Lebanese Premier League 2020-2021
|
Season |
2020-2021 |
|
Dates |
3 October 2020 – 24 April 2021 |
|
Champions |
Ansar |
|
AFC Cup |
Ansar Winners of the Lebanese FA Cup or Nejmeh |
|
Relegated |
Salam Zgharta Shabab Al-Ghazieh |
|
Matches played |
96 |
|
Goals scored |
211 (2.2 goals/match on average) |
|
Top goalscorer |
Hassan Maatouk (Ansar) – 14 goals |
|
Biggest home win |
Ansar – Salam Zgharta 6-0 (round 7, 8 December 2020) |
|
Biggest away win |
Salam Zgharta – Nejmeh 0-4 (round 2, 11 October 2020) |
|
Highest scoring |
Ansar – Safa 6-1 (round 6, 6 November 2020) |
|
Longest winning run |
Ansar (4 matches, rounds 1-4 regular and rounds 2-5 in the play-off) Nejmeh (4 matches, round 11 regular – round 3 in the play-off) |
|
Longest unbeaten run |
Nejmeh (15 matches, round 1 regular – round 4 in the play-off) |
|
Longest winless run |
Salam Zgharta (16 matches – they did not win a single match) |
|
Longest losing run |
Salam Zgharta (12 matches, round 5 regular – round 5 in the play-off) |
Competition details and format
The Lebanese Premier League, or simply the Lebanese League, represents the top tier of the football system in Lebanon. It is organised by the Lebanese Football Association and the 2020-2021 season was the 59th completed since its establishment in 1934. Because the 2019-2020 season was cancelled due to the ongoing economic and political crisis, to which the COVID-19 pandemic was added in 2020, the 2020-2021 season involved the same 12 teams as the 2019-2020 season. The competition was scheduled to start on the 18th of September 2020, but due to COVID-19 pandemic the start was postponed for the 3rd of October 2020. Very strict health-related rules were implemented for the teams, including staff and players, and spectators were not allowed in the stands. Al Ahed were the defending champions, winning the third consecutive title and their seventh overall in 2019. However, they failed to defend their title and even had problems in qualifying for the play-off stage, eventually finishing fourth. Ansar won their first title since 2007 and their 14th title overall, after winning 2-1 over Nejmeh in a decisive match played in the last round of the play-off stage.
The competition format was changed with respect to previous seasons and it was the first time that there were two different stages. In the first (regular) stage, the established format was a single round-robin championship, each team playing all other teams once, a total of 11 rounds. Initially set to start on the 18th of September 2020, this stage eventually started on the 3rd of October 2020 and was scheduled to end on the 20th of December 2020. However, after six rounds, the league took a break due to the matches of the national teams in mid-November and during that period the authorities imposed a new lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic, prohibiting all sporting activities, including football. Due to negotiations between football authorities and the government, the league resumed on the 8th of December 2020, with five rounds to play in the first stage. Ansar won the first stage but Nejmeh and Shabab Sahel followed closely.
After the first stage, there was a winter break, initially scheduled around Christmas and the New Year, which was also a transfer window period. The break started later, after the last round of the first stage, on 3 January 2021, and lasted much longer than expected, until 19 March 2021, due to a new wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Lebanon.
For the second stage, teams were be divided into two groups: the top 6 teams played each other once for the championship title in a play-off group, while the bottom 6 teams played each other once to avoid relegation, in a play-out group. Points earned in the first stage were carried over in the second stage. The second stage started on 19 March, had a break at the end of March for the matches of the national teams, and ended on 24 April 2021 with the last game of the play-off, which decided the title winners, Ansar.
Matches were played on Saturdays and Sundays, and rarely on Fridays. Starting with the seventh round, some of the matches were played mid-week, on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. The usual kick-off time was in the afternoon. MTV Lebanon had the broadcasting rights for all the matches of the Lebanese Premier League but they broadcasted only some of the matches, on different media outlets, including their TV channel, YouTube channel and Facebook. The other matches were broadcasted by the Lebanon FA on their YouTube channel.
