# 2011–12 Liga Leumit

The 2011–12 Liga Leumit was the thirteen season since its introduction in 1999 and the 70th season of second-tier football in Israel. It began on 19 August 2011 and ended on 18 May 2012.
A total of sixteen teams were contesting in the league, including twelfth sides from the 2010–11 season, two promoted teams from the 2010–11 Liga Alef and two relegated teams from the 2010–11 Israeli Premier League.

## Changes from 2010–11 season
### Structural changes

* Only one team will be promoted to the 2012–13 Israeli Premier League, and three relegated teams from the Israeli Premier League.
* Three team will be relegated to the 2012–13 Liga Alef, and only one will be promoted from Liga Alef.

### Team changes

Ironi Ramat HaSharon and Hapoel Rishon LeZion were directly promoted to the 2011–12 Israeli Premier League after finishing the 2010–11 season in the two top places.
Hapoel Ashkelon and Hapoel Ramat Gan were directly relegated to the 2011–12 Liga Leumit after finishing the 2010–11 Israeli Premier League season in the two bottom places.

## Overview
### Stadia and locations

| Club | Stadium | Capacity |
| Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla | Hatikva Neighborhood Stadium | 06,500 |
| Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan | Winter Stadium | 08,000 |
| Hapoel Ashkelon | Sala Stadium | 5,250 |
| Hapoel Bnei Lod | Hatikva Neighborhood Stadium | 0006,500 |
| Hapoel Herzliya | Herzliya Municipal Stadium | 08,100 |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | Teddy Stadium | 21,600 |
| Hapoel Kfar Saba | Levita Stadium | 05,800 |
| Hapoel Nazareth Illit | Green Stadium | 04,000 |
| Hapoel Ra'anana | Levita Stadium | 0005,800 |
| Hapoel Ramat Gan | Winter Stadium | 0008,000 |
| Ironi Bat Yam | Bat Yam Municipal Stadium | 03,100 |
| Maccabi Ahi Nazareth | Ilut Stadium | 04,932 |
| Maccabi Be'er Sheva | Vasermil Stadium | 13,000 |
| Maccabi Herzliya | Herzliya Municipal Stadium | 08,100 |
| Maccabi Umm al-Fahm | HaShalom Stadium | 7,000 |
| Sektzia Nes Tziona | Ness Ziona Stadium | 03,500 |
^ ^ ^ The club is playing their home games at a neutral venue because their own ground does not meet Premier League requirements.

## Regular season
### Regular season table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Hapoel Ramat Gan | 30 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 44 | 20 | +24 | 59 | Top Playoff |
| 2 | Hapoel Bnei Lod | 30 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 43 | 26 | +17 | 59 | Top Playoff |
| 3 | Maccabi Herzliya | 30 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 30 | 20 | +10 | 49 | Top Playoff |
| 4 | Maccabi Ahi Nazareth | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 41 | 36 | +5 | 49 | Top Playoff |
| 5 | Hapoel Ra'anana | 30 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 34 | 22 | +12 | 48 | Top Playoff |
| 6 | Hapoel Jerusalem | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 44 | Top Playoff |
| 7 | Maccabi Umm al-Fahm | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 28 | 31 | −3 | 44 | Middle Playoff |
| 8 | Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 40 | 35 | +5 | 42 | Middle Playoff |
| 9 | Hapoel Kfar Saba | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 36 | 30 | +6 | 41 | Middle Playoff |
| 10 | Hapoel Ashkelon | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 35 | 37 | −2 | 40 | Middle Playoff |
| 11 | Sektzia Nes Tziona | 30 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 44 | 37 | +7 | 39 | Bottom Playoff |
| 12 | Ironi Bat Yam | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 30 | 38 | −8 | 32 | Bottom Playoff |
| 13 | Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 25 | 45 | −20 | 32 | Bottom Playoff |
| 14 | Hapoel Nazareth Illit | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 25 | 42 | −17 | 29 | Bottom Playoff |
| 15 | Maccabi Be'er Sheva | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 33 | 51 | −18 | 25 | Bottom Playoff |
| 16 | Hapoel Herzliya | 30 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 20 | 44 | −24 | 21 | Bottom Playoff |
* ↑ Hapoel Nazareth Illit were deducted one point.

### Regular season results

| Home \ Away | BTR | HAR | HAS | HBL | HHE | HJE | HKS | HNI | HRA | HRG | IBY | MAN | MBS | MHE | MUF | SNT |
| Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla | | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 |
| Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan | 0–2 | | 0–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Hapoel Ashkelon | 1–2 | 1–2 | | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 |
| Hapoel Bnei Lod | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | | 4–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Hapoel Herzliya | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–4 |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | 3–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Hapoel Kfar Saba | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | | 3–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–3 | 3–1 | 2–2 |
| Hapoel Nazareth Illit | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 0–4 | | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| Hapoel Ra'anana | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Hapoel Ramat Gan | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 0–0 |
| Ironi Bat Yam | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 |
| Maccabi Ahi Nazareth | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| Maccabi Be'er Sheva | 4–1 | 2–1 | 3–5 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 2–4 | | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Maccabi Herzliya | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| Maccabi Umm al-Fahm | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | | 0–3 |
| Sektzia Nes Tziona | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–5 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | |
* ↑ Hapoel Nazareth Illit received a technical loss of 3–0 to Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla for fielding an ineligible player. The original game finished in a 0–0 draw.

