| Season | 1955–56 | |
|---|---|---|
| Men's football | ||
| Liga Leumit | Maccabi Tel Aviv | |
| Liga Alef | Hakoah Tel Aviv | |
| Liga Bet | Maccabi Hadera Maccabi Sha'arayim | |
| State Cup | Maccabi Tel Aviv | |
| ||
The 1955–56 season was the eighth season of competitive football in Israel and the 30th season under the Israeli Football Association, established in 1928, during the British Mandate.
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 in 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. - On 14 September 1955, with a match between a Haifa XI and Tel Aviv XI, Kiryat Eliezer Stadium was officially opened.[3]
- The national team participated in the 1956 Olympics qualification, playing against the USSR.[4][5]
Domestic leagues
1954–55 Liga Alef
The league, which started during the previous season, was completed on 16 October 1955 and 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.
Final table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | 26 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 68 | 23 | 2.957 | 40 | Champions |
| 2 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 26 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 84 | 28 | 3.000 | 38 | |
| 3 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 26 | 12 | 9 | 5 | 49 | 23 | 2.130 | 33 | |
| 4 | Maccabi Netanya | 26 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 54 | 43 | 1.256 | 33 | |
| 5 | Beitar Tel Aviv | 26 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 64 | 47 | 1.362 | 29 | |
| 6 | Maccabi Haifa | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 54 | 41 | 1.317 | 28 | |
| 7 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 37 | 41 | 0.902 | 27 | |
| 8 | Maccabi Rehovot | 26 | 11 | 4 | 11 | 49 | 48 | 1.021 | 26 | |
| 9 | Hapoel Haifa | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 40 | 55 | 0.727 | 24 | |
| 10 | Hapoel Ramat Gan | 26 | 10 | 3 | 13 | 35 | 41 | 0.854 | 23 | |
| 11 | Beitar Jerusalem | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 37 | 59 | 0.627 | 21 | Relegation Playoffs |
| 12 | Hapoel Kfar Saba | 26 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 38 | 46 | 0.826 | 18 | |
| 13 | Hapoel Hadera | 26 | 7 | 2 | 17 | 36 | 53 | 0.679 | 16 | Relegated to Liga Bet |
| 14 | Hapoel Balfouria | 26 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 32 | 129 | 0.248 | 8 |
Promotion/relegation play-offs
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maccabi Jaffa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 4.000 | 5 | Placed in Liga Leumit |
| 2 | Hapoel Kfar Saba | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1.667 | 4 | |
| 3 | Hapoel Kiryat Haim | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 0.714 | 3 | Placed in Liga Alef |
| 4 | Beitar Jerusalem | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 0.333 | 0 |
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.
Final table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 22 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 47 | 16 | 2.938 | 32 | Champions |
| 2 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 54 | 28 | 1.929 | 29 | |
| 3 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 49 | 29 | 1.690 | 29 | |
| 4 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 43 | 34 | 1.265 | 27 | |
| 5 | Maccabi Haifa | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 53 | 27 | 1.963 | 25 | |
| 6 | Hapoel Haifa | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 32 | 39 | 0.821 | 22 | |
| 7 | Beitar Tel Aviv | 22 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 41 | 48 | 0.854 | 20 | |
| 8 | Maccabi Netanya | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 31 | 44 | 0.705 | 20 | |
| 9 | Hapoel Ramat Gan | 22 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 28 | 42 | 0.667 | 18 | |
| 10 | Maccabi Jaffa | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 39 | 44 | 0.886 | 17 | Relegation Playoffs |
| 11 | Maccabi Rehovot | 22 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 25 | 62 | 0.403 | 13 | Relegated to Liga Alef |
| 12 | Hapoel Kfar Saba | 22 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 20 | 48 | 0.417 | 12 |
Promotion/relegation playoffs
The 10th-placed Maccabi Jaffa faced 1955–56 Liga Alef winner, Hakoah Tel Aviv. The matches took place on June 10 and 17, 1956.
