2006–07 Iraqi Premier League
The Iraqi Premier League of 2006-2007 kicked off on December 22, 2006. In the beginning, teams only in the north and in the south were able to hold their games, while Baghdad based clubs were unable to begin the season on time due to the War in Iraq. During the season, the league had to go through some dramatic changes in order to move on with the league. At the beginning of the season, the teams were split into 3 groups, a North division, a South division, and a Baghdad division. Months into the season and the Baghdad based teams were unable to go forth with their games, thus the league had to change group and the system.
The 24 teams were split into four groups. The South and North divisions each have 7 teams, with one Baghdad division consisting of 4 teams and the other of 6 teams. At the end of the regular season, the top 3 teams from each group, a total of 12 teams, will advance to the next round. In the second round, these 12 teams will be splite into two groups of 6, with teams playing a single game with each opponent in the group. The top two team in each of the two groups advanced to the next round creating a 4 team playoff being played in Arbil. It was the first time in Iraqi history to have the championship game played outside of Baghdad. Baghdad based teams Al-Shorta, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al- Talaba and Al-Zawraa opposed the decision of the IFA holding the championship game in Arbil and threaten to withdraw from the tournament.[1] Non of the teams withdrew and the playoffs went on.
Original Groups
The following was the group in the beginning of the season. The groups would eventually have to be modified later on during the season because of security problems.
By January, the Baghdad division was behind in getting their games underway. Ramadi FC widthrew due to economic reasons, thus the league finally split the group into 2 Baghdad divisions.
The Primary stage
- Green - Northern division
- Blue - Baghdad division 1
- Purple - Baghdad division 2
- Red - Southern division
Baghdad Division A
Baghdad Division B
South Division
North Division
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Qualifies to next round |
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Relegate to second division |
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Promoted to Iraqi Premier League in this season |
The Elite stage
Group A
Group B
The Golden Stage (Final Stage)
Semifinals
Third Place Match
Final
Top Goal Scores
Sources
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| Domestic leagues |
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| AFC competitions |
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References
- ^ Iraq Football Confederation won’t take back its decision of holding final round games outside Baghdad | Sports News | Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite TV Network