Matches in the first stage of the season were played according to a drawing of lots. Because of this system, some teams had a higher number of matches on their home ground than others. However, the location of some of the matches was changed in order to provide a more balanced and equal situation for all the teams, and therefore some of the matches were played on neutral grounds. In the second stage of the season, teams played each other according to the table after the first stage, in two groups: the top 6 teams will be involved in the play-off (championship) group, while the bottom 6 teams will be included in the play-out group. Matches in the second stage were scheduled in such a way that the first classified will play the last classified in the first round and then with each team upper classified in the table, until they play the second classified in the last round. Therefore the potentially decisive matches were scheduled in the last round. This year, this system made that the last match of the season, between Ansar (first after the first stage) and Nejmeh (second after the first stage), decided the title winners.
The champions Ansar have the right to play in the AFC Champions League in the next season (2021-2022) if they meet the criteria set by the AFC. If so, the runners-up (Nejmeh) and the Lebanese FA Cup winners will have the right to participate in the next year AFC Cup. If the FA Cup winners are classified first or second, then the third classified (Shabab Sahel) are allowed to play in the AFC Cup. However, due to the ongoing economic problems in Lebanon, it is most likely that the champions will only play in the AFC Cup, along with the Lebanese FA Cup winners. The teams classified in the upper half of the table (position 1 through 6) will play the Elite Cup in summer 2021, while the teams classified in the lower half of the table (position 7 through 10), except the relegated ones (classified 11th and 12th), will play in the Challenge Cup in summer 2021, together with the two teams promoted from the Second Division at the end of the 2020-2021 season. The last two teams in the classification, Salam Zgharta and Shabab Al Ghazieh, were relegated to the Second Division.
The defending champions, Al Ahed, were among the main favourites for the title this year. However, they had a weak start of the competition and barely managed to classify in the top six at the end of the first stage. The main contenders for the title proved to be Ansar and Nejmeh, which classified mostly second and third in recent years. Ansar were on top of the table almost from the beginning until the end, but Nejmeh closed the gap with a 2-1 win over Ansar in round 8 of the first stage, which made that Ansar, Nejmeh and (surprisingly) Shabab Sahel were tied on points at that time. In the remaining three rounds of the first stage, however, Ansar won all the matches, while Nejmeh had one draw (with Al Ahed) and Shabab Sahel lost to Nejmeh in the last round, therefore Ansar finished leaders of the first stage, two points ahead of Nejmeh and three points ahead of Shabab Sahel.
The second stage started badly for Ansar, which drew 2-2 with Safa, allowing Nejmeh to level the gap. In the second round, Nejmeh won 3-0 over Shabab Sahel, taking them out of the fight for the title. Ansar and Nejmeh continued head-to-head, Nejmeh having the advantage of their first stage win over Ansar with two rounds to go. However, Nejmeh drew unexpectedly with Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley, 0-0 in the penultimate round, allowing Ansar to take the lead right before the last round and their decisive match. Ansar only needed a draw in this game against Nejmeh, but they won 2-1 to claim their first title in 14 years. Nejmeh came second and Shabab Sahel third. Al Ahed, the defending champions, finished fourth, ahead of Safa, fifth, due to their better results in head-to-head matches.
Except for Ansar, Nejmeh and Al Ahed, the usual title contenders, the other teams were likely to fight for the fourth place at best. Their realistic goal was to classify in the upper half of the table (positions 4 through 6) at the end of the first stage, in order to play the championship play-off and the Elite Cup next summer and to stay away from relegation as much as possible. The teams from Beirut area or the surroundings of the capital, Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley, Shabab Sahel and Safa, as well as newly-promoted Bourj FC and Shabab El Bourj, were credited with most chances to get a place in the upper half, forming a group of mid-table teams. Shabab Sahel succeeded to break into the top three after a very good first stage and remained there until the end of the season. Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley started very well and finished the first stage in fourth position but eventually finished sixth. Safa barely managed to classify in the top six, but had a better second stage. Bourj FC and Shabab El Bourj had a disappointing first stage, and missed the play-off. In the play-out group they had no worries regarding relegation and competed for the seventh place, eventually claimed by Bourj FC due to their better head-to-head results.
