Domestic Leagues Around the World

The Golden Miller · 20-06-2021 3:50am #1

Here's an interesting thread I think. I rarely see any discussion on leagues outside the top ones, or international football. Got the idea for the thread as I went onto one about summer football outside the euros, but alas, was about more international football.

Surely there's people who follow obscure teams in obscure leagues for a variety of reasons, reasons which are often interesting I think?

For example I'd watch alot of Dinamo Minsk in the Belarus league. Not sure why, think it started with my dislike of BATE in Europe and how they bought the league, so wanted the old dog to win.

Likewise, always fascinated and watch Grasshopper Zurich. Not sure why either. Think it started when watching their fall and being surpassed by a new success team in Basel, and how they responded, or didn't as the case may be.

Look out for Barry Town in Wales too. Guess it's something to do with the fall from grace of former top teams that's interesting

Anyone else follow random teams or random leagues?

Duffy the Vampire Slayer · 20-06-2021 4:23am

Second leg of Colombian league final is in Bogota tomorrow. Millonarios v Tolima. They're tied 1-1 from the first leg in Tolima.

Mars Bar · 20-06-2021 8:12pm

I keep an eye on Al Jazira in the UAE Pro League. Last game I got to was January 1st 2020.
They won the league by 3 points with the most academy graduates in their squad. That's a big win for a club here.

Hodors Appletart · 21-06-2021 10:45am

I've spent time in Cairo and picked the team that a friend I made supports, Zamalek. They usually play second fiddle to Al-Ahly in Cairo, but the odd year will win the league and go deep in the African CL.

I also have a soft spot for Sydney FC, as I lived in Sydney and attended matches the season Dwight Yorke was playing for them, was even in The Cove, the singing section, for a few games. Good times.

HalloweenJack · 21-06-2021 11:33am

I lived in Brno in the Czech Republic and went to Zbrojovka games when they were flailing about in the second division. Still keep an eye out for them, been relegated from the top flight this year.

I stayed with a Fluminense-mad family when I was in Rio so look out for their results and I have a very good friend who got me into his local side in Finland, VPS.

I have a soft spot for Aberdeen too as I went to a game there when my sister was at college there.

Oat23 · 21-06-2021 12:41pm

I've got a few from a mix of real life experiences and football manager :pac:

Potenza Calcio in Italy via FM. Unfortunately the original SC Potenza who were about 100 years old went to the wall in the 00s and some phoenix clubs following it were a mess, but the current club seem to be doing better after a merger between local sides a decade ago. They are in Serie C currently and were almost promoted twice in recent seasons but fell short in the playoffs.

Zamalek in Egypt. I spent a few years in Cairo when I was younger and played in their youth teams. A lot of my extended family & friends in Egypt are huge fans which helps keep me interested.

In Japan I follow Gamba Osaka and have grown a soft spot for Ryukyu in recent seasons as I love their story. They are based on the island of Okinawa, which is twice as far from Tokyo as it is Shanghai, and they were repeatedly declined a license to enter the J league system for years partly due to their geographic location being a pain in the a*se for teams from the mainland to get to. They were approved a license in 2013 and entered J3 before being promoted to J2 a few seasons ago. They are punching way above their weight and sitting 4th in J2 right now. They also have class jerseys like this or this

Mars Bar · 21-06-2021 12:45pm

What are the odds two out of five people in an Irish football forum follow a random Egyptian club :pac:

Oat23 · 21-06-2021 12:48pm

Mars Bar wrote: »

What are the odds two out of five people in an Irish football forum follow a random Egyptian club :pac:

There's actually a few more I've talked with from here over the years who keep up with Zamalek or Ahly for various reasons (friends from work who support them or previous travel to Egypt).

Captain Havoc · 21-06-2021 5:07pm

When I lived in Switzerland, I followed my local club Lausanne Sports, which are on the way up again after been bought by INEOS. The year I lived there, I saw them beat Ajax in the UEFA Cup. I've seen them play a few times since then and I hope to watch them in the new stadium soon.

osarusan · 21-06-2021 5:41pm

Was a season ticket holder at Yokohama FC for two years about 15 years ago.

