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 |
|---|---|
| Country | Panama |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Liga PROM |
| International cup(s) | CONCACAF Champions League |
| Current champions | Tauro F.C. (2021) |
| Most championships | Tauro F.C. (16 titles) |
| TV partners | RPC TV, TV-Max |
| Website | lpf.com.pa |
| Current: 2021 Liga Panameña de Fútbol | |
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 Panama 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 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 to 1996, 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 were 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 Apertura/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.
- In 2021, LPF made changes to the Panamanian football structure, top-tier teams now will be considered as franchises and expanded the league from 10 to 12 teams with no relegation. Second-tier league will increase from 8 to 24 teams by combining top-tier teams U-20 teams, second-tier teams and invitational teams.
LINFUNA Era
In 1994 Panamanian soccer suffered a great division, when the LINFUNA league was created, the league had Panamanian Football Federation approval and FIFA recognition. It was presided by Rolando Marco Hermoso, then succeeded by Ariel Alvarado.
ANAPROF teams Projusa FC and Alianza FC, were brought into the organization.
The league organized two championships (1994 and 1995), both won by C.D. Árabe Unido from Colón.
Following a mediation by CONCACAF, on January 6, 1996 the leagues were unified under the ANAPROF name.[1]
1994 Participating teams
Árabe Unido, Projusa (Veraguas), Chorrillo, Alianza FC, Internacional Puerto Armuelles, Tulihueca de La Chorrera, Corporación Deportiva Independiente Municipal Panamá (DIM), Vista Alegre, Cruz Azul (David, Chiriquí) y el Altamira - Cosmos,
1995 Participating teams
Árabe Unido, Projusa, Internacional Puerto Armuelles, Tulihueca de La Chorrera, Cosmos, Chorrillo, Alianza, Corporación Deportiva Independiente Municipal Panamá (DIM), Tigres de Vista Alegre y Cruz Azul.
2021 teams
| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alianza | Panama City | Cancha de Entrenamiento Luis Tapia | 900 |
| Atlético Chiriqui | Ciudad de David | Estadio San Cristóbal | 3,500 |
| Árabe Unido | Colón | Estadio Armando Dely Valdés | 2,000 |
| Universitario Cocle | Ciudad de Penonomé | Estadio de la universidad Latina Penonomé | 4,000 |
| 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 |
| Costa del Este F.C. | Pacora, Ciudad de Panamá | Estadio Maracaná | 5,500 |
| Sporting San Miguelito | San Miguelito | Estadio Javier Cruz | 1,500 |
| Tauro | Panama City | Estadio Rommel Fernández | 32,000 |
| Veraguas C.D. | Santiago, Veraguas | Estadio Aristocles Toco Castillo | 5,000 |
| Herrera F.C. | Chitré, Herrera | Estadio Los Milagros de Chitré | 32,000 |
Championships by team
| Team | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|
| Tauro F.C. | 16 | 9 |
| Árabe Unido Colón | 151 | 7 |
| San Francisco Chorrera | 9 | 10 2 |
| Plaza Amador | 7 | 7 |
| Universitario Cocle | 3 | 5 |
| C.A. Independiente | 3 | 1 |
| Euro Kickers | 1 | 2 |
| Sporting San Miguelito | 1 | 1 |
| Panamá Viejo | 1 | - |
| Costa del Este F.C. | - | 2 |
| Chepo | - | 2 |
| Club Projusa | - | 2 |
| Alianza | - | 1 |
| Río Abajo | - | 1 |
| Atlético Veragüense | - | 1 |
| Sporting Colón | - | 1 |
| Cosmos | - | 1 |
| Herrera F.C. | - | 1 |
1 Including 2 Winners in LINFUNA.
2 Including 2 Runners-up under the name Deportivo La Previsora.
Teams dissolved.
| 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
- Recordando a la Linfuna - La Gaceta de Panamá
- "Temporadas Anteriores de ANAPROF". web.archive.org. 2009-10-27. Retrieved 2021-12-15.
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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