2014–15 Israeli Premier League Explained

Season:2014–15
Dates:13 September 2014 – 1 June 2015
Winners:Maccabi Tel Aviv (21st title)
Matches:240
Total Goals:604
Continentalcup1 Qualifiers:Maccabi Tel Aviv
(2nd qualifying round)
Continentalcup2 Qualifiers:Ironi Kiryat Shmona
(3rd qualifying round)
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
(2nd qualifying round)
Beitar Jerusalem
(1st qualifying round)
League Topscorer:Eran Zahavi (27 goals)
Biggest Home Win:Maccabi Haifa 5–0 Ashdod
(14 February 2015)
Biggest Away Win:Maccabi Petah Tikva 0–4 Hapoel Be'er Sheva (25 October 2014)
Maccabi Netanya 0–4 Maccabi Haifa (3 December 2014)
Hapoel Haifa 0–4 Maccabi Haifa (14 December 2014)
Highest Scoring:Maccabi Netanya 4–4 Maccabi Petah Tikva (20 September 2014)
Highest Attendance:29,300 - Maccabi Haifa 1–3 Beitar Jerusalem (27 December 2014)[1]
Average Attendance:6,451[2]
Nextseason:2015–16

The 2014–15 Israeli Premier League is the sixteenth season since its introduction in 1999 and the 73nd season of top-tier football in Israel. It began in the end of August 2014 and ended in May 2015. Maccabi Tel Aviv are the defending champions, having won their third Premier League title, and 20th championship last season.

Maccabi Tel Aviv became champions for the 21st time and 3rd consecutive time, and completed the first-ever treble in Israeli football, after winning the Cup and Toto Cup as well.

Teams

A total of fourteen teams are competing in the league, including twelve sides from the 2013–14 season and two promoted team from the 2013–14 Liga Leumit.

Hapoel Nir Ramat HaSharon and Bnei Yehuda were relegated to the 2014–15 Liga Leumit after finishing the 2013–14 season in the bottom two places.

Maccabi Netanya and Hapoel Petah Tikva were promoted after finishing the 2013–14 Liga Leumit in the top two places.

Stadia and locations

ClubHome CityStadiumCapacity
31,733
8,500
7,800
5,000
13,000
30,942
11,500
Netanya Stadium[3] 13,610
14,413
5,300
30,942
13,610
11,500
14,413
Beitar JerusalemHapoel Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Ironi Kiryat Shmona
width=150Teddy Stadium
width=150Bloomfield Stadium
Kiryat Shmona Stadium
Maccabi NetanyaHapoel Haifa
Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Petah Tikva
Hapoel Petah Tikva
width=150Netanya Stadium
width=150Sammy Ofer Stadium
width=150HaMoshava Stadium
F.C. AshdodBnei SakhninHapoel Be'er ShevaHapoel Acre
width=150Yud-Alef Stadiumwidth=150Doha Stadiumwidth=150Vasermil Stadiumwidth=150Acre Stadium

Personnel and sponsorship

TeamPresidentManagerCaptainKitmakerShirt sponsor
Beitar Jerusalem Pumaitrader
Bnei Sakhnin UmbroToyga
F.C. Ashdod Nike
Hapoel Acre MacronAzrieli Group
Hapoel Be'er Sheva KappaMobli
Hapoel Haifa DiadoraHatama
Hapoel Petah Tikva Lotto
Hapoel Ra'anana UmbroME Tel Aviv
Hapoel Tel Aviv UmbroFujicom
Ironi Kiryat Shmona PumaIturan
Maccabi Haifa NikeHonda
Maccabi Netanya JomaBurgus Burger Bar
Maccabi Petah Tikva MacronPanorama North
Maccabi Tel Aviv Adidas

Managerial changes

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointment
Maccabi Haifa Arik BenadoSacked14 April 2014Pre-season Aleksandar Stanojević1 May 2014
Beitar Jerusalem Ronny LevySacked10 May 2014 Meni Koretski10 May 2014
Hapoel Haifa Shlomi DoraEnd of contract14 May 2014 Reuven Atar14 May 2014
Hapoel Acre Sacked
Hapoel Tel Aviv Ran Ben ShimonSacked26 May 2014 Asi Domb27 May 2014
Hapoel Ra'anana Meni KoretskiResigned Haim Silvas
Maccabi Tel AvivSigned by Basel28 May 2014 Óscar García2 June 2014
Maccabi Petah Tikva Yetav LuzonResigned11 June 2014 Ran Ben Shimon12 June 2014
Bnei Sakhnin Marco BalbulEnd of contract19 June 2014 Guy Levy19 June 2014
Maccabi Tel Aviv Óscar GarcíaResigned26 August 2014 Pako Ayestarán26 August 2014
Bnei Sakhnin Guy LevySacked5 December 2014 13th5 December 2014
Maccabi Haifa Aleksandar StanojevićResigned28 December 20144th Marco Balbul28 December 2014
Hapoel Acre Resigned5 January 201514th 8 January 2015
Maccabi Netanya Yossi MizrahiResigned14 January 201512th Ronny Levy14 January 2015
Beitar Jerusalem Meni KoretskiSacked30 January 201510th Guy Levy30 January 2015
Hapoel Tel Aviv Asi DombSacked30 January 20158th Eli Cohen30 January 2015
Hapoel Petah Tikva Ido Bar-OnSacked7 February 201513th Meni Koretski7 February 2015
Hapoel Haifa Reuven AtarSacked16 February 201512th Tal Banin16 February 2015

Foreign Players

The number of foreign players is restricted to five per team.