All the other teams were involved in the fight to avoid relegation. Salam Zgharta, Tadamon Sour, AC Tripoli and Shabab Al-Ghazieh have all escaped relegation by a small margin in 2018-2019 and they were expected to be the contenders in the lower part of the table. AC Tripoli had a better season than the others and were well above the relegation area for most of the season. At the lower end, Salam Zgharta had one of the weakest seasons imaginable, claiming a single point in 16 matches, and were mathematically relegated after their 2-1 defeat to Tadamon Sour with three rounds to go. The fight to avoid the other relegation spot was between Tadamon Sour and Shabab Al Ghazieh for most of the season. At the end of the first stage, Tadamon Sour only had one point ahead of Shabab Al Ghazieh, but this gap increased to five points after the first three rounds of the play-off, where Tadamon Sour did not lose a single match. Despite winning 3-0 over Salam Zgharta in round 4 of the play-out, Shabab Al Ghazieh were mathematically relegated because Tadamon Sour also won 1-0 over AC Tripoli, therefore maintaining the five point gap between them before the last round. As a consequence, the potentially decisive match between Tadamon Sour and Shabab Al Ghazieh in the last round (which ended 1-1) eventually had no impact on relegation.
Team changes from the 2019-2020
There were no changes, as the 2019-2020 season had been cancelled.
Teams
Please note that teams, especially those in Beirut and the southern suburbs of Beirut, played their home matches on two different grounds and may have an additional stadium of their own, used only as a training ground. Most of the stadiums in Beirut were no longer available for league matches. Many matches were played on neutral grounds. Only 8 stadiums were allowed to host Premier League matches in the first stage, with a ninth (Ansar) added in the second stage.
|
Team |
Home town |
Stadium |
Capacity |
2018-2019 |
|
Al Ahed |
Bourj el-Barajneh (Ouzai) |
Al Ahed |
2,000 |
Champions |
|
Saida International |
22,600 |
|||
|
Al Ansar |
Beirut (Tariq el Jdideh) |
Ansar[1] |
500 |
Runners-up |
|
Saida International |
22,600 |
|||
|
Tripoli Municipal |
10,000 |
|||
|
Nejmeh |
Beirut (Ras Beirut) |
Rafic El Hariri[2] |
5,000 |
3rd |
|
Fouad Chehab |
5,000 |
|||
|
Al Akhaa Al Ahly |
Aley |
Amin Abdelnour |
3,500 |
4th |
|
Al Ahed |
2,000 |
|||
|
Shabab Sahel |
Haret Hreik |
Shabab Sahel[3] |
500 |
5th |
|
Al Ahed |
2,000 |
|||
|
Saida International |
22,600 |
|||
|
Shabab Al-Ghazieh |
Al Ghazieh |
Al Ghazieh[4] |
N/A |
6th |
|
Kfarjoz |
2,000 |
|||
|
Amin Abdelnour |
3,500 |
|||
|
Tadamon Sour |
Tyre |
Sour Municipal |
6,500 |
7th |
|
Fouad Chehab |
5,000 |
|||
|
AC Tripoli |
Tripoli |
Tripoli Municipal |
10,000 |
8th |
|
Al Ahed |
2,000 |
|||
|
Salam Zgharta |
Zgharta |
Mirdachiyyé |
5,000 |
9th |
|
Safa SC |
Beirut (Wata el-Museitbeh) |
Safa[5] |
4,000 |
10th |
|
Fouad Chehab |
5,000 |
|||
|
Al Ahed |
2,000 |
|||
|
Bourj FC |
Bourj el-Barajneh |
Bourj el-Barajneh[6] |
1,500 |
Promoted |
|
Saida International |
22,600 |
|||
|
Al Ahed |
2,000 |
|||
|
Shabab El Bourj |
Bourj el-Barajneh |
Bourj el-Barajneh[7] |
1,500 |
Promoted |
|
Al Ahed |
2,000 |
|||
|
Fouad Chehab |
5,000 |
Geographical distribution of teams
Most
of the teams (7 out of 12) are from Beirut and the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Another team, Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley, is located in the Mount Lebanon
Governorate, also not far from Beirut. Two teams are located in the North
Governorate (AC Tripoli and Salam Zgharta). Other two teams are located in the
South Governorate (Tadamon Sour and Shabab Al-Ghazieh).
