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.1955-1955 Liga Leumit Schedule dribblist.com 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 1956.1955-1956 Liga Leumit Schedule dribblist.com 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.Tel Aviv team – Haifa team 3:3 Davar, 16 September 1955, Historical Jewish Press The national team participated in the 1956 Olympics qualification, playing against the USSR.1956: The First Meeting Between Israel and USSR Asher Goldberg, 9 September 2013, IFA The First and Historic Visit of Russia in Israel Asher Goldberg, 9 September 2012, IFA
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
Promotion/relegation play-offs
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
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.
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
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
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 celebration75,000 Attend “america Salutes Israel” Rally at Yankee Stadium 30 April 1956, JTA 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.Asian Nations Cup 1956 RSSSFIsrael to the Asian Football Cup Final Davar, 15 July 1956, Historical Jewish Press
1956 Olympics qualification
1955–56 matches
International club matches Visiting foreign teams FK Sarajevo
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.Kapfenberg Will Go Through the Mandelbaum Gate to Israel on Friday Davar, 8 February 1956, Historical Jewish Press The visit was met with criticism from right-wing politiciansKapfenberg A. Hetzroni, Herut, 14 February 1956, Historical Jewish Press Footnotes Davar, 15 February 1956, Historical Jewish Press and acts of sabotage in order to stop the Austrian team from playing,The Efforts to Prevent the Shame – to No Avail Herut, 13 February 1956, Historical Jewish Press The Day the Goals Went Aflame Nisim Kalderon, 1 July 2014, P.T. Neto but the matches went ahead as planned.
Sunderland
Rampla Juniors
São Cristóvão
First Vienna
References