Libyan Premier League
| Organising body | Libyan Football Federation (LFF) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1963 |
| Country | Libya |
| Confederation | CAF |
| Number of teams | 24 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Libyan First Division |
| Domestic cup(s) | Libyan Cup Libyan SuperCup |
| International cup(s) | CAF Champions League CAF Confederation Cup |
| Current champions | Al-Ittihad (17th title) |
| Most championships | Al-Ittihad (17 titles) |
| TV partners | Libya Sport TV |
| Current: | |
The Libyan Premier League(Arabic: الدوري الليبي الممتاز) is the men's top professional football division of the Libyan football league system. Administered by the Competition Organizing Committee in the Libyan Football Federation (Arabic: لجنة تنظيم المسابقات بالإتحاد الليبي لكرة القدم), Libyan Premier League is contested by 24 teams divided into two groups of 12, with the two lowest-placed teams of each group relegated to the First Division.
51 have competed in Libyan Premier League since its inception. Ten teams have been crowned champions, with Al-Ittihad winning the title a record 16 times and Al-Ahly Tripoli 12 times being the dominating clubs of the tournament. Al-Ahly Tripoli won the inaugural Premier League in 1963. Al-Ahly Tripoli and Al-Ahly Benghazi dominated the championship in the 1970s, winning four titles and two titles respectively throughout the decade. Al-Ittihad dominated the League through the 2000s, winning 8 titles.
The league has been ranked by the IFFHS as the 56th highest in the world for 2009, making it the sixth highest ranked league in the Arab world, after the Saudi Professional League (32nd), the Egyptian Premier League (34th), the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 (48th), the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 (54th) and the Sudan Premier League (55th), and the eighth highest in Africa, after the Nigerian Professional Football League (30th), Egyptian Premier League, the Girabola in Angola (42nd), Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1, Zambia Super League (53rd), Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 and Sudan Premier League.[1]
History[]
The Libyan Premier League was founded in 1963. Prior to that, there were three Provincial Championships, one each for the Eastern, Western and Southern provinces. The first league season at national level was the 1963-64 season, in which participated the Western Province champion Al Ahly (Tripoli), the Eastern Province champion Al Ahly (Benghazi) and the Southern Province champion . After the withdrawal of due to lack of resources, the league was limited to just two teams. Al Ahly (Tripoli) defeated Al Ahly (Benghazi) 2-0 over two matches (1-0 home and away) to become the first Libyan Premier League champions.
Winners[]
Al Ittihad are the most successful Libyan club, having won 16 titles, including 6 straight titles (from 2004–05 to 2009–10. Their arch rivals Al Ahly (Tripoli) have won it 12 times.
The last team to win the title from outside the capital was al-Olomby, who won the league in the 2003–04 season. The Big Two (Al Ahly (Tripoli) & Al Ittihad) have won 27 of the 43 titles that have been contested since 1964.
Champions by season[]
Winners are:[2]
|
|
|
Performance by club[]
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Ittihad (Tripoli) | 1964–65, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2020–21 | ||
| Al Ahli (Tripoli) | 1963–64, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1983–84, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2000, 2013–14, 2015–16 | ||
| Al Ahly (Benghazi) | 1969–70, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1991–92 | ||
| Al Madina (Tripoli) | 1975–76, 1982–83, 2000–01 | ||
