Liga Alef 1998-99
Encyclopedia
The 1998–99 Liga Alef
season was held between 11 September 1998 and 29 May 1999. It was the last season (until 2009–10) in which Liga Alef was the third tier of Israeli football
, as the creation of the Israeli Premier League in the summer of 1999 meant that it became the fourth tier.
Due to the restructuring, two clubs were due to be promoted from each division; Hapoel Ra'anana and Hapoel Nazareth Illit from the north and Hapoel Dimona and Hapoel Ramat Gan from the south.
During the summer of 1999, Maccabi Jaffa were demoted to Liga Alef (from Liga Leumit
) after their budget was not approved by the Israel Football Association
, which resulted in Maccabi Sha'arayim
(the third-placed club with the highest points total) being promoted alongside the top two from the South Division. In addition, Hapoel Ashdod
, Hapoel Lod
and SK Nes Tziona were all demoted from Liga Artzit
after their budgets were not approved by the IFA. This resulted in the third- and fourth-placed clubs from the North Division (Hapoel Iksal and Hapoel Acre
) and the fourth-placed club in the South Division (Shimshon Tel Aviv) also being promoted.
1. Three points deducted due to crowd trouble.
1. Beitar Ramla withdrew after 15 rounds. Their record was expunged and all results awarded as a 2–0 defeat.
Liga Alef
-History:League football began in Israel in 1949–50, a year after independence. However, the financial and security crises gripping the young nation caused the 1950–51 season to be abandoned before it had started. When football resumed in 1951–52, the new top division went by the name of Liga Alef...
season was held between 11 September 1998 and 29 May 1999. It was the last season (until 2009–10) in which Liga Alef was the third tier of Israeli football
Football in Israel
Football is the most popular sport in Israel. Football as an organised sport first developed in the United Kingdom who controlled Israel during the days of the British Mandate. Israel will be hosting the UEFA U-21 Championship in 2013....
, as the creation of the Israeli Premier League in the summer of 1999 meant that it became the fourth tier.
Due to the restructuring, two clubs were due to be promoted from each division; Hapoel Ra'anana and Hapoel Nazareth Illit from the north and Hapoel Dimona and Hapoel Ramat Gan from the south.
During the summer of 1999, Maccabi Jaffa were demoted to Liga Alef (from Liga Leumit
Liga Leumit
Liga Leumit is the second tier in the Israeli football league system below the Premier League.-Structure:There are 16 clubs in the league. At the end of each season, the lowest-placed team are relegated to Liga Alef while the highest-placed team from Liga Alef are promoted in their place...
) after their budget was not approved by the Israel Football Association
Israel Football Association
The Israel Football Association , also known as IFA, is the governing body of football in Israel. It organizes the football leagues, Israeli Premier League, Israeli State Cup, Toto Cup and the Israeli national football team. The association is based in Ramat Gan...
, which resulted in Maccabi Sha'arayim
Maccabi Sha'arayim F.C.
Maccabi Sha'arayim is an Israeli football club based in Rehovot. They currently play in the South B division of Liga Bet, but spent seven seasons in the top division from 1963-1969 and in the 1985-86 season.-History:...
(the third-placed club with the highest points total) being promoted alongside the top two from the South Division. In addition, Hapoel Ashdod
Hapoel Ashdod F.C.
Hapoel Ashdod F.C. was an Israeli football club based in Ashdod. In 1999, it merged with local rivals Ironi Ashdod to create F.C. Ashdod.-History:...
, Hapoel Lod
Hapoel Lod F.C.
Hapoel Lod was an Israeli football club based in Lod. The club spent several seasons in the top division in the 1960s and 1980s, and won the State Cup in 1984. After several relegations, they folded in 2002.-History:...
and SK Nes Tziona were all demoted from Liga Artzit
Liga Artzit
Liga Artzit was the third tier of Israeli football after the Premier League and Liga Leumit, and was run by the Israel Football Association.-Structure:...
after their budgets were not approved by the IFA. This resulted in the third- and fourth-placed clubs from the North Division (Hapoel Iksal and Hapoel Acre
Hapoel Acre F.C.
Hapoel Acre Football Club is an Israeli football club based in Acre, Israel. The club is currently in the Premier League and plays in dark blue shirts with white sleeves, dark blue shorts and white socks.-History:...
) and the fourth-placed club in the South Division (Shimshon Tel Aviv) also being promoted.