From where I lived, they were 2 stops closer to me on the subway, and match tickets were about €2 cheaper, than the much bigger, more successful, and more glamourous Yokohama F Marinos (who play out of the 2002 WC final stadium).

Their status as perennial unfashionable underachievers appealed to my irish nature also. They were J2 at the time, but are in J1 now, albeit probably going to break their own record for the fastest relegation from J1.

At the time, Kazuyoshi Miura ("King Kazu") had just joined them at age 37 for what appeared to be the final season or two of his career. He's still there at the age of 53 now, still getting a few minutes here and there.

Oat23 · 21-06-2021 5:47pm

osarusan wrote: »

Was a season ticket holder at Yokohama FC for two years about 15 years ago.

From where I lived, they were 2 stops closer to me on the subway, and match tickets were about €2 cheaper, than the much bigger, more successful, and more glamourous Yokohama F Marinos (who play out of the 2002 WC final stadium).

Their status as perennial unfashionable underachievers appealed to my irish nature also. They were J2 at the time, but are in J1 now, albeit probably going to break their own record for the fastest relegation from J1.

At the time, Kazuyoshi Miura ("King Kazu") had just joined them at age 37 for what appeared to be the final season or two of his career. He's still there at the age of 53 now, still getting a few minutes here and there.

Yokohama are responsible for one of my favourite banners ever against F Marinos in the cup about a decade ago.

So simple. No messing about trying to think of something witty.

Hammer Archer · 22-06-2021 9:31am

Keep an eye on Luxembourg league ever since UCD played Dudelange in the Europa League. Dudelange were pipped by Fola Esch to the league title. But the big surprise was Swift Hesperange. They were only promoted last season and had a number of ex-Dudelange players in their ranks who would have played UCD back in 2015 (including 41 year old goalkeeper Jonathan Joubert and goalscorer from the second leg, Joel Pedro). Hesperange were level on points with Fola Esch going into the last round of games but had a worse goal difference. But they lost their last game to Differdange while Fola Esch beat their local rivals Jeunesse Esch. That loss also meant Dudelange leapfrogged Hesperange into 2nd.

But Hesperange still qualified for Europe for only the second time in their history (last time being the 1990-91 Cup Winners Cup).
If Bohs manage to make it past their EC first round tie, they'll be taking a trip to Dudelange themselves.

crank_1975 · 22-06-2021 9:38am

Good documentary on DAZN about UD Ibiza which is only about 5 years old. Got promoted to the Spanish second tier last year and played Barca in the Copa Del Ray as well.

artanevilla · 22-06-2021 5:24pm

Hammer Archer wrote: »

Keep an eye on Luxembourg league ever since UCD played Dudelange in the Europa League. Dudelange were pipped by Fola Esch to the league title. But the big surprise was Swift Hesperange. They were only promoted last season and had a number of ex-Dudelange players in their ranks who would have played UCD back in 2015 (including 41 year old goalkeeper Jonathan Joubert and goalscorer from the second leg, Joel Pedro). Hesperange were level on points with Fola Esch going into the last round of games but had a worse goal difference. But they lost their last game to Differdange while Fola Esch beat their local rivals Jeunesse Esch. That loss also meant Dudelange leapfrogged Hesperange into 2nd.

But Hesperange still qualified for Europe for only the second time in their history (last time being the 1990-91 Cup Winners Cup).
If Bohs manage to make it past their EC first round tie, they'll be taking a trip to Dudelange themselves.

Would you fancy an LOI team to get a result against them?

Hammer Archer · 23-06-2021 10:55am

artanevilla wrote: »

Would you fancy an LOI team to get a result against them?

Dudelange seem to have improved a lot since we played them. They made the Europa League group stages two years in a row (2018-19 and 2019-20). The missed out on Europe in the 2019-20 season as the league was abandoned due to Covid while they were in 5th. That season they managed four points in the EL group stages, beating APOEL of Cyprus and drawing with Qarabag of Azerbaijan. They conceded an injury time equalizer against Qarabag, without which they would have finished third in the group. The previous season, they only managed a point against Real Betis in their final group game (when Betis had already qualified) but were leading away to AC Milan up until the final 30 minutes or so.
If Bohs were to get through to play them, it'd likely be Dudelange's first game of the season which would definitely be an advantage (we should have won by more than 1-0 in our home leg that year). So if they could put in a performance, I'd expect them to get through. But with Irish teams in Europe, you really never know.