## Playoffs

Key numbers for pairing determination (number marks position after 30 games):
Rounds :
| 31st | 32nd | 33rd | 34th | 35th |
| 1 – 6 2 – 5 3 – 4 | 1 – 2 5 – 3 6 – 4 | 2 – 6 3 – 1 4 – 5 | 1 – 4 2 – 3 6 – 5 | 3 – 6 4 – 2 5 – 1 |
| 07 – 10 8 – 9 | 7 – 8 10 – 90 | 08 – 10 9 – 7 | 0 0 | 0 0 |
| 11 – 16 12 – 15 13 – 14 | 11 – 12 15 – 13 16 – 14 | 12 – 16 13 – 11 14 – 15 | 11 – 14 12 – 13 16 – 15 | 13 – 16 14 – 12 15 – 11 |

### Top Playoff

The points obtained during the regular season were halved (and rounded up) before the start of the playoff. Thus, Hapoel Ramat Gan started with 30 points, Hapoel Bnei Lod with 30, Maccabi Ahi Nazareth with 25, Maccabi Herzliya with 25, Hapoel Ra'anana with 24, and Hapoel Jerusalem started with 22.

#### Top Playoff table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Hapoel Ramat Gan (O, P) | 35 | 21 | 6 | 8 | 54 | 26 | +28 | 37 | Qualification to Promotion Playoff |
| 2 | Hapoel Bnei Lod | 35 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 56 | 35 | +21 | 37 | Qualification to Promotion Playoff |
| 3 | Maccabi Herzliya | 35 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 42 | 24 | +18 | 37 | |
| 4 | Maccabi Ahi Nazareth | 35 | 16 | 7 | 12 | 43 | 47 | −4 | 31 | |
| 5 | Hapoel Ra'anana | 35 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 37 | 30 | +7 | 27 | |
| 6 | Hapoel Jerusalem | 35 | 13 | 8 | 14 | 44 | 40 | +4 | 25 | |
* 1 2 3 Because all three teams finished with the same number of points, the two teams with the better goal difference will face each other in a one-leg match to decide the division winner which will be promoted to the 2012–13 Israeli Premier League.
* 1 2 Hapoel Bnei Lod and Hapoel Ramat Gan were both deducted three points after the teams had an on-field brawl between them after their match against each other ended 1–1.

#### Top Playoff results

| Home \ Away | HBL | HJE | HRA | HRG | MAN | MHE |
| Hapoel Bnei Lod | | 4–3 | 1–0 | | | 1–5 |
| Hapoel Jerusalem | | | 0–1 | | 0–1 | |
| Hapoel Ra'anana | | | | 2–3 | | 0–3 |
| Hapoel Ramat Gan | 1–1 | 0–2 | | | 3–0 | |
| Maccabi Ahi Nazareth | 0–6 | | 1–0 | | | |
| Maccabi Herzliya | | 1–0 | | 1–3 | 2–0 | |

#### Promotion playoff

The 1st-placed team Hapoel Ramat Gan faced the 2nd-placed team Hapoel Bnei Lod. The winner Hapoel Ramat Gan earned a spot in the 2012–13 Israeli Premier League. The match took place on 18 May 2012.

### Middle Playoff

The points obtained during the regular season were halved (and rounded up) before the start of the playoff. Thus, Maccabi Umm al-Fahm started with 22 points, Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla with 21, Hapoel Kfar Saba with 21, and Hapoel Ashkelon started with 20.

#### Middle Playoff table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 7 | Hapoel Kfar Saba | 33 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 42 | 34 | +8 | 26 |
| 8 | Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla | 33 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 48 | 43 | +5 | 25 |
| 9 | Hapoel Ashkelon | 33 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 42 | 43 | −1 | 25 |
| 10 | Maccabi Umm al-Fahm | 33 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 30 | 36 | −6 | 23 |

#### Middle Playoff results

| Home \ Away | BTR | HAS | HKS | MUF |
| Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla | | 3–3 | 3–5 | |
| Hapoel Ashkelon | | | 1–1 | |
| Hapoel Kfar Saba | | | | 0–0 |
| Maccabi Umm al-Fahm | 0–2 | 2–3 | | |

### Bottom Playoff

The points obtained during the regular season were halved (and rounded up) before the start of the playoff. Thus, Sektzia Nes Tziona started with 20 points, Ironi Bat Yam with 16, Hakoah Ramat Gan with 16, Hapoel Nazareth Illit with 14, Maccabi Be'er Sheva with 13, and Hapoel Herzliya started with 11.