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_Lebanese_Premier_League
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_Lebanese_Premier_League
|
Part of Lebanon |
No. of teams |
Teams |
|
Beirut (proper) |
3 |
Al Ansar, Nejmeh, Safa SC |
|
Southern suburbs of Beirut[8] |
4 |
Al Ahed, Bourj, Shabab El Bourj, Shabab Sahel |
|
North |
2 |
AC Tripoli, Salam Zgharta |
|
Mount Lebanon[9] |
1 |
Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley |
|
South |
2 |
Tadamon Sour, Shabab Al-Ghazieh |
Foreign players
For the first time in Lebanese football history, foreign players were not allowed in the squads, except for Lebanese-born Palestinian players. The reasons were mainly economic ones, as the Lebanese economy was in a very poor state, and health-related ones, due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Compulsory use of young players
Starting with this season, all teams had to use at least three young players, under 22 years of age, in the Premier League. There should be a minimum of 600 aggregate minutes played by one such player, a minimum of 800 combined minutes played by two young players and a minimum of 1200 combined minutes for three young players.
If teams failed to comply, three points would have been deducted at the end of the season.
Also, only eight players above the age of 30 were allowed in a roster, and only five of them could be used simultaneously in the field.
First stage
Round 1 (3-4 October 2020)
Safa – Nejmeh 1-1
Shabab Sahel – AC Tripoli 1-0
Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley – Shabab Al-Ghazieh 1-0
Tadamon Sour – Ansar 0-1
Salam Zgharta – Shabab El Bourj 0-3
Bourj – Al Ahed 2-3
Round 2 (10-11 October 2020)
Tadamon Sour – Shabab Al-Ghazieh 0-1
Al Ahed – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley 0-1
Shabab El Bourj – Ansar 0-2
AC Tripoli – Safa 0-3
Shabab Sahel – Bourj 0-0
Salam Zgharta – Nejmeh 0-4
Round 3 (17-18 October 2020)
Safa – Bourj 1-4
Salam Zgharta – AC Tripoli 0-3
Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley – Shabab Sahel 1-1
Ansar – Shabab Al-Ghazieh 3-0
Tadamon Sour – Al Ahed 0-0
Shabab El Bourj – Nejmeh 1-1
Round 4 (23-25 October 2020)
Shabab El Bourj – Shabab Al-Ghazieh 4-1
Safa – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley 0-2
Shabab Sahel – Tadamon Sour 1-0
AC Tripoli – Nejmeh 0-3
Salam Zgharta – Bourj 2-2
Ansar – Al Ahed 3-1
Round 5 (31 October – 1 November 2020)
Nejmeh – Bourj 2-0
Salam Zgharta – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley 0-1
Shabab Al-Ghazieh – Al Ahed 0-1
Ansar – Shabab Sahel 0-1
Tadamon Sour – Safa 0-3 (awarded, initially 0-2 in the field)
Shabab
El Bourj – AC Tripoli 0-1
Round 6 (6-8 November 2020)
Ansar – Safa 6-1
Shabab El Bourj – Ahed 1-1
Shabab Al-Ghazieh – Shabab Sahel 0-2
Nejmeh – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley 1-1
Salam Zgharta – Tadamon Sour 0-2
AC Tripoli – Bourj 0-0
Round 7 (8-9 December 2020)
Ansar – Salam Zgharta 6-0
Shabab Al-Ghazieh – Safa 0-1
Al Ahed – Shabab Sahel 0-0
Nejmeh – Tadamon Sour 2-0
AC Tripoli – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley 0-0
Shabab El Bourj – Bourj 0-1
Round 8 (12-13 December 2020)
AC Tripoli – Tadamon Sour 0-0
Shabab Al-Ghazieh – Salam Zgharta 2-1
Al Ahed – Safa 2-1
Bourj – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley 0-0
