2019–20 Lebanese Premier League
Lebanese Premier League 2019-2020
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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
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
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
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] | N/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] | N/a |
| Tadamon Sour | Tyre | Sour Municipal Stadium | 6,500 |
| Tripoli | Tripoli | Tripoli Municipal Stadium | 22,000 |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahed |  Bassem Marmar |
Haytham Faour |
14Fourteen | ORCA Limited |
| Akhaa Ahli Aley |  Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail |
 Mohamad Abou Atik |
Jako | N/a |
| Ansar |  Nizar Mahrous |
Mootaz El Jounaidi |
14Fourteen | Green Glory |
| Bourj | Mohamad Dakka |
Walid Ismail |
Jako | Hareb Chiken / Home Depot of Lebanon |
| Chabab Ghazieh | Hassan Hassoun |
Ali Leila |
P4 | N/a |
| Nejmeh |  Mohamed Abdel Azim |
Ali Hamam |
Capelli Sport | alfa / Nexen Tire |
| Safa |  Robert Jaspert |
Mohamed Zein Tahan |
Jako | N/a |
| Salam Zgharta | Ahmed Kadhim |
Jean Jaques Yammine |
Capelli Sport | SGBL |
| Shabab Bourj | Ibrahim Itani |
Alaa Hamieh |
14Fourteen | Al Aman Trust Insurance / Lancaster Hotels & Suites |
| Shabab Sahel | Mahmoud Hammoud |
Zoheir Abdallah |
Jako | XGLOBAL Markets / Sahel General Hospital |
| Tadamon Sour | Mohamad Zoheir |
Bilal Hajjo |
14Fourteen | Credit Libanais |
| Tripoli | Ahmad Hafez |
Ahmad Moghrabi |
Joma | Azm & Saade Association |
Foreign players
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
| 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
- Only used as a training ground.