#### Bottom Playoff table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation |
| 11 | Sektzia Nes Tziona | 35 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 50 | 48 | +2 | 25 | |
| 12 | Hapoel Nazareth Illit | 35 | 11 | 8 | 16 | 35 | 47 | −12 | 25 | |
| 13 | Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan | 35 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 34 | 50 | −16 | 25 | |
| 14 | Ironi Bat Yam (R) | 35 | 9 | 10 | 16 | 34 | 43 | −9 | 21 | Relegation to Liga Alef |
| 15 | Maccabi Be'er Sheva (R) | 35 | 7 | 8 | 20 | 39 | 58 | −19 | 17 | Relegation to Liga Alef |
| 16 | Hapoel Herzliya (R) | 35 | 6 | 8 | 21 | 25 | 51 | −26 | 16 | Relegation to Liga Alef |
* ↑ Hapoel Nazareth Illit were deducted one point

#### Bottom Playoff results

| Home \ Away | HAR | HHE | HNI | IBY | MBS | SNT |
| Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan | | 3–1 | 1–1 | | | 2–2 |
| Hapoel Herzliya | | | 1–1 | | 2–1 | |
| Hapoel Nazareth Illit | | | | 2–1 | 3–1 | |
| Ironi Bat Yam | 1–1 | 1–0 | | | 0–0 | |
| Maccabi Be'er Sheva | 0–2 | | | | | 4–0 |
| Sektzia Nes Tziona | | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | | |

## Top scorers

| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Murad Abu Anza | Hapoel Bnei Lod | 19 |
| 2 | Osei Mawuli | Hapoel Ashkelon | 18 |
| 3 | Ran Ben Shimon | Ironi Bat Yam | 14 |
| 4 | Adam Mizrahi | Hapoel Jerusalem | 13 |
| 5 | Lior Asulin | Hapoel Ramat Gan | 12 |
| 5 | Ran Itzhak | Hapoel Kfar Saba | 12 |
| 5 | Serge Ayeli | Maccabi Ahi Nazareth | 12 |
| 5 | Itzhak Abushdid | Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla | 12 |
| 5 | Yossi Asayag | Hapoel Ra'anana | 12 |
| 10 | Adrián Fernández | Hapoel Ramat Gan | 11 |
| 10 | Yadin Zaris | Maccabi Herzliya | 11 |
| Total | Total | Total | 655 |
| Average per game | Average per game | Average per game | 2.37 |
* ^1 Ran Itzhak was transferred from the Israeli Premier League club Ironi Ramat HaSharon during the winter transfer window.

## Season statistics
### Scoring

* First goal of the season: Ibrahim Basit for Maccabi Umm al-Fahm against Hapoel Bnei Lod, 64th minute (19 August 2011)
* Widest winning margin: 6 goals – Maccabi Ahi Nazareth 0–6 Hapoel Bnei Lod (11 May 2012)
* Most goals in a match: 8 goals –
** Maccabi Be'er Sheva 3–5 Hapoel Ashkelon (26 December 2011)
** Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla 3–5 Hapoel Kfar Saba (14 April 2012)
* Most goals in a half: 6 goals – Hapoel Bnei Lod 1–5 Maccabi Herzliya, 0–0 at half-time (4 May 2012)
* Most goals in a match by one player: 3 goals –
** Ibrahim Basit for Maccabi Umm al-Fahm against Hapoel Bnei Lod (19 August 2011)
** Adam Mizrahi for Hapoel Jerusalem against Sektzia Nes Tziona (3 October 2011)
** Murad Abu Anza for Hapoel Bnei Lod against Hapoel Nazareth Illit (15 October 2011)
** Mati Avraham for Hapoel Jerusalem against Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla (18 November 2011)
** William Owusu for Hapoel Kfar Saba against Hapoel Nazareth Illit (21 November 2011)
** Murad Abu Anza for Hapoel Bnei Lod against Ironi Bat Yam (19 December 2011)
** Mor Shaked for Sektzia Nes Tziona against Hapoel Herzliya (9 March 2012)
** Ran Itzhak for Hapoel Kfar Saba against Hapoel Herzliya (30 March 2012)
** Yadin Zaris for Maccabi Herzliya against Hapoel Bnei Lod (4 May 2012)
** Yaniv Deri for Hapoel Nazareth Illit against Sektzia Nes Tziona (7 May 2012)

### Discipline

* First yellow card of the season: Salach Haj for Maccabi Umm al-Fahm against Hapoel Bnei Lod, 28th minute (19 August 2011)
* First red card of the season: Yaniv Deri for Hapoel Nazareth Illit against Hapoel Ashkelon, 90th minute (27 August 2011)