| 9 June 1956 | Maccabi Jaffa | 3–1 | Hakoah Tel Aviv | Tel Aviv |
B. Cohen  32', 53' Kalev 72' |
Davar | 74' Ashkenazi |
Stadium: Maccabi Jaffa Ground Attendance: 5000 Referee: Reuven Frizner |
| 16 June 1956 | Hakoah Tel Aviv | 0–1 | Maccabi Jaffa | Tel Aviv |
| Davar | 18' Ghougasian |
Stadium: Hatikva Neighborhood Stadium Attendance: 4000 Referee: Aharon Werner |
Maccabi Jaffa won 4–1 on aggregate and remained in Liga Leumit. Hakoah Tel Aviv remained in Liga Alef.
Domestic cups
1954–55 Israel State Cup
The competition, which started on 22 January 1955, 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.
Final
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 3–1 | Hapoel Petah tikva |
|---|---|---|
| Nahmias 8' Glazer 35'Studinski 68' |
Kofman 84' |
1956–57 Israel State Cup
The competition started on 11 February 1956 and was completed during the next season.
Netanya 25th Anniversary Cup
In October and November, while the promotion playoffs and the State Cup were being played, two cup competitions were organized by Liga Leumit Clubs, the second edition of the Shapira Cup, and the Netanya 25th Anniversary Cup. The Shapira Cup, in which Hapoel Tel Aviv, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Petah Tikva participated, was abandoned after two rounds of play.
Maccabi Netanya, Beitar Tel Aviv, Maccabi Petah Tikva and Hapoel Ramat Gan took part in a second cup competition, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Netanya.
Table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GR | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 5 | 2.800 | 5 | Winners |
| 2 | Hapoel Ramat Gan | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1.143 | 3 | |
| 3 | Maccabi Netanya | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 0.714 | 3 | |
| 4 | Beitar Tel Aviv | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 0.467 | 1 |
National Teams
National team
After more than a year of inactivity, the national team was reorganized under a new coach, Jack Gibbons. The national team played several matches against local teams and visiting teams, travelled to the U.S. to play an American Soccer League XI in an Israeli Independence Day celebration[6] and competed against the Soviet Union in the 1956 Olympics qualification. The national team was also due to participate in the 1956 AFC Asian Cup qualification and was drawn to play Pakistan in the first round and Afghanistan in the second round. However, both teams declined playing Israel. As all the other teams in the western zone withdrew, the national team qualified as regional winner.[7][8]
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
| 29 April 1956 Friendly | American Soccer League XI | 1–2 | Israel | New York |
| Garbovsky 27' |
Davar (in Hebrew) |
6' Kofman 26' Stelmach |
Stadium: Yankee Stadium Attendance: 75,000 |
| 11 July 1956 Ol. Q. | Soviet Union | 5–0 | Israel | Moscow |
| Tatushin 2' Ivanov 26', 71' Simonyan 45', 79' |
Report (in 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 |
International club matches
Visiting foreign teams
FK Sarajevo
| 30 January 1956 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 0–3 | FK Sarajevo | Tel Aviv |
| Davar (in Hebrew) |
31' Radičević 44', 88' Jusufbegović |
Stadium: Basa Stadium, Tel Aviv Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Ben Rubi |
| 2 February 1956 | Maccabi Netanya | 0–2 | FK Sarajevo | Netanya |
| Davar (in Hebrew) |
13' Pašić 69' Jusufbegović |
Stadium: Sar-Tov Stadium Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Frizner |
| 4 February 1956 | Israel | 3–3 | FK Sarajevo | Tel Aviv |
| Zelikovich 7' Stelmach 19'Ben Dror 69' (pen.) |
Davar (in Hebrew) |
30' Radičević 35' Novo 79' Jusufbegović |
Stadium: Basa Stadium, Tel Aviv Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Sher |
| 8 February 1956 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 0–2 | FK Sarajevo | Tel Aviv |
| Davar (in Hebrew) |
25' Pašić 32' Biogradlić |
Stadium: Basa Stadium, Tel Aviv Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Werner |
Kapfenberger SV
In February 1956 the Israeli government lifted the ban on hosting teams from Austria and Hapoel and Maccabi Petah Tikva invited Kapfenberger SV to a tour of Israel.[9] The visit was met with criticism from right-wing politicians[10][11] and acts of sabotage in order to stop the Austrian team from playing,[12][13] but the matches went ahead as planned.
