1955–56 in Israeli football
| Season | 1955–56 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liga Leumit | Maccabi Tel Aviv | |||
| Liga Alef | Hakoah Tel Aviv | |||
| Liga Bet | Maccabi Hadera Maccabi Sha'arayim |
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| State Cup | Maccabi Tel Aviv | |||
|
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The 1955–56 season was the 8th season of competitive football in Israel and the 30th season under the Israeli Football Association, established in 1928, during the British Mandate.
Contents
Review and Events
The league started with the completion of competitions started during the previous season including all league competitions and the state cup.[1]
At the end of the league season, the Israeli football league system was reorganized. At the top, a new league was formed, Liga Leumit, pushing the rest of the league down a tier. Liga Leumit was set to have 12 teams, down from 14 teams. At the end of the season, the bottom two teams were set to relegate to second-tier Liga Alef and the 11th and 12th placed team played a promotion/relegation play-offs with the two Liga Alef winners. In the second tier, the division was set to have 12 teams in one national division. Beneath that, Liga Bet was designated as third tier, with two regional divisions of 12 teams in each division. Liga Gimel was designated as fourth tier, divided to regional divisions.
The new league structure entered a new season beginning on December 1956.[2] The league season was completed by June 1956. At the end of the season, the top division was reduced to 10 clubs, with two clubs relegating to Liga Alef and the 10th placed team playing a promotion/relegation play-off against the top club in 1955–56 Liga Alef.
The national team participated in the 1956 Olympics qualification, playing against the USSR.[3][4]
Domestic leagues
1954–55 Liga Alef
The league was won by Hapoel Petah Tikva, its first ever championship. At the bottom, Hapoel Hadera and Hapoel Balfouria relegated to 1955–56 Liga Alef. Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Kfar Saba finished 11th and 12th and faced 1954–55 Liga Bet regional divisions' winners, Hapoel Kiryat Haim and Maccabi Jaffa, at the end of which, Hapoel Kfar Saba retained its place in the top division, joined by Maccabi Jaffa.
1955–56 Liga Leumit
The league started on 3 December 1955 and was played until 2 June 1956. Maccabi Tel Aviv won the title, while Maccabi Rehovot and Hapoel Kfar Saba finished bottom and relegated to 1956–57 Liga Alef. Maccabi Jaffa, who finished 10th, played a promotion/relegation play-offs against Hakoah Tel Aviv, and won both matches to stay in the top division.
Domestic cups
1954–55 Israel State Cup
The competition, which started on 22 January1955, was played until autumn 1956, with the final being played on 19 November 1956. Maccabi Tel Aviv had beaten Hapoel Petah Tikva 3–1 in the final.
1956–57 Israel State Cup
The competition started on 11 February 1956 and was delayed until it was completed in the next season.
National Teams
National team
1956 Olympics qualification
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Soviet Union |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 4 |
 Israel |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 0 |
1955–56 matches
11 July 1956 Ol. Q. |
Soviet Union |
5–0 | Israel |
Moscow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tatushin  2'Ivanov 26', 71'Simonyan 45', 79' |
Report (Hebrew) |
Stadium: Dynamo Stadium Attendance: 70,000 Referee:  Griffiths |
31 July 1956 Ol. Q. |
Israel |
1–2 | Soviet Union |
Ramat Gan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stelmach 66' |
Report | Ilyin 57' Tatushin 79' |
Stadium: Ramat Gan Stadium Attendance: 60,000 Referee:  Liverani |
References
- ↑ 1955-1955 Liga Leumit Schedule dribblist.com (Hebrew)
- ↑ 1955-1956 Liga Leumit Schedule dribblist.com (Hebrew)
- ↑ 1956: The First Meeting Between Israel and USSR Asher Goldberg, 9 September 2013, IFA (Hebrew)
- ↑ The First and Historic Visit of Russia in Israel Asher Goldberg, 9 September 2012, IFA (Hebrew)