| Al Tahaddi (Benghazi) | 1966–68, 1976–77, 1996–97 | ||
| Al Nasr (Benghazi) | 1987, 2017–18 | ||
| Al Mahala (Tripoli) | 1997–98, 1998–99 | ||
| Al Dhahra | 1984–85 | ||
| Al Shat | 1995–96 | ||
| Al Olympique | 2003–04 |
Titles by city[]
| City | Titles | Winning Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Tripoli | Al Ittihad (17), Al Ahli (12), Al Madina (3), Al Mahala (2), Al Dhahra (1), Al Shat (1) | |
| Benghazi | Al Ahly (4), Al Tahaddi (3), Al Nasr (2) | |
| Zawiya | Al Olympique (1) |
2013–14 Clubs[]
| Team | Location | Sha'biyah | Stadium | Capacity[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Ahli | Tripoli | Tripoli | June 11 Stadium | 65,000 |
| Al Ahly | Benghazi | Benghazi | Martyrs of February Stadium | 10,550 |
| Al Akhdar | Bayda | Jabal al Akhdar | Sheikh Chadae Stadium | 10,000 |
| Al Hilal | Benghazi | Benghazi | Martyrs of February Stadium | 10,550 |
| Al Ittihad | Tripoli | Tripoli | June 11 Stadium | 65,000 |
| Al Madina | Tripoli | Tripoli | June 11 Stadium | 65,000 |
| Al Najma | Benghazi | Benghazi | Martyrs of February Stadium | 10,550 |
| Al Nasr | Benghazi | Benghazi | Martyrs of February Stadium | 10,550 |
| Al Olympique | Zawiya | Zawiya | Zaawia Stadium | 6,000 |
| Al Shat (R) | Tripoli | Tripoli | GMR Stadium | 20,000 |
| Al Swihli | Misrata | Misrata | 9th July Stadium | 10,000 |
| Al Tahaddi (R) | Benghazi | Benghazi | March 28 Stadium | 55,000 |
| Al Tirsana (R) | Tripoli | Tripoli | GMR Stadium | 20,000 |
| Al Wahda | Tripoli | Tripoli | Ali Alsgozy Stadium | 3,000 |
| Darnes | Derna | Bayda | Al Bayda Stadium | 10,000 |
| Khaleej Sirte (R) | Sirte | Sirte | 2 March Stadium | 2,000 |
Top scorers by season[]
Top scorers are:[citation needed]
| Season | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963-64 |  Ahmed Ben Soueid
|
Al Ahly (Benghazi) | 19 |
| 1964-65 | Ahmed Ben Soueid
|
Al Ahly (Benghazi) | 18 |
| 1965-66 |
|
Al Ittihad | 14 |
|
|
Al Ahli (Tripoli) | 12 | |
| 1968-69 |
|
Al Ahli (Tripoli) | 16 |
| 1970-71 | 
|
Al Nasr | 15 |
| 1971-72 |
|
Al Nasr | 12 |
| 1972-73 | 
|
Al Madina | 17 |
| 1973-74 |
|
Al Madina | 13 |
| 1974-75 |
|
Al Madina | 17 |
| 1975-76 |
|
Al Madina | 19 |
| 1976-77 |
|
Al Madina | 15 |
| 1977-78 | 
|
Al Ahli (Tripoli) | 8 |
| 1982-83 |
|
Al Madina | 17 |
| 1983-84 |
|
Al Dhahra | 11 |
| 1984-85 |
|
Al Ahly (Benghazi) | 9 |
| 1985-86 |
|
Al Ittihad | 11 |
| 1986-87 |
|
Al Nasr | 12 |
| 1987-88 |
|
Al Ittihad | 11 |
| 1988-89 |
|
Al Tahaddi | 6 |
| 1989-90 |
|
Al Ahly (Benghazi) Afriqi |
11 |
| 1990-91 |
|
Darnes | 11 |
| 1991-92 |
|
Al Tirsana | 12 |
| 1992-93 |
|
Al Tirsana | 14 |
| 1993-94 |
|
Al Ahli (Tripoli) | 19 |
| 1994-95 |
|
Ittihad Gheryan |
6 |
| 1995-96 |
|
Al Shat | 10 |
| 1996-97 |
|
Al Hilal | 12 |
| 1997-98 |
|
Al Hilal | 14 |
| 1998-99 |
|
Al Ahly (Benghazi) |
13 |
| 2000 | Ahmed Saad
|
8 | |
| 2000-01 |
|
Al Tahaddi Al Madina |
14 |
| 2001-02 | Al-Saadi Gaddafi
|
Al Ittihad | 19 |
| 2002-03 | Ahmed El Masli
|
Al Nasr Al Madina |
13 |
| 2003-04 | Ahmed Saad
|
Al Nasr | 14 |
| 2004-05 |  Sheikh Sedao
|
Al Urouba | 12 |
| 2005-06 | Samir Al Wahaj
|
Al Wahda | 18 |
| 2006-07 |
|
Al Madina | 13 |
| 2007-08 |
|
Al Akhdar | 21 |
| 2008-09 | Samir Al Wahaj
|
Al Tirsana | 19 |
| 2009-10 |  Rasheed al Deasy
|
Al Shat | 15 |
| 2015-16 |  Salem Roma
|
Al Nasr | 8 |
Regulations[]
The rules can be found on the official LFF website.[5]
References[]
- ^ IFFHS. Archived from the original.
- ^ "Libya - List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
- ^ "Algeria offer to step in for Libya". aljazeera.com. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ Stadium information at goalzz.com
- ^ Regulations at LFF (in Arabic)
External links[]
- Libyan Premier League
- Top level football leagues in Africa