Cypriot First Division

Cypriot First Division
Country Cyprus
Confederation UEFA
Founded 1934 (1934)
Number of teams 14
Level on pyramid 1
Relegation to Cypriot Second Division
Domestic cup(s) Cypriot Cup
Cypriot Super Cup
International cup(s) UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League
Current champions APOEL (25th title)
(2015–16)
Most championships APOEL
(25 titles)
TV partners CytaVision
PrimeTel
Website CFA
2016–17 Cypriot First Division

The Cypriot First Division (Greek: Πρωτάθλημα Α΄ Κατηγορίας) is the top tier football league competition in Cyprus, run by the Cyprus Football Association. Since February 2016, it is sponsored by Cyta and thus officially known as Cyta Championship.[1] The league is contested by 14 teams and runs from August to May, with the three lowest-placed teams relegated to the Cypriot Second Division and replaced by the top three teams in that division.

History

Football was introduced to Cyprus early in the 20th century by the British. Initially played in the island's schools, it proved hugely popular and a number of clubs were duly formed.

Since 1911, when Anorthosis Famagusta FC was founded, many clubs were established and in 1932 the Cypriot Championship began annually at first unofficially. Every season, the championship was organized by a different football club which caused some conflicts between some of the teams.

As football became more established, the clubs were united in agreeing that an official body was needed to regulate the sport. And in September 1934, the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) was formed and the Cypriot Championship and Cup began to take place annually.[2] The first Champions of Cyprus were Trust in 1935 but the club folded three years later. The 1930s were dominated by APOEL, who won five championship in a row until 1940. Like other Championships in the World, the Cypriot Championship was interrupted, due to World War II from 1941 until 1945.

World War II was followed by the Greek Civil War, which caused a lot of fanaticism between Greeks. Since the majority of the island are Greek Cypriots, it had a lot of influence in their society too, including sport. In 1948, some clubs were involved in politics and criticized the left-wing as responsible for the War. Several footballers from those clubs criticized their club but that followed the expulsion of those players from their teams. Those players then went on to help establish new clubs with their own Association and their own football competitions. Until 1953 there were two separate football Championships in Cyprus and two different Associations. However, in 1953, the two Associations unified Cypriot football, and the teams which were established in 1948 under the separate association, were allowed to become members of the CFA. Only Omonia was accepted into the First Division. And due to the addition of more clubs that season, relegation and promotion began in Cypriot football.

The Cypriot Championship unification, lasted for only two seasons. In 1955, Çetinkaya Türk S.K., who had been the only Turkish Cypriot team playing in the Cypriot First Division since 1934–35, withdrew from the Championship and with other Turkish Cypriot teams, established the Cyprus Turkish Football Federation, with its own competitions. The reason behind this was political, as the Turkish Cypriot leadership were supporting the partition of the island. However, this Federation was never recognized and no team of that federation could play in international competitions.

The independence of Cyprus in 1960, was followed by full membership for the Cyprus Football Association to UEFA in 1962. From 1963, the champions of the Cyprus, could compete in the European Champions Cup and the Cup winners in the European Cup Winners Cup. Since 1971, the runners up in the Greek Cypriot First Division can compete in the UEFA Cup. From 1967 until 1974, the Greek Cypriot Champions were promoted to the Greek First National Division. Greek Cypriot teams were relegated every season from the Alpha Ethniki, apart from 1974, when APOEL managed to remain in the Greek Championship which meant that Cyprus would have two teams in Alpha Ethniki. However, due to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus that year, APOEL and Omonia (the champion of Cyprus for 1974) withdrew from the League.

The Greek Cypriot championship was abandoned in the 1963–64 season due to the bicommunal conflicts between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.

Omonia dominated the Greek Cypriot Championship in the 1970s and 1980s, winning 12 championship in 13 seasons. In 1976, Omonia player Sotiris Kaiafas was the top scorer not only in Cyprus but also in Europe with 39 goals winning the European Golden Boot. Anorthosis Famagusta dominated Cyprus football between 1995 and 2000, losing the championship during those years only once in 1996.

The last ten years (2006–present), APOEL had been the most successful club by winning more than one championship every two years, counting seven championship titles in total.

Format

Current format

At present, 14 clubs compete in the league. Each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, which makes a total of 26 games for each club. The last two teams (of the first round) are relegated directly to the Second Division. Since 2007–08 season the league has a second round play-off system. In the second round the first 12 (out of 14) teams are separated into two groups of six teams according to their position at the end of the first round. The points from the first round are carried to the second round and the teams play each other twice (10 more matches). At the end of the second round, the bottom team of the relegation group is relegated to the Second Division.

Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. The rule for three points for a win has been applied since 1992, before then two points were awarded for a win. Teams are ranked by total points, the matches between the teams, then goal difference and then goals scored. If teams are still equal they are deemed to occupy the same position. If the champions, teams for relegation or qualification for other competitions thus cannot be decided, a series of play-off match(es) are played between the affected teams, although this has yet to occur. Since the establishment of the league and until 2005–06, goal difference had the biggest ranking after total points. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned as champions. The three lowest placed teams are relegated into the Cypriot Second Division and the top three teams from the 2nd Division promoted in their place.

The league champions are entitled to entrance in the UEFA Champions League in the second qualifying round. The winner of the Cypriot Cup automatically enters the UEFA Europa League third round. The runner-up and third placed team in the league enters the UEFA Europa League on the first qualifying round. If the cup winners are also league champions, then the fourth placed team of the league are granted a UEFA Europa League berth.

The First Division has had 14 teams from 1989 until today, apart from the 1994–95 season when the league was reduced to 13 teams and the 2014–15 season when the league was reduced to 12 teams. For some years there has been discussion about reducing the number of teams in the first division. This is partly driven by some of the mid-table clubs not being involved for much of the season in either the Championship or qualification for Europe, or relegation. In the 2014–15 season, the Cypriot First Division teams were reduced from 14 to 12, but the next season (2015–16) they were increased again to 14.

Previous formats

From 2007–08 until 2012–13 season, in the second round the first 12 (out of 14) teams were separated into three groups of four teams according to their position at the end of the first round. For the 2013–14 season, in the second round the first 12 (out of 14) teams were separated into two groups of six teams according to their position at the end of the first round. The last two teams of the first round were relegated directly to the B1 Division and the bottom two teams of the relegation group also. The points from the first round were carried to the second round and the teams played each other twice.

In the 2014–15 season, only 12 clubs competed in the league. Each club played the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, which made a total of 22 games for each club. In the second round the 12 teams were separated into two groups of six teams according to their position at the end of the first round. The points from the first round were carried to the second round and the teams played each other twice (10 more matches). At the end of the second round, the bottom team of the relegation group was relegated to the Second Division.

Points system

The points system of the Cypriot First Division changed three times during the years:

  1. From 1934–35 until 1959–60 season, teams were awarded two points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat.[3]
  2. From 1960–61 until 1969–70 season, teams were awarded three points for a win, two points for a draw and one point for a defeat.[3]
  3. From 1970–71 until 1990–91 season, teams were awarded two points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat.[4]
  4. Since 1991–92 season (until present time), teams are awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat.[5]

2016–17 Clubs

Club Location 2015–16 season
AEK LarnacaLarnaca2nd
AEL LimassolLimassol7th
AEZ ZakakiouZakaki2D, 2nd
Anagennisi DeryneiaDeryneia2D, 3rd
AnorthosisLarnaca5th
APOELNicosia1st
Apollon LimassolLimassol3rd
Aris LimassolLimassol10th
Doxa KatokopiasKatokopia9th
Ermis AradippouLarnaca8th
Ethnikos AchnaAchna11th
KarmiotissaPano Polemidia2D, 1st
Nea SalaminaLarnaca6th
OmoniaNicosia4th

