Liga Panameña de Fútbol
The Liga Panameña de Fútbol (LPF) (English: Panamanian Football League) is the top division football league in Panama. Until 2009, the league was named "Asociación Nacional Pro Fútbol" (ANAPROF).
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| Founded | 1988 |
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| Country | Panama |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Liga Nacional de Ascenso |
| International cup(s) | CONCACAF Champions League |
| Current champions | CAI Independiente (2019) |
| Most championships | Árabe Unido, Tauro (15 titles) |
| TV partners | RPC TV, TV-Max |
| Website | lpf.com.pa |
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Competition format
The league's season is divided into two tournaments called the Apertura and Clausura. Both tournaments have an identical format. Each tournament has two stages: the first stage is a double round-robin round where each team plays every other team twice, once at home and once away. The top-four teams advance to a final stage, a single-elimination culminating with a final match.
The first stage of both tournaments is combined into an aggregate table to determine relegation. The team with the fewest points is relegated to the Primera A for the following season.
The champions of both tournaments qualify to the CONCACAF Champions League.
History
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In 1987, a group of men, composed of Giancarlo Gronchi, Jan Domburg, Edgar Plazas, Jorge Zelasny, Ángel Valero and Juan Carlos Delgado, founded the Asociación Nacional Pro-Fútbol (ANAPROF for short) on February 26, 1988.
Their objective was to organize professional football in Panama, in order to help the Panamanian national team in the long term.
Founding teams
- Chirilanco (Bocas del Toro)
- Deportivo la Previsora (La Chorrera)
- Deportivo Perú (Panama City)
- Euro Kickers (Panama City)
- Plaza Amador (Panama City)
- Tauro (Panama City)
Timeline
- The league was founded in as ANAPROF in 1988 after years of turmoil in Panamanian football. The first season, which featured six teams, began on February 26, 1988. Six teams participated. From that year until 2001, the league used a "long tournament" format in which every team played every other team in a home and away set. Since 2001, the league has used the Apertura/Clausura split season that is common to Latin America.
- From 1994-96, Panamanian football was rent by a schism between ANAPROF and a rival league, LINFUNA. The split was resolved in 1996-97, when the leagues merged into a single twelve-team tournament.
- The next few seasons of league football was a bit confusing as the governing body tried to sort out its formats. In 1997-98, the league was split into two groups for the regular season, followed by an eight-team playoff. In 1998-99, the league shrunk to ten teams, with six of them advancing to a post-season tournament. The top four advanced further to a playoff to determine the champion. A similar format was used in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001.
- In 2001, the Apetura/Clausura format was adopted, and with modifications has been used ever since. The most significant involved the idea of the Grand Championship playoff. From 2001 to 2007, the winner of the Apertura faced the winner of the Clausura to determine a season champion. After 2007, this idea was abandoned.
- In 2009 ANAPROF changes its name to Liga Panameña de Fútbol.
2017-18 teams
| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alianza | Panama City | Cancha de Entrenamiento Luis Tapia | 900 |
| Atlético Veragüense | Santiago de Veraguas | Estadio Áristocles Castillo | 500 |
| Árabe Unido | Colón | Estadio Armando Dely Valdés | 4,000 |
| Chorrillo | Panama City | Estadio Maracaná | 5,500 |
| Club Atlético Independiente | La Chorrera | Estadio Agustín Sánchez | 3,000 |
| Plaza Amador | Panama City | Estadio Maracaná | 5,500 |
| San Francisco | La Chorrera | Estadio Agustín Sánchez | 3,000 |
| Santa Gema | Arraiján | Estadio Agustín Sánchez | 3,000 |
| Sporting San Miguelito | San Miguelito | Cancha de Entrenamiento Luis Tapia | 900 |
| Tauro | Panama City | Estadio Rommel Fernández | 32,000 |
Championships by team
| Team | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| Árabe Unido | 15 1 | 5 |
| Tauro | 15 | 8 |
| San Francisco | 9 | 10 2 |
| Plaza Amador | 6 | 6 |
| Chorrillo | 2 | 4 |
Euro Kickers | 1 | 2 |
| Sporting San Miguelito | 1 | 1 |
| Independiente | 2 | 2 |
| Panamá Viejo | 1 | - |
| Chepo | - | 2 |
| Club Projusa | - | 2 |
| Alianza | - | 1 |
| Río Abajo | - | 1 |
| Atlético Veragüense | - | 1 |
| Sporting Colón | - | 1 |
| Cosmos | - | 1 |
| Costa del Este F.C. | - | 1 |
1 Including 2 Winners in LINFUNA.
2 Including 2 Runners-up under the name Deportivo La Previsora.
Past results LINFUNA
From 1994 to 1996 Panamanian football went through a schism, with the alternative federation, LINFUNA (officially recognised by FIFA then). LINFUNA and ANAPROF joined again in 1996.
| Seasons | Champions | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | Árabe Unido | Cosmos |
| 1995–96 | Árabe Unido | Club Projusa |
Results by year
The following table shows past results for ANAPROF (1988-09) and the Liga Panameña de Fútbol (2009–present)
Top-scorers by season
References
External links
- Liga Panameña de Fútbol (Official Page-Spanish)
- LPF Website (unofficial)
- Panama-List of Champions
- ANAPROF club participation in UNCAF tournament
- Federaciòn Panameña de Fùtbol (fepafut.com)
- Panama - List of Champions, RSSSF.com
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| League system |
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