Libyan Premier League

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.

Libyan Premier League
Organising bodyLibyan Football Federation (LFF)
Founded1963 (1963)
CountryLibya
ConfederationCAF
Number of teams24
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toLibyan First Division
Domestic cup(s)Libyan Cup
Libyan SuperCup
International cup(s)CAF Champions League
CAF Confederation Cup
Current championsAl-Nasr (2nd title)
Most championshipsAl-Ittihad (16 titles)
TV partnersLibya Sport TV
Current: 2020-21

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 Hilal Sabha. After the withdrawal of Hilal Sabha 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)
16
7
 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
Al Ahli (Tripoli)
12
9
 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)
4
8
 1969–70, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1991–92
Al Madina (Tripoli)
3
2
 1975–76, 1982–83, 2000–01
Al Tahaddi (Benghazi)
3
1
 1966–68, 1976–77, 1996–97
Al Nasr (Benghazi)
2
4
 1987, 2017–18
Al Mahala (Tripoli)
2
1
 1997–98, 1998–99
Al Dhahra
1
0
 1984–85
Al Shat
1
0
 1995–96
Al Olympique
1
0
 2003–04

Titles by city
City Titles Winning Clubs
Tripoli
35
 Al Ittihad (16), Al Ahli (12), Al Madina (3), Al Mahala (2), Al Dhahra (1), Al Shat (1)
Benghazi
9
 Al Ahly (4), Al Tahaddi (3), Al Nasr (2)
Zawiya
1
 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:

SeasonPlayerClubGoals
1963-64 Ahmed Ben Soueid Al Ahly (Benghazi) 19
1964-65 Ahmed Ben Soueid Al Ahly (Benghazi) 18
1965-66 Ahmed Al Ahwal Al Ittihad 14
1966-67 Hassan Snousi Al Ahli (Tripoli) 12
1968-69 Mohamed Boughalia Al Ahli (Tripoli) 16
1970-71 Yousef Sidqi Al Nasr 15
1971-72 Yousef Sidqi Al Nasr 12
1972-73 Nouri Alsirri Al Madina 17
1973-74 Nouri Alsirri Al Madina 13
1974-75 Nouri Alsirri Al Madina 17
1975-76 Mustafa Belhaaj Al Madina 19
1976-77 Abubakr Douzan Al Madina 15
1977-78 Fahim Raqs Al Ahli (Tripoli) 8
1982-83 Nouri Alsirri Al Madina 17
1983-84 Abdulraouf Ferjany Al Dhahra 11
1984-85 Ramadan Barnaoui Al Ahly (Benghazi) 9
1985-86 Salim Bou Jarrad Al Ittihad 11
1986-87 Faraj Bar'asi Al Nasr 12
1987-88 Salim Bou Jarrad Al Ittihad 11
1988-89 Faraj Meeloud Al Tahaddi 6
1989-90 Ali Bashary
Nasr Badr		 Al Ahly (Benghazi)
Afriqi		 11
1990-91 Idris Mikraaz Darnes 11
1991-92 Abdelhakeem Suwayyah Al Tirsana 12
1992-93 Abdelhakeem Suwayyah Al Tirsana 14
1993-94 Idrees Mikraaz Al Ahli (Tripoli) 19
1994-95 Mohamed Milaad
Hassan Othman		 Ittihad Gheryan
Al Morooj		 6
1995-96 Muammar Masoud Al Shat 10
1996-97 Khalifa Maqinny Al Hilal 12
1997-98 Khalifa Maqinny Al Hilal 14
1998-99 Mustafa Ramadan
Abdelaaty Qubay		 Al Ahly (Benghazi)
Al Intilaaq		 13
2000 Ahmed Saad Benghazi Al Jadeeda 8
2000-01 Ashraf Muammar
Ali Melyaan		 Al Tahaddi
Al Madina		 14
2001-02 Al-Saadi Gaddafi Al Ittihad 19
2002-03 Ahmed El Masli
Khaled Shallabi		 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 Walid Shebli Al Madina 13
2007-08 Abdelhameed Zidane 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
  1. IFFHS. Archived from the original.
  2. "Libya - List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  3. "Algeria offer to step in for Libya". aljazeera.com. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  4. Stadium information at goalzz.com
  5. Regulations at LFF (in Arabic)
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