2018–19 Liga Alef

The 2018–19 Liga Alef season was the 10th season as third tier since its re-alignment in 2009 and the 77th season of third-tier football in Israel.

Liga Alef

Season	2018–19
Champions	Hapoel Umm al-Fahm F.C. Kafr Qasim
← 2017–18 2019–20 →

Changes from last season

Team changes

• Hapoel Iksal and Sektzia Nes Tziona were promoted to Liga Leumit; Ironi Nesher (to North division) and Maccabi Herzliya (to South division) were relegated from Liga Leumit.
• Hapoel Beit She’an was relegated to Liga Bet from the North division, along with Maccabi Daliyat al-Karmet, who folded during the season.^[1] The two clubs were replaced by Hapoel Kaukab and Hapoel Bnei Zalafa, which were promoted to the North division from Liga Bet.
• F.C. Dimona and Hapoel Hod HaSharon were relegated to Liga Bet from South division and were replaced by Shimshon Kafr Qasim and Agudat Sport Ashdod (Hapoel Adumim Ashdod) which were promoted to the South division from Liga Bet.

North Division

Liga Alef North

Season	2018–19
Champions	Hapoel Umm al-Fahm
Top goalscorer	Ohad Kadousi (Hapoel Baqa al-Gharbiyye) (27)[2]

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Hapoel Umm al-Fahm	28	19	6	3	55	19	+36	63[lower-alpha 1]	Promotion to Liga Leumit
2	Hapoel Baqa al-Gharbiyye	28	14	6	8	52	31	+21	48	Promotion Playoffs
3	Hapoel Herzliya	28	13	7	8	40	34	+6	46
4	Hapoel Kaukab	28	12	7	9	40	41	−1	43
5	F.C. Tira	28	10	9	9	41	32	+9	39
6	Hapoel Bnei Zalafa	28	9	10	9	32	33	−1	37
7	Hapoel Kafr Kanna	28	11	4	13	41	51	−10	37
8	F.C. Haifa Robi Shapira	28	11	3	14	39	28	+11	36
9	Maccabi Ironi Kiryat Ata	28	7	13	8	28	28	0	34
10	Hapoel Asi Gilboa	28	10	4	14	35	43	−8	34
11	Hapoel Migdal HaEmek	28	9	7	12	28	38	−10	34
12	Ironi Tiberias	28	9	7	12	29	42	−13	34
13	Maccabi Tzur Shalom	28	9	6	13	26	31	−5	33
14	Ironi Nesher	28	10	3	15	31	44	−13	33	Relegation Playoffs
15	Hapoel Jerusalem	28	9	4	15	28	50	−22	31[lower-alpha 2]	Relegation to Liga Bet
16	Hapoel Shefa-'Amr[lower-alpha 3]	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	Folded

Updated to match(es) played on 25 April 2019. Source: Liga Alef North IFA (in Hebrew)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of wins; 4) goals scored; 5) head to head; 6)deciding match.
Notes:

1. Hapoel Umm al-Fahm had two points deducted following its crowd rioting in a play-off match against Ironi Tiberias at the end of the 2017–18 season.^[3][4]
2. Hapoel Jerusalem had three points deducted due to an outstanding debt to a former player.^[5]
3. On 13 December 2018 The match between Hapoel Shefa-‘Amr and Hapoel Migdal HaEmek was cancelled as Hapoel Shefa-‘Amr failed to register the match with the IFA.^[6] On 2 January 2019 the IFA disciplinary tribunal decided to expel Hapoel Shefa-‘Amr from the league and to nullify its results.^[7]

South Division

Liga Alef South

Season	2018–19
Champions	F.C. Kafr Qasim
Top goalscorer	Yossi Asayag (F.C. Kafr Qasim) (29)

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	F.C. Kafr Qasim	30	23	3	4	62	17	+45	72	Promotion to Liga Leumit
2	Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan	30	22	4	4	48	18	+30	70	Promotion Playoffs
3	Maccabi Sha'arayim	30	14	10	6	36	21	+15	52
4	Agudat Sport Ashdod	30	14	8	8	52	39	+13	50
5	Maccabi Herzliya	30	12	10	8	38	25	+13	46
6	Maccabi Jaffa Kabilio	30	12	10	8	37	28	+9	46
7	Maccabi Yavne	30	12	8	10	41	35	+6	44
8	F.C. Holon Yermiyahu	30	11	9	10	29	24	+5	42
9	Shimshon Kafr Qasim	30	12	6	12	44	43	+1	42
10	Nordia Jerusalem	30	11	7	12	35	40	−5	40
11	Hapoel Azor	30	8	8	14	34	42	−8	32
12	Hapoel Kfar Shalem	30	6	14	10	31	48	−17	32
13	Maccabi Kiryat Gat	30	8	7	15	23	34	−11	31
14	Hapoel Bik'at HaYarden	30	5	9	16	25	52	−27	24	Relegation Playoffs
15	Hapoel Mahane Yehuda	30	4	7	19	24	59	−35	19	Relegation to Liga Bet
16	Beitar Kfar Saba	30	2	8	20	23	57	−34	14