League name history

Champions

Season Winner[6][7] Runner-up
1934–35 Trust Çetinkaya Türk
1935–36 APOEL Trust
1936–37 APOEL Trust
1937–38 APOEL Trust
1938–39 APOEL EPA Larnaca
1939–40 APOEL Pezoporikos Larnaca
1940–41 AEL Limassol APOEL
1941–44
Suspended due to World War II
1944–45 EPA Larnaca APOEL
1945–46 EPA Larnaca APOEL
1946–47 APOEL EPA Larnaca
1947–48 APOEL AEL Limassol
1948–49 APOEL Anorthosis Famagusta
1949–50 Anorthosis Famagusta EPA Larnaca
1950–51 Çetinkaya Türk APOEL
1951–52 APOEL EPA Larnaca
1952–53 AEL Limassol Pezoporikos Larnaca
1953–54 Pezoporikos Larnaca APOEL
1954–55 AEL Limassol Pezoporikos Larnaca
1955–56 AEL Limassol APOEL
1956–57 Anorthosis Famagusta Pezoporikos Larnaca
1957–58 Anorthosis Famagusta Pezoporikos Larnaca
1958–59
Not Held
1959–60 Anorthosis Famagusta Omonia
1960–61 Omonia Anorthosis Famagusta
1961–62 Anorthosis Famagusta Omonia
1962–63 Anorthosis Famagusta APOEL
1963–64
Championship Abandoned
1964–65 APOEL Olympiakos Nicosia
1965–66 Omonia Olympiakos Nicosia
1966–67 Olympiakos Nicosia APOEL
1967–68 AEL Limassol Omonia
1968–69 Olympiakos Nicosia Omonia
1969–70 EPA Larnaca Pezoporikos Larnaca
1970–71 Olympiakos Nicosia Digenis Morphou
1971–72 Omonia EPA Larnaca
1972–73 APOEL Olympiakos Nicosia
1973–74 Omonia Pezoporikos Larnaca
1974–75 Omonia Enosis Neon Paralimni
1975–76 Omonia APOEL
1976–77 Omonia APOEL
1977–78 Omonia APOEL
1978–79 Omonia APOEL
1979–80 APOEL Omonia
1980–81 Omonia APOEL
1981–82 Omonia Pezoporikos Larnaca
1982–83 Omonia Anorthosis Famagusta
1983–84 Omonia Apollon Limassol
1984–85 Omonia APOEL
1985–86 APOEL Omonia
1986–87 Omonia APOEL
1987–88 Pezoporikos Larnaca APOEL
1988–89 Omonia Apollon Limassol
1989–90 APOEL Omonia
1990–91 Apollon Limassol Anorthosis Famagusta
1991–92 APOEL Anorthosis Famagusta
1992–93 Omonia Apollon Limassol
1993–94 Apollon Limassol Anorthosis Famagusta
1994–95 Anorthosis Famagusta Omonia
1995–96 APOEL Anorthosis Famagusta
1996–97 Anorthosis Famagusta Apollon Limassol
1997–98 Anorthosis Famagusta Omonia
1998–99 Anorthosis Famagusta Omonia
1999-00 Anorthosis Famagusta Omonia
2000–01 Omonia Olympiakos Nicosia
2001–02 APOEL Anorthosis Famagusta
2002–03 Omonia Anorthosis Famagusta
2003–04 APOEL Omonia
2004–05 Anorthosis Famagusta APOEL
2005–06 Apollon Limassol Omonia
2006–07 APOEL Omonia
2007–08 Anorthosis Famagusta APOEL
2008–09 APOEL Omonia
2009–10 Omonia APOEL
2010–11 APOEL Omonia
2011–12 AEL Limassol APOEL
2012–13 APOEL Anorthosis Famagusta
2013–14 APOEL AEL Limassol
2014–15 APOEL AEK Larnaca
2015–16 APOEL AEK Larnaca

Performances

Performance by club

Club Winners Runners-up Winning seasons
APOEL 25 20 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1965, 1973, 1980, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Omonia 20 16 1961, 1966, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1993, 2001, 2003, 2010
Anorthosis 13 10 1950, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2008
AEL Limassol 6 2 1941, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1968, 2012
EPA Larnaca 3 5 1945, 1946, 1970
Olympiakos Nicosia 3 4 1967, 1969, 1971
Apollon Limassol 3 4 1991, 1994, 2006
Pezoporikos Larnaca 2 8 1954, 1988
Trust 1 3 1935
Çetinkaya Türk 1 1 1951
AEK Larnaca 2
Digenis Morphou 1
Enosis Neon Paralimni 1

Performance by city

City Winners Club(s)
Nicosia
50
APOEL (25)
Omonia (20)
Olympiakos Nicosia (3)
Trust (1)
Çetinkaya Türk (1)
Famagusta
13
Anorthosis (13)
Limassol
9
AEL Limassol (6)
Apollon Limassol (3)
Larnaca
5
EPA Larnaca (3)
Pezoporikos Larnaca (2)

Participations per club

So far, 41 different teams participated in the Cypriot First Division. Neither team has participated in all leagues (78 in total, including the period 2016–17) for various reasons (participation in the Greek league, relegation at the Second Division, teams dissolution and merge or leaving Cyprus Football Association).

Fifteen of the 41 teams are no longer in the Cypriot leagues. Among them is the only Turkish-Cypriot team that participated in the first division, Çetinkaya which left the Cyprus Football Association, but also the Armenian AYMA and Orfeas Nicosia that participate now in the amateur tournaments. Pezoporikos and EPA merged creating AEK Larnaca, Evagoras and APOP merged creating AEP Paphos, AEK Kouklia and AEP Paphos merged creating Pafos FC. Keravnos disbanded its football section, APOP Kinyras, Atromitos Yeroskipou, Onisilos Sotira and Alki Larnaca dissolved due to financial problems and the first champion of Cyprus Trust ceased to exist.