| 12 February 1956 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | 2–2 | Kapfenberger SV | Petah Tikva |
| Kofman 17' Flascher 45' (o.g.) |
Davar (in Hebrew) |
41' Bihas 59' Gollnhuber |
Stadium: Hapoel Ground Attendance: 3,500 |
| 15 February 1956 | Israel | 2–1 | Kapfenberger SV | Tel Aviv |
| Israeli 6' Zelikovich 53' |
Davar (in Hebrew) |
69' (pen.) Kolar |
Stadium: Basa Stadium, Tel Aviv Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Ben Rubi |
| 16 February 1956 | Maccabi Haifa | 2–3 | Kapfenberger SV | Haifa |
| Ben-Tzvi 8' Litvak 72' |
Davar (in Hebrew) |
60' Wirboda 65' Hauberger 87' Gollnhuber |
Stadium: Kiryat Eliezer Stadium Attendance: 6,500 Referee: Klein |
| 19 February 1956 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 1–2 | Kapfenberger SV | Petah Tikva |
| Nadel 41' |
Davar (in Hebrew) |
65', 80' Sillaber |
Stadium: Hapoel Ground Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Rosenbaum |
| 21 February 1956 | Petah Tikva XI | 0–1 | Kapfenberger SV | Tel Aviv |
| Davar (in Hebrew) |
5' Hofka |
Stadium: Basa Stadium, Tel Aviv Attendance: 3,000 |
Sunderland
| 3 May 1956 | Maccabi Petah Tikva | 2–3 | Sunderland | Ramat Gan |
| Scharf 20' Turkenitz 68' (pen.) |
7', 36', 69' Fleming |
Stadium: Ramat Gan Stadium Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Frizner |
| 5 May 1956 | Maccabi Haifa | 3–4 | Sunderland | Haifa |
| Held 23', 58' Almani 41' |
16' Elliott 76' Fleming 81' Morrison 87' Shackleton |
Stadium: Kiryat Eliezer Stadium Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Sher |
| 7 May 1956 | Israel | 1–1 | Sunderland | Ramat Gan |
| Held 60' |
20' Holden |
Stadium: Ramat Gan Stadium Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Ben Rubi |
| 13 May 1956 | Hapoel Haifa | 2–4 | Sunderland | Haifa |
| Avraham Ginzburg |
HaTzofe | Fleming Shackleton Holden |
Stadium: Kiryat Eliezer Stadium Attendance: 6,000 |
Rampla Juniors
| 10 May 1956 | Israel | 0–2 | Rampla Juniors | Ramat Gan |
| [14][15] | 56' Pérez 59' R. Rodríguez |
Stadium: Ramat Gan Stadium Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Moshe Cohen |
| 12 May 1955 | Hapoel XI | 1–2 | Rampla Juniors | Tel Aviv |
| H. Glazer 75' |
Davar (in Hebrew) |
19' Pérez 24' Omarini |
Stadium: Basa Stadium, Tel Aviv Attendance: 12,000 Referee: Werner |
São Cristóvão
| 6 June 1956 | Hapoel Petah Tikva | 3–0 | São Cristóvão | Petah Tikva |
| Kofman 18' Stelmach 51' Ratzabi 75' |
Davar (in Hebrew) |
Stadium: Hapoel Ground Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Dudkevich |
| 9 June 1956 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | 0–1 | São Cristóvão | Tel Aviv |
| Ma'ariv (in Hebrew) |
2' Santo Cristo |
Stadium: Basa Stadium, Tel Aviv Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Fried |
| 13 June 1956 | Israel | 0–0 | São Cristóvão | Tel Aviv |
| Davar (in Hebrew) |
Stadium: Basa Stadium, Tel Aviv Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Rosenbaum |
