Syrian professional league

	Syrian professional league
Association	Syrian Arab Football Association
First edition	1966
Teams	18th
master	Al-Jaish (15th title)
Record champions	Al Jaish (15 victories)
Current season	2016/17
Qualification for	AFC Cup
	↓ 2nd division

The Syrian football champion is in a so-called professional league ( Arabic دوري المحترفين, DMG daurī al-muḥtarifīn ). This has been played since 1966/67, but the championship was canceled or canceled five times between 1970 and 1981. The country's record champions are Al-Jaish .

mode

Up to the 2010/11 season, which was canceled as a result of the Syrian Civil War , 14 clubs took part in the league and competed against each other in home and away matches. The first place after the 26 match days was Syrian champions; if he was level on points with the table runner-up, a playoff for the Syrian championship followed. The two bottom of the table were relegated to the Syrian second division.

Since the resumption of play in the 2011/12 season, each season has been played in a slightly different mode. In the current 2014/15 season, 18 clubs, divided into two groups of nine teams, are playing in the first division. The top three teams in a group qualify for a championship finals, while the clubs in the last two places in a group are relegated to the second division.

Clubs of the 2014/15 season

Group 1

Group 2

Previous masters

The Syrian Masters Overview
society	Championships
Al-Jaish	17 × - 1973, 1976, 1979, 1985, 1986, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Al-Karama	8 × - 1975, 1983, 1984, 1996, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
Al-Ittihad	6 × - 1967, 1968, 1977, 1993, 1995, 2005
Jableh Sporting Club	4 × - 1987, 1988, 1989, 2000
Al Horiya	2 × - 1992, 1994
Al-Futowa	2 × - 1990, 1991
Teshrine	2 × - 1982, 1997
Barada	2 × - 1969, 1970
Al Wahda	2 × - 2004, 2014
Al Shorta	2 × - 1980, 2012

In 1971, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1981 and 2011 no master was determined.

Riots in spring 2004

On March 12, 2004, riots broke out in the city of Al-Qamishli on the fringes of the meeting between Al Jihad and Al Fatuwa, in which, according to official reports, 14 people were killed. This was preceded by provocations by the Fatuwa fans, who are known to worship or sympathize with the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein , against the largely Kurdish population of the city of Al-Qamishli. With their anti-Kurdish slogans and holding up pictures of the fallen Iraqi dictator, the Fatuwa fans caused great anger among the supporters of Al Jihad. When the Fatowa fans, including many armed hooligans, who were simply allowed to pass the stadium controls and then entered the stadium a few minutes before kick-off, there was a tumult. After slogans were chanted on both sides, such as B. "Death to the Kurds", even stones and seats flew. A mass panic broke out. A reporter for Syrian radio had mentioned on the radio that three children had been kicked to death. In retrospect, however, this turned out to be a false report. Kurdish hooligans continued to attack Fatuwa fans. The police managed to separate the two groups. Street riots broke out later in the day. Seven Kurds were shot dead by security forces. The game was canceled. In the further course of March there were also uprisings among the Kurdish population throughout Syria , which mostly culminated in street battles. A pacification of the Kurdish groups with the government and the military was not achieved until the beginning of April. Since then, Al Jihad has not been allowed to play its home games in its own stadium, but has to switch to the stadium in the city of Al-Hassaka, 70 km from Al-Qamishli. The ban was ordered by the local political security authorities. The Syrian Arab Football Association has so far remained silent, although the FIFA statutes clearly prohibit political interference.

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