The 1998–99
Liga Alef
Liga Alef () is the third tier of the Israeli football league system. It is divided into two regional divisions, north and south.
History
League football began in Israel in 1949–50, a year after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. Howe ...
season was held between 11 September 1998 and 29 May 1999. It was the last season (until 2009–10) in which Liga Alef was the third tier of
Israeli football, as the creation of the
Israeli Premier League
The Israeli Premier League (, Ligat HaAl, ) is a professional association football league in Israel and the highest level of the Israeli football league system. The league is contested by 14 clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and rele ...
in the summer of 1999 meant that it became the fourth tier.
Due to the restructuring, two clubs were due to be promoted from each division;
Hapoel Ra'anana
Hapoel Ra'anana Association Football Club (, ''Amutat Hapoel Ra'anana Mahleket Kaduregel'') is an Israeli football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to s ...
and
Hapoel Nazareth Illit from the north and
Hapoel Dimona and
Hapoel Ramat Gan
Hapoel Ramat Gan Givatayim F.C. (, ''Moadon Kaduregel Hapoel Ramat Gan Givatayim'') is an Israeli football club from Ramat Gan and Givatayim. They currently play in Liga Leumit, the second tier of Israeli football. Home matches are played at Rama ...
from the south.
During the summer of 1999,
Maccabi Jaffa
Maccabi Jaffa Football Club () is an Israeli football club from Jaffa, Tel Aviv. Founded in 2007 as a phoenix football club by fans of Maccabi Jaffa F.C., which was dissolved in 2000 and all previous attempts in the intervening years to revive it ...
were demoted to Liga Alef (from
Liga Leumit
The Israeli Liga Leumit (, HaLiga HaLeumit, ) is the second division of the professional Israeli association football (soccer) league system. This second-tier league is placed directly below the Israeli Premier League.
Structure
There are 16 ...
) after their budget was not approved by the
Israel Football Association
The Israel Football Association (IFA; , ''HaHit'aḥdut leKaduregel beIsrael'', ) is the governing body of football in Israel. It organizes a variety of association football leagues where the highest level is the Israeli Premier League; as well a ...
, which resulted in
Maccabi Sha'arayim (the third-placed club with the highest points total) being promoted alongside the top two from the South Division. In addition,
Hapoel Ashdod,
Hapoel Lod and
SK Nes Tziona were all demoted from
Liga Artzit
Liga Artzit (, lit. ''Country League'') is the defunct third division of Israeli Football League, beneath its highest division Premier League and the second division Liga Leumit. Before being cancelled in 2009, it was run by the Israel Football A ...
after their budgets were not approved by the IFA. This resulted in the third- and fourth-placed clubs from the North Division (
Hapoel Iksal and
Hapoel Acre) and the fourth-placed club in the South Division (
Shimshon Tel Aviv
Shimshon Tel Aviv F.C. (, ''Moadon Kaduregel Shimshon Tel Aviv'') is an Israeli football club based in Tel Aviv.
In 2000 it merged with Beitar Tel Aviv to create Beitar Shimshon Tel Aviv. ) also being promoted.
North Division
South Division
References
Israel Third Level 1998/99RSSSF
{{DEFAULTSORT:1998-99 Liga Alef
Liga Alef seasons
3
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...