North Division
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hapoel Ra'anana | 30 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 71 | 35 | 36 | 62 | Promoted to Liga Artzit |
| 2 | Hapoel Nazareth Illit | 30 | 16 | 10 | 4 | 54 | 27 | 27 | 58 | |
| 3 | Hapoel Iksal | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 38 | 32 | 6 | 49 | |
| 4 | Hapoel Acre Hapoel Acre F.C. Hapoel Acre Football Club is an Israeli football club based in Acre, Israel. The club is currently in the Premier League and plays in dark blue shirts with white sleeves, dark blue shorts and white socks.-History:... |
30 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 47 | 41 | 6 | 45 | |
| 5 | Hapoel Majd al-Krum | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 47 | 42 | 5 | 44 | |
| 6 | Maccabi Shefa-'Amr | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 40 | 45 | |||
| 42 | ||||||||||
| 7 | Maccabi Afula | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 49 | 57 | |||
| 42 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Maccabi Isfiya | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 45 | 42 | 3 | 40 | |
| 9 | Hapoel Migdal HaEmek | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 47 | 45 | 2 | 40 | |
| 10 | Hapoel Hadera Hapoel Hadera F.C. Ironi Sport Eran Hadera–Giv'at Olga F.C. is an Israeli football club from Hadera.The unorthodox name of the team is the result of the union of two city rivals, Hapoel Hadera and Maccabi Hadera.... |
30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 45 | 43 | 2 | 40 | |
| 11 | Maccabi Tamra | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 44 | 50 | |||
| 40 | ||||||||||
| 12 | Hapoel Kiryat Shmona Hapoel Kiryat Shmona F.C. Hapoel Kiryat Shmona was an Israeli football club based in Kiryat Shmona. The club played at the Ironi Stadium, and ceased to exist in 2000 when it merged with Maccabi Kiryat Shmona to form Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona.-History:... |
30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 47 | 43 | 4 | 39 | |
| 13 | Maccabi Tur'an | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 34 | 47 | |||
| 38 | ||||||||||
| 14 | Hapoel Kafr Kanna | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 50 | 53 | |||
| 37 | ||||||||||
| 15 | Hapoel Umm al-Fahm Hapoel Umm al-Fahm F.C. Hapoel Umm al-Fahm Football Club was an Israeli football club based in Umm al-Fahm.-History:Established in 1968, at the start of the 1990s the club was playing in Liga Alef . At the end of the 1998-99 season they were relegated to Liga Bet North B... |
30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 48 | 48 | 0 | 331 | Relegated to Liga Bet Liga Bet -History:League football started in Israel in 1949–50, a year after independence. However, the financial and security crises gripping the young nation caused the 1950–51 season to be abandoned before it had started. When football resumed in 1951–52, the new top division went by the name of Liga... |
| 16 | Hapoel Kafr Qasim | 30 | 1 | 6 | 23 | 12 | 68 | |||
| 9 |
1. Three points deducted due to crowd trouble.
South Division
| Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hapoel Dimona | 30 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 61 | 23 | 38 | 68 | Promoted to Liga Artzit |
| 2 | Hapoel Ramat Gan | 30 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 71 | 32 | 39 | 63 | |
| 3 | Maccabi Sha'arayim Maccabi Sha'arayim F.C. Maccabi Sha'arayim is an Israeli football club based in Rehovot. They currently play in the South B division of Liga Bet, but spent seven seasons in the top division from 1963-1969 and in the 1985-86 season.-History:... |
30 | 18 | 8 | 4 | 55 | 28 | 27 | 62 | |
| 4 | Shimshon Tel Aviv | 30 | 17 | 7 | 6 | 63 | 30 | 33 | 58 | |
| 5 | Maccabi Ashkelon | 30 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 57 | 32 | 25 | 54 | |
| 6 | Hapoel Or Yehuda | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 51 | 47 | 4 | 46 | |
| 7 | Hapoel Nahlat Yehuda | 30 | 14 | 2 | 14 | 46 | 49 | |||
| 44 | ||||||||||
| 8 | Hapoel Nir Ramat HaSharon Ironi Nir Ramat HaSharon F.C. Hapoel Ironi Nir Ramat HaSharon Football Club is an Israeli football based in Ramat HaSharon. They are currently plays in Israeli Premier League at the Winter Stadium, Ramat Gan.-History:... |
30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 34 | 31 | 3 | 41 | |
| 9 | Maccabi Ramat Amidar Maccabi Ramat Amidar F.C. Maccabi Ramat Amidar was an Israeli football club based in Ramat Gan. The club spent several seasons in the top division in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but in 2005 merged into Hakoah Ramat Gan, which became Hakoah Amidar Maccabi Ramat Gan.-History:... |
30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 35 | 41 | |||
| 40 | ||||||||||
| 10 | Hapoel Mevasseret Zion Hapoel Katamon F.C. Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem F.C. is an Israeli fan-owned association football club in Jerusalem, Israel. It was conceived and founded in 2007 by Hapoel Jerusalem fans unhappy with the team’s management. The club currently plays in Liga Alef and is based at Teddy Stadium... |
30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 45 | 48 | |||
| 36 | ||||||||||
| 11 | Hapoel Kfar Shalem | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 38 | 40 | |||
| 35 | ||||||||||
| 12 | Maccabi Yavne Maccabi Yavne F.C. Maccabi Yavne is an Israeli football club based in Yavne. They currently play in the South Division of Liga Alef.-History:The club was promoted to Liga Leumit for the first time in 1982. In 1985 they won the Toto Cup, beating Beitar Jerusalem 2-1 in the final... |
30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 39 | 50 | |||
| 35 | ||||||||||
| 13 | Tzairi Jaffa | 30 | 10 | 4 | 16 | 45 | 70 | |||
| 34 | ||||||||||
| 14 | Maccabi Lazarus Holon | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 39 | 61 | |||
| 31 | ||||||||||
| 15 | Hapoel Yeruham | 30 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 43 | 80 | |||
| 23 | Relegated to Liga Bet Liga Bet -History:League football started in Israel in 1949–50, a year after independence. However, the financial and security crises gripping the young nation caused the 1950–51 season to be abandoned before it had started. When football resumed in 1951–52, the new top division went by the name of Liga... |
|||||||||
| 16 | Beitar Ramla Beitar Ramla F.C. Beitar Ramla was an Israeli football club based in Ramla.-History:The club spent several seasons in Liga Artzit in the early 1970s and the 1980s, but was relegated to Liga Alef towards the end of the decade.... |
30 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 60 | |||
| 01 |
1. Beitar Ramla withdrew after 15 rounds. Their record was expunged and all results awarded as a 2–0 defeat.