Updated to match(es) played on 25 April 2019. Source: Liga Alef South IFA (in Hebrew)
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of wins; 4) goals scored; 5) head to head; 6)deciding match.

Promotion play-offs

Regional semi-finals

Regional final

Final

N2

Hapoel B. al-Gharbiyye

3 (3)

N5

F.C. Tira

3 (1)

N2

Hapoel B. al-Gharbiyye

5

North division

N3

Hapoel Herzliya

2

N3

Hapoel Herzliya

2

N4

Hapoel Kaukab

0

N2

Hapoel B. al-Gharbiyye

0

S5

Maccabi Herzliya

2

S2

Hakoah Ramat Gan

4 (2)

S5

Maccabi Herzliya

4 (4)

S5

Maccabi Herzliya

1 (3

South division

S3

Maccabi Sha’aryim

1 (2)

S3

Maccabi Sha’arayim

1 (5)

S4

A.S. Ashdod

1 (3)

Test matches

Hapoel Acre	4–3	Maccabi Herzliya
Yuval Titelman 20' Elior Seiderre 43', 60', 74'		3' Shivhon 41', 84' (pen)Assaf Levi

26 May 2019

20:15

Municipal Stadium, Acre

Referee: Ziv Adler

---

Maccabi Herzliya	1–3	Hapoel Acre
Amir Lavi 30'		45', 68', 90+4' Naor Abudi

29 May 2019

19:00

Municipal Stadium, Herzliya

Hapoel Acre won 7–4 on aggregate and remained in Liga Leumit. Maccabi Herzliya remained in Liga Alef.

Relegation play-offs

North division

Ironi Nesher	0–4	Hapoel Bnei Ar'ara 'Ara
	Report	20', 30' Jeish 42' Sidawi 61' Kabaha

3 May 2019

15:00 UTC+3

Ilut Stadium

Referee: Eitan Shemeulevitch

South division

Hapoel Bik'at HaYarden	2––1 (a.e.t.)	Maccabi Sderot
Iluz 10' Farhi 105'	Report	57' (pen.) Amos

10 May 2019

14:30 UTC+3

Yud-Alef Stadium

Referee: Snir Levi

References

1. Weissermann, Michael (11 April 2018). "סופית: מכבי דליית אל כרמל הודיעה על פירוק" [Final: Maccabi Daliyat al-Karmel Announced Its Folding]. Doublepass (in Hebrew). Sport5. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
2. "כובשי שערים" [Goalscorers]. football.org.il (in Hebrew). IFA. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
3. Portal, Kobi (8 May 2018). "הפחתת שתי נקודות בפועל, קנס כספי ועונש רדיוס לשלושה משחקים" [Final: Two Points Deduction, a Fine and Three Matches Away from Home Punishment]. Doublepass (in Hebrew). Sport5. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
4. "אום אל פחם ספגה הפחתת שתי נקודות, עונש רדיוס וקנס כספי" [Umm al-Fahm Received a Two Points Deduction, An Away from Home Matches Punishment and a Fine]. Yalla Sport (in Hebrew). 8 May 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
5. Portal, Kobi (5 January 2019). "צרות בצרורות: שלוש נקודות נוספות הופחתו ממאזנה של הפועל ירושלים" [Final: When It Rains, It Pours: Three Further Points Were Deducted from Hapoel Jerusalem]. Doublepass (in Hebrew). Sport5. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
6. Portal, Kobi (13 December 2018). "המשחק בין שפרעם למגדל העמק בוטל" [Final: The Match Between Shefa-‘Amr and Migdal HaEmek is Cancelled]. Doublepass (in Hebrew). Sport5. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
7. Portal, Kobi (2 January 2019). "בית הדין קבע: הפסקת פעילות להפועל שפרעם" [Final: The Tribunal Decided: Cease of Action to Hapoel Shefa-‘Amr]. Doublepass (in Hebrew). Sport5. Retrieved 22 February 2020.