The participations per club table indicates the total number of seasons each club participated in the Cypriot First Division:[8]

Team Participations
AEL Limassol76
APOEL76
Anorthosis Famagusta71
Olympiakos Nicosia66
Omonia61
Apollon Limassol58
Nea Salamina55
Aris Limassol52
EPA Larnaca50
Pezoporikos Larnaca49
Enosis Neon Paralimni46
Team Participations
Alki Larnaca43
Ethnikos Achna30
AEK Larnaca22
APOP Paphos19
Evagoras Paphos18
Çetinkaya Türk18
Digenis Akritas Morphou15
Doxa Katokopias13
Omonia Aradippou13
AYMA11
Team Participations
Ermis Aradippou11
AEP Paphos10
ASIL Lysi8
Anagennisi Deryneia7
APEP7
APOP Kinyras5
Keravnos4
Orfeas Nicosia4
Trust4
Ayia Napa4
Team Participations
Ethnikos Assia3
Chalkanoras Idaliou2
AEK Kouklia1
Atromitos Yeroskipou1
THOI Lakatamia1
Onisilos Sotira1
Othellos Athienou1
AEZ Zakakiou1
Karmiotissa1
Pafos FC1

League or status at 2016–17:

2016–17 Cypriot First Division
2016–17 Cypriot Second Division
2016–17 Cypriot Third Division
Amateur Leagues
No longer affiliated with CFA
Clubs that no longer exist

All-time Cypriot First Division table (1934–35 until 2015–16)

The All-time Cypriot First Division table is a ranking of all Cypriot football clubs based on their performance in the Cypriot First Division.[9] The points are the sum of the points of all seasons, despite the point system of the season. The 1963–64 Cypriot First Division season is not included because the championship was abandoned.

Rank Club Ssn Points GP W D. L. GF. GA. GD.
1APOEL75306117131021369323369017281962
2Omonia6029171556974320262341014351974
3Anorthosis Famagusta7027941705865424416311719741144
4Apollon Limassol572313151767639844325301890640
5AEL Limassol752311171970442459128222412410
6Nea Salamina541697139546436656519402125-185
7Olympiakos Nicosia661664146549135162322092694-485
8Enosis Neon Paralimni461459125342636546216631699-36
9Pezoporikos Larnaca491432106244431830017191326393
10Aris Limassol511230124931530962516022534-931
11EPA Larnaca501222105236227741315701641-71
12Alki Larnaca431202112830928453514001986-586
13Ethnikos Achna29102783328420434511251240-115
14AEK Larnaca21895603253136214960809151
15APOP Paphos194065021051262715011007-506
16Evagoras Paphos1837148090136254431906-475
17Digenis Akritas Morphou1533939694110192397690-293
18Doxa Katokopias123363628484194409733-324
19AEP Paphos103152788172125376478-102
20Ermis Aradippou102593026665171301642-341
21Omonia Aradippou132323576492201315686-371
22Çetinkaya Türk18189209773597393503-110
23ASIL Lysi81801983740121169430-261
24APOP Kinyras5161148442975201275-74
25Orfeas Nicosia413490241650110180-70
26AYMA111211762327126256593-337
27Anagennisi Deryneia61161603128101145351-207
28APEP71011922534133158460-302
29Keravnos484108282852111167-56
30Trust4684430861295475
31Ayia Napa46411012287090218-128
32Ethnikos Assia3607817952102184-82
33Chalkanoras Idaliou2436016113359116-57
34Pafos FC13636812164158-17
35Othellos Athienou12532510172642-16
36AEK Kouklia1233665253494-60
37Onisilos Sotira1132634192263-41
38Atromitos Yeroskipou172614211969-50
39THOI Lakatamia172614211575-60
Total 77 28914 22682 8560 5562 8560 34567 34567 0

Final positions per club (1934–35 until 2015–16)

The final positions table indicates how many times each club finished in every position of the league table from 1934–35 season until 2015–16 season:[10]

↓Team / Place→ 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th Total
APOEL252015341313000000075
AEL Limassol62616127755323010075
Anorthosis Famagusta131087155831000000070
Olympiakos Nicosia3424476756113310066
AC Omonia201610922100000000060
Apollon Limassol3475913514330000057
Nea Salamina004357663733601054
Aris Limassol000441371887350051
EPA Larnaca354243484741100050
Pezoporikos Larnaca2814655411210000049
Enosis Neon Paralimni0123365125421200046
Alki Larnaca001104326667331043
Ethnikos Achna000317306230220029
AEK Larnaca020620433000100021
APOP Paphos000000011225350019
Çetinkaya Türk114362010000000018
Evagoras Paphos000000002026341018
Digenis Akritas Morphou010010112111302115
Omonia Aradippou000001110112222013
Doxa Katokopias000000111230310012
AYMA000101232000200011
Ermis Aradippou000101011010040110
AEP Paphos000000212102020010
ASIL Lysi00000100110201118
APEP00000000001015007
Anagennisi Deryneia00000000100220016
APOP Kinyras00000012000101005
Trust13000000000000004
Orfeas Nicosia00000010012000004
Keravnos00000000100111004
Ayia Napa00000000010021004
Ethnikos Assia00000000000201003
Chalkanoras Idaliou00000000000100012
AEK Kouklia00000000000100001
Othellos Athienou00000000000100001
Pafos FC00000000000100001
Onisilos Sotira00000000000010001
Atromitos Yeroskipou00000000000001001
THOI Lakatamia00000000000001001

See also

References

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