Weepsie · 23-06-2021 12:21pm

I briefly was interested in the fortunes of Lunch Vladivostok when they got promoted to the Russian premier League.

They had , and presumably still have, ludicrously long travel for most of their away games (approx 6-8000km depending on the game I think)

They managed to stay up for 2 years.

Championship manager memories see me seek out how the likes of Energie Cotbus and Real Murcia are doing, and Foggia from time to time.

The Golden Miller · 29-09-2021 1:22pm

Anyone following any of the other leagues at the minute? Grasshopper have had a decent start to life back in the top division. Have a bit of money now so hopefully will be competing for the title in a few years. Young Boys should win but don't think they are quite the team they were. Should be interesting this year as Basel have improved too.

Greece looks like it will be in for another period of Olympiakos dominance. AEK and PAOK simply aren't good enough to live with them at their best. Was interesting when Olympiakos had regressed for a few seasons. Hard to know when Panathanikos will be competitive for the league again, but it's badly needed. Fan owned now though, so simply don't have the finances. The eternal enemies meet in the next match.

Shayktor strong favourites to win again in Belarus. Which is great, anything that keeps BATE from the top, and their suspect funding.

Would be good to see Hajduk and Rijeka put in a series challenge in Croatia this year

kksaints · 29-09-2021 2:57pm

I'd follow the Austrian Bundesliga having been to a number of matches there when a family member lived there. Standard is fairly good and they have four teams in European group stage. Sturm Graz would be the team I'd support and they're doing fairly well this season in 2nd. Got a nasty Europa League group but did well against Monaco in the first match and have PSV on Thursday.

Big problem in the Austrian Bundesliga is the dominance of Red Bull Salzburg. Champions every year since 2013 and very likely to be champs again this season with 9 wins in 9 matches. While it's good to see them doing well in the Champions league it's killing the domestic league. Also doesn't help that the Viennese clubs are really struggling on the pitch this season and off the pitch in the case of Austria Wien.

The Russian Premier League also has as an excellent YouTube channel that I subscribe to which broadcasts all the matches live for €5 a month. Standard is been held back a bit by a restriction on non Russian players but it's quite enjoyable. Similar to Austria, Zenit are dominant atm and it's hard to see them not winning the league this season. Some excellent talent in the Russian league with Dinamo Moscow having some excellent young Russian talent and Rubin Kazan having an excellent Georgian player Kvaratskheila who is one of the most exciting wingers I've seen in a long time and was linked with Milan this summer.

The Croatian and Slovenian leagues also have good match highlights on YouTube. Slovenian league has had last match showdowns for the title the last two seasons with shock winners. The major clubs Olimpia and Maribor are struggling currently which makes it fascinating. Dinamo Zagreb are coming back to the pack a bit in Croatia but I'd still expect them to win the league. Shout out to NK Istra for some excellent jerseys the last few seasons.

HalloweenJack · 29-09-2021 7:19pm

It is quite disheartening to see leagues dominated by one team which seems to have infinitely more resources than their rivals. Austria, Croatia, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland, Moldova.

It could potentially happen in Hungary and the Czech Republic if Ferencvaros and Slavia continue to qualify for European group stages.

Do fans of thise clubs just live for European football? Such sustained success can't be fulfilling if there are no rivals

I know we love to complain about the LOI but there seems to have been an awful lot of craziness in Latvia and Lithuania in recent years. Teams regularly going bust and some bizarre licensing situations in Lithuania.

bocaman · 30-09-2021 10:00am

Had mates working in Prague in the 1990's, and that fed my interest in the Czech league. I've a soft spot there for Viktoria Zizkov and keep an eye out for their results.

Also keep an eye on the Bosnian league and shout for Zeljeznicar.

For the last five or six years I've followed Union Berlin in Germany.