ClubPlayer 1Player 2Player 3Player 4Player 5Non-visa Foreign Former Players
Beitar Jerusalem Claudemir Liviu Antal Dušan Matović César Arzo Žarko Korać
Bnie Sakhnin Diogo Kachuba Igor Jovanović Miha Mevlja Ahmad Abu Nahyeh3 Giannis Papadopoulos
Milan Bojović
Abraham Paz
F.C. Ashdod Paty Yeye Lenkebe Aliyu Abubakar Juwon Oshaniwa Yero Bello Aleksandar Davidov Nicolás Falczuk2 David Solari
Hapoel Acre Emir Hadžić Juliano Spadacio Giannis Papadopoulos Branislav Jovanović Hamdi Salihi
Hapoel Be'er Sheva William Soares Austin Ejide John Ogu Ovidiu Hoban Tomislav Pajović Joakim Askling2
Hapoel Haifa Hamdi Salihi Tosaint Ricketts Přemysl Kovář Tadas Kijanskas Žarko Korać Steven Cohen2 Darío Fernández
Osei Mawuli2
Mindaugas Kalonas
Hapoel Petah Tikva Gaël Etock Mirko Oremuš Sékou Condé Chimezie Mbah Michael Tukura Tvrtko Kale2 Akaki Khubutia
Hapoel Ra'anana Anthony Nwakaeme Mamadou Thiam Emmanuel Mbola Evans Kangwa Pedro Sass
Hapoel Tel Aviv Apoula Edel Lucas Sasha Amido Baldé Jürgen Colin Abonime Izogbu Gaël Etock
Francis Benjamin
Harmony Ikande
Ironi Kiryat Shmona Kassio David Manga Mindaugas Panka Touvarno Pinas Rodgers Kola
Maccabi Haifa Vladimir Stojković Medo Abraham Paz Míchel Rubén Rayos Edin Cocalić
Mohamadou Idrissou
Maccabi Netanya Romário Pires Olarenwaju Kayode Cristian Sîrghi Gabriel Giurgiu Dudu Cearense
Maccabi Petah Tikva David Solari Daniel Dimov Kostadin Hazurov Ivan Herceg Joachim Mununga Bryan Gerzicich1 Nicolás Falczuk2
Alan Gatagov
Maccabi Tel Aviv Nosa Igiebor Nikola Mitrović Carlos García Juan Pablo Rade Prica

Regular season

Table

Results

Playoffs

Key numbers for pairing determination (number marks position after 26 games):[4]

Rounds
27th28th29th30th31st32nd33rd34th35th36th
1 – 6
2 – 5
3 – 4
1 – 2
5 – 3
6 – 4
2 – 6
3 – 1
4 – 5
1 – 4
2 – 3
6 – 5
3 – 6
4 – 2
5 – 1
6 – 1
5 – 2
4 – 3
2 – 1
3 – 5
4 – 6
6 – 2
1 – 3
5 – 4
3 – 2
4 – 1
5 – 6
6 – 3
2 – 4
1 – 5
7 – 11
8 – 13
9 – 12
10 – 14
7 – 8
13 – 9
12 – 10
11 – 14
8 – 11
9 – 7
10 – 13
14 – 12
8 – 9
7 – 10
13 – 14
11 – 12
9 – 11
10 – 8
14 – 7
12 – 13
9 – 10
8 – 14
7 – 12
11 – 13
10 – 11
14 – 9
12 – 8
13 – 7
 

Top playoff

Table

Results

Bottom playoff

Table

Results

Season statistics

Top scorers

RankScorerClubGoals
1 Eran ZahaviMaccabi Tel Aviv27
2 Mohammad GhadirBnei Sakhnin16
3 Maor BuzagloHapoel Be'er Sheva13
Olarenwaju KayodeMaccabi Netanya
5 Roi KahatIroni Kiryat Shmona12
6 Shlomi ArbeitmanHapoel Be'er Sheva11
Hamdi SalihiHapoel Haifa
Rodgers KolaIroni Kiryat Shmona
Eran LevyMaccabi Netanya
Source: Israel Football Association

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: שיא חדש לכמות הצופים במגרשי ליגת העל.
  2. Web site: שיא חדש לכמות הצופים במגרשי ליגת העל.
  3. The club play their home games at a neutral venue due to their own ground not meeting the league's requirements.
  4. News: The full fixture list for the Top and Bottom playoffs . he .