercial rebranding, including Ligat Pelephone and Ligat Toto
Clubs
Beitar Jerusalem
Bnei Sakhnin
Bnei Yehuda
FC Ashdod
Hapoel Kfar Saba
Hapoel Tel Aviv
Ironi Kiryat Shmona
Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Herzliya
Maccabi Netanya
Maccabi Petah Tikva
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Player rules
Teams are limited to five foreign players per team.
Conclusion
This is a tough league and is mainly dominated by Maccabi Haifa although the current champions are Beitar Jerusalem. Restrictions on this league mean that you can have no more than five non-Israeli players in your squad thus making you depend on Israeli born players. This has seen a surge from the national team but can make managing the smaller clubs difficult as the big clubs have all the best Israeli players.
Israeli clubs play in European competitions, which adds a dept to the league.
The league attracts players from South America (mainly Brazilian) and African footballers. There is also a few French players there too but no big stars to mention. The best Israeli players leave their national league to test themselves at a higher standard too, which means there is not a great, standard of players in the league.
Financially the big clubs are relatively strong, they can pay a good wage, which can attract good players.
Overall a challenging league but a passionate league too, although it can be extremely challenging if you not one of the big clubs |
 League Champions 1951/52, 1954/55, 1955/56, 1989/90, 1995/96, 1996/98, 1998/99, 2001/02 Runners-Up 1960/61, 1987/88 F.A.I. Cup Winners 1958/59, 1960/61 Runners-Up 1954, 1967, 1974, 1980, 1996, 2003, 2006 |
 |  |