The Golden Miller · 30-09-2021 11:54am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117955691#Comment_117955691

There seems to be a few teams that have come from nowhere really since the Soviet Union dissolved. Teams that were nowhere really in the Soviet pyramid, now coming from nowhere to completely dominate their domestic leagues. The likes of you BATE, Ludogorets and even the likes of Shaktar Donetsk. The traditional teams in many of these countries can't even put in a series challenge for the league in some cases. Alot of suspect funding going on in many of these ex Soviet countries I would think

ben.schlomo · 28-11-2021 12:09am

https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/7-goals-9-players-reduced-to-6-a-feigned-injury-and-a-45-minute-abandonment-belenenses-vs-benfica-an-embarrassment-to-portuguese-football/

Bizarre goings on down Portugal way.

trashcan · 30-11-2021 12:26am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117955691#Comment_117955691

One of my favourite things about our league is that success tends to be shared out among a good few clubs. A team will have a few seasons in the sun, overreach themselves and then it’s someone else’s turn. It may be a bad thing for the stability of the clubs concerned, but there’s a nice democratic element to it. Looks like Derry are in for some good times for example. Rovers have had a couple of years at the top of the tree,and I’m not saying they are done yet, but there may be a more serious challenge to them yet. I’m still basking in the glow of yesterday’s cup win for the Super Saints, but who knows what next year will bring for us. Lots of players out of contracts (nothing new there) but the manager is too, and talk of Dundalk sniffing aro7nd. Hopefully he won’t be tempted and will want to finish the job he’s started at Inchicore, but yo7 never know.

Brussels Sprout · 30-11-2021 2:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117955691#Comment_117955691

The dominance of a single team is often amplified in countries that only get 1 CL spot (ie most European countries). A feedback loop is created between European prize money and helping them maintain their ability to dominate their domestic league.

Examples of 1 team dominance in these leagues:

Sherrif - Won 19 of the last 21 Moldovan leagues
Dinamo Zagreb - Have won 15 of the last 16 Croatian leagues
Lincoln Red Imps - Won 18 of the past 21 Gibraltarian leagues
Olympiacos - Won 21 of the last 26 Greek leagues
Ludogorets - Won the last 10 Bulgarian leagues
HJK - Won 10 of the last 13 Finnish leagues
Legia Warsaw - Won 7 of the last 9 Polish leagues
Red Star Belgrade - Won 6 of the last 8 Serbian leagues
Malmo - Won 5 of the last 8 Swedish leagues
Cluj - Won the last 4 Romanian leagues
Young Boys - Won the last 4 Swiss leagues
Linfield - Won 4 of the last 5 Northern Irish leagues
Alashkert - Won 4 of the last 6 Armenian leagues
Ferencvaros - Won 4 of the last 6 Hungarian leagues

HalloweenJack · 30-11-2021 2:54pm

There is some hope though as the dominance can be broken.

Rosenborg won thirteen in a row and then seven out of the next foureen but have now gone three years without winning it and won't qualify for Europe this season either.

BATE won thirteen in a row but haven't won the league for three years now.

Skonto Riga used to dominate Latvia before they imploded.

Even in Switzerland, Basel were kings for quite a while before YB re-emerged.

Debrecen were firmly on top in Hungary about a decade ago.

The European money certainly gives them an advantage but it may also lead to over-spending and complacency.

Brussels Sprout · 30-11-2021 3:32pm

Absolutely. Sure we saw the same thing happen in the LOI with Dundalk winning 5 out of 6 and now they won't even be in Europe next year. Like a few of those other teams that you mentioned they were the architects of their own downfall which left the door open for a new contender for league dominance in Rovers.

loyatemu · 30-11-2021 4:48pm

from the perspective of providing more competition for some of these dominant clubs, and a counterweight to the big 4 leagues, regional leagues might be worth considering. The issue is, how interested fans would be in seeing (say) Ludogorets vs Young Boys. but a Scandinavian league or a Benelux league could make sense.

I guess the Conference league is designed to provide more opportunities but it's probably going to end up being won by a big 4 club most years too.

Cookiemunster · 30-11-2021 4:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118245131#Comment_118245131

There's also Legia Warsaw currently sitting in the relegation zone 23 points off the top.

Brussels Sprout · 30-11-2021 5:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118246110#Comment_118246110

Wow, lost 10 out of 14 games so far. There must be an interesting story around that.