Shabab El Bourj – Shabab Sahel 0-1
Nejmeh – Ansar 2-1
Round 9 (18-20 December 2020)
Bourj – Tadamon Sour 0-0
Al Ahed – Salam Zgharta 3-0
Shabab Al-Ghazieh – Nejmeh 1-3
Shabab El Bourj – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley 2-0
Shabab Sahel – Safa 1-0
AC Tripoli – Ansar 0-1
Round 10 (25-27 December 2020)
Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley – Tadamon Sour 1-0
AC Tripoli – Shabab Al-Ghazieh 2-1
Shabab El Bourj – Safa 1-2
Bourj – Ansar 0-3
Shabab Sahel – Salam Zgharta 4-0
Al Ahed – Nejmeh 2-2
Round 11 (2-3 January 2021)
Al Ahed – AC Tripoli 0-0
Shabab El Bourj – Tadamon Sour 1-1
Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley – Ansar 0-2
Safa – Salam Zgharta 5-0
Bourj – Shabab Al-Ghazieh 3-0
Shabab Sahel – Nejmeh 1-2
Final table of the regular season
|
1 |
Ansar |
11 |
9 |
0 |
2 |
28-5 |
27 |
Qualified for the play-off |
|
2 |
Nejmeh |
11 |
7 |
4 |
0 |
23-8 |
25 |
Qualified for the play-off |
|
3 |
Shabab Sahel |
11 |
7 |
3 |
1 |
13-3 |
24 |
Qualified for the play-off |
|
4 |
Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley |
11 |
5 |
4 |
2 |
8-6 |
19 |
Qualified for the play-off |
|
5 |
Al Ahed |
11 |
4 |
5 |
2 |
13-10 |
17 |
Qualified for the play-off |
|
6 |
Safa |
11 |
5 |
1 |
5 |
18-17 |
16 |
Qualified for the play-off |
|
7 |
Bourj |
11 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
12-11 |
14 |
Qualified for the play-out |
|
8 |
AC Tripoli |
11 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
6-9 |
13 |
Qualified for the play-out |
|
9 |
Shabab El Bourj |
11 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
13-11 |
12 |
Qualified for the play-out |
|
10 |
Tadamon Sour |
11 |
1 |
4 |
6 |
3-10 |
7 |
Qualified for the play-out |
|
11 |
Shabab Al-Ghazieh |
11 |
2 |
0 |
9 |
6-21 |
6 |
Qualified for the play-out |
|
12 |
Salam Zgharta |
11 |
0 |
1 |
10 |
3-35 |
1 |
Qualified for the play-out |
If two or more teams have the same number of points, the results of direct matches between them are the main ranking criteria.
Second Stage
Play-off
Round 1 (19 March 2021)
Ansar – Safa 2-2
Shabab Sahel – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley 1-0
Nejmeh – Al Ahed 1-0
Round 2 (2 April 2021)
Ansar – Al Ahed 1-0
Nejmeh – Shabab Sahel 3-0
Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley – Safa 0-1
Round 3 (10 April 2021)
Ansar – Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley 2-0
Safa – Nejmeh 0-3
Al Ahed – Shabab Sahel 2-1
Round 4 (18 April 2021)
Ansar – Shabab Sahel 2-0
Safa – Al Ahed 3-3
Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley – Nejmeh 0-0
Round 5 (23-24 April 2021)
Shabab Sahel – Safa 0-1
Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley – Al Ahed 0-2
Ansar – Nejmeh 2-1
Final table of the play-off stage
|
1 |
Ansar |
16 |
13 |
1 |
2 |
37-8 |
40 |
Qualification to the AFC Cup |
|
2 |
Nejmeh |
16 |
10 |
5 |
1 |
31-10 |
35 |
Possible qualification to the AFC Cup |
|
3 |
Shabab Sahel |
16 |
8 |
3 |
5 |
15-11 |
27 |
|
|
4 |
Al Ahed |
16 |
6 |
6 |
4 |
20-16 |
24 |
|
|
5 |
Safa |
16 |
7 |
3 |
6 |
25-25 |
24 |
|
|
6 |
Al Akhaa Al Ahly Aley |
16 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
8-12 |
20 |
|
If two or more teams have the same number of points, the results of head-to-head matches between them are the main ranking criteria.