| 16 June 1956 | Hapoel XI | 0–0 | São Cristóvão | Tel Aviv |
| Davar (in Hebrew) |
Stadium: Basa Stadium, Tel Aviv Referee: Ben Rubi |
| 18 June 1956 | Hapoel Jerusalem | 0–2 | São Cristóvão | Jerusalem |
| Davar (in Hebrew) |
34' Décio 73' Valdir |
Stadium: YMCA Stadium Referee: Hillman |
First Vienna
| 20 June 1956 | Israel | 1–1 | First Vienna | Ramat Gan |
| Kofman 59' |
Davar (in Hebrew) |
69' Walzhofer |
Stadium: Ramat Gan Stadium Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Frizner |
| 23 June 1956 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 0–2 | First Vienna | Tel Aviv |
| 27' Jericha 47' Pichler |
Stadium: Basa Stadium, Tel Aviv Attendance: 8,000 Referee: Ben Rubi |
| 25 June 1956 | Maccabi Netanya | 1–5 | First Vienna | Netanya |
| Hosias 8' |
22' Manasse 32' Pichler 40' Buzek 79', 85' (pen.) Walzhofer |
Stadium: Sar-Tov Stadium Attendance: 4,000 |
| 28 June 1956 | Hapoel Jerusalem | 0–3 | First Vienna | Jerusalem |
| 17', 86' Buzek 26' Manasse |
Stadium: YMCA Stadium Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Palman |
| 30 June 1956 | Maccabi Haifa | 1–4 | First Vienna | Tel Aviv |
| Almani 71' |
51', 73', 47' Buzek 67' Manasse |
Stadium: Basa Stadium, Tel Aviv Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Palman |
References
- ↑ 1955-1955 Liga Leumit Schedule Archived 2015-07-26 at the Wayback Machine dribblist.com (in Hebrew)
- ↑ 1955-1956 Liga Leumit Schedule Archived 2015-07-26 at the Wayback Machine dribblist.com (in Hebrew)
- ↑ Tel Aviv team – Haifa team 3:3 Davar, 16 September 1955, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- ↑ 1956: The First Meeting Between Israel and USSR Archived 2015-07-27 at the Wayback Machine Asher Goldberg, 9 September 2013, IFA (in Hebrew)
- ↑ The First and Historic Visit of Russia in Israel Archived 2015-07-27 at the Wayback Machine Asher Goldberg, 9 September 2012, IFA (in Hebrew)
- ↑ 75,000 Attend “america Salutes Israel” Rally at Yankee Stadium 30 April 1956, JTA
- ↑ Asian Nations Cup 1956 RSSSF
- ↑ Israel to the Asian Football Cup Final Davar, 15 July 1956, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- ↑ Kapfenberg Will Go Through the Mandelbaum Gate to Israel on Friday Davar, 8 February 1956, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- ↑ Kapfenberg A. Hetzroni, Herut, 14 February 1956, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- ↑ Footnotes Davar, 15 February 1956, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- ↑ The Efforts to Prevent the Shame – to No Avail Herut, 13 February 1956, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- ↑ The Day the Goals Went Aflame Nisim Kalderon, 1 July 2014, P.T. Neto (in Hebrew)
- ↑ Rampla Juniors – Israel 2:0 (0:0) Davar, 11 May 1956, Historical Jewish Press (in Hebrew)
- ↑ 3- Giras: Tercera parte (Racing - Wanderers) el-area.com (in Spanish)