Play-out
Round 1 (20 March 2021)
AC Tripoli – Shabab Al-Ghazieh 1-0
Bourj – Salam Zgharta 3-0
Shabab El Bourj – Tadamon Sour 0-0
Round 2 (30-31 March 2021)
Salam Zgharta – Tadamon Sour 1-2
Bourj – Shabab Al-Ghazieh 1-1
AC Tripoli – Shabab El Bourj 1-2
Round 3 (7 April 2021)
Salam Zgharta – AC Tripoli 2-3
Shabab Al-Ghazieh – Shabab El Bourj 1-2
Bourj – Tadamon Sour 0-0
Round 4 (11 April 2021)
Tadamon Sour – AC Tripoli 1-0
Shabab Al-Ghazieh – Salam Zgharta 3-0
Bourj – Shabab El Bourj 1-1
Round 5 (17 April 2021)
Tadamon Sour – Shabab Al-Ghazieh 1-1
Bourj – AC Tripoli 1-0
Shabab El Bourj – Salam Zgharta 4-0
Final table of the play-out stage
|
7 |
Bourj |
16 |
5 |
8 |
3 |
18-13 |
23 |
|
|
8 |
Shabab El Bourj |
16 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
22-14 |
23 |
|
|
9 |
AC Tripoli |
16 |
5 |
4 |
7 |
11-15 |
19 |
|
|
10 |
Tadamon Sour |
16 |
3 |
7 |
6 |
7-12 |
16 |
|
|
11 |
Shabab Al-Ghazieh |
16 |
3 |
2 |
11 |
12-26 |
11 |
Relegation to the Second Division |
|
12 |
Salam Zgharta |
16 |
0 |
1 |
15 |
6-50 |
1 |
Relegation to the Second Division |
If two or more teams have the same number of points, the results of head-to-head matches between them are the main ranking criteria.
[1] This stadium is mainly used as a training ground for Ansar.
[2] Rafic El Hariri Stadium in the Ras Beirut (Al Manara) area of Beirut does not meet the criteria to hold Premier League matches, and therefore it is nowadays used only as a training ground for Nejmeh.
[3] This stadium is used only as a training ground for Shabab Sahel.
[4] Shabab Al-Ghazieh played most of their home matches at Kfarjoz Stadium in Nabatieh because their stadium in Al-Ghazieh does not meet the criteria to hold Premier League matches and is used only as a training ground.
[5] Safa Stadium in Beirut does not meet the criteria to hold Premier League matches, and is used only as a training ground for Safa. As a result, Safa SC played most of their home matches at Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh.
[6] The stadium in the Beirut suburb of Bourj el-Barajneh does not meet the criteria to hold Premier League matches, and is used only as a training ground. As a result, Bourj FC played most of their home matches at Saida International Stadium in Sidon.
[7] The stadium in the Beirut suburb of Bourj el-Barajneh does not meet the criteria to hold Premier League matches, and is used only as a training ground. As a result, Shabab El Bourj played most of their home matches at Al Ahed Stadium in the Ouzai area of Bourj el-Barajneh and some home matches at Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh.
[8] Officially, the southern suburbs of Beirut, also known as Dahieh, are administratively included in the Baabda District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate. However, they have very strong ties to the city of Beirut.
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