The Golden Miller · 22-01-2022 10:27pm

The Golden Miller · 23-01-2022 12:08am

Don't know how I missed the situation in Belgium. Royale Union top after just getting promoted. A team who dominated Belgium football in its early days, and feel away for 90 odd years. Some Irish lad involved with the club's resurgence too.

What makes it particularly unusual, as is the case with most leagues, many random teams who no longer exist dominated in a leagues early years. Others didn't become professional. But I can't recall many who fell so far away for so long who've made it back to the top.

So the dynamics are interesting here. They are a modern day minnow, while simultaneously sitting in their rightful position at the top. But it's a great development.

eigrod · 12-12-2023 11:30am

This is insane. UEFA need to make a huge statement on this and come down very hard. Turkey, for a long time, has a huge problem with on pitch violence and seem to get away with it.

Turkish league suspended as club president punches ref

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2023/1211/1421449-turkish-club-president-punches-referee-to-the-ground/

HalloweenJack · 12-12-2023 11:54am

Their neighbours aren't doing much better.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67684377

retalivity · 12-12-2023 12:41pm

Turkish league suspended indefinitely after the Ankaragucu president lamped the referee

https://twitter.com/MrBoadu/status/1734468552348897672

jacool · 12-12-2023 12:47pm

Lifetime ban from ownership and from attending any football game in the world is a starting position I'd like.

ebbsy · 15-12-2023 1:17pm

I don't think I would like to be arrested in Turkey.

The Golden Miller · 16-12-2023 10:52pm

Forgot I created this thread. Royale Union Saint-Gilloise top in Belgium after knocking on the door for the last three years.

Panathinaikos look very strong in Greece this year. Could be on for their first title since they became fan owned and their financial turmoil.

Dinamo Minsk finally have overthrown BATE in Belarus

The Golden Miller · 16-12-2023 10:54pm

Pretty sure CSKA Sofia really messed up in the last week or two to finally get a buffer between them and Ludograts.

The Golden Miller · 16-12-2023 10:56pm

The situation in Austria a complete farce. Rapid and Austria Vienna simply outmuscled by Red Bulls money. It's hard to see the monopoly there change in the near future

The Golden Miller · 16-12-2023 11:02pm

Hajduk top in Croatia for the first time in a long time, with a buffer. Dinamo have two games in hand though. Don't quite think Hajduk are the finished article yet, to be able to hold on to top spot.

They are finding their way back though, after years of being relegated to a distant third in that league behind even Rijeka. Not near good enough for a team like Hajduk

Mars Bar · 17-12-2023 5:56pm

Frank de Boer got the sack after having UAE Pro League winners Al Jazira in 6th place after 13 games.

jacool · 20-12-2023 2:36pm

Back to Turkey and its one step forwards two steps back, as on the first day back for the top-flight, a game was suspended after Istanbulspor's president withdrew his team from the pitch in protest at a refereeing decision!

CrabRevolution · 20-12-2023 10:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121504508#Comment_121504508

USG didn't so much knock on the door last season but had both feet through the door and their shoes wiped on the mat before jumping back out!

Needing a win on the last match to secure the title, they were 1-0 up with 89 minutes gone before conceding 3 to lose 3-1.

In the end, had they even stayed at 1-1 they'd have won the league, and a 2-1 loss would have secured them a Champions League spot instead of the Europa League they ended up in.

The Golden Miller · 28-12-2023 9:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121520033#Comment_121520033

I know was hard to stomach. Not quite as hard as BVB throwing the title away. That flattened me!

Oat23 · 09-01-2024 11:12pm

Yasuhito Endo retired today 2 weeks short of his 44th birthday. He was still playing at a high level with Jubilo Iwata in J2 this past season as they won promotion back to J2.

Absolute magician who never really got the worldwide recognition he deserved after deciding to stay in Japan with Gamba. Record cap holder for the national team and J-League.

https://twitter.com/J_League_En/status/1744610516600000591

The Golden Miller · 06-02-2024 11:16pm

Panathinaikos with a huge win over Olympiacos at the weekend. Favoured them to win the league but AEK and PAOK have come on very strong, and PAOK beat them last week to go into poll position. Anything but a win for Panathinaikos at the weekend, and they were probably out of the title race.

PAOK themselves were lucky this weekend, getting a last minute winner, the game on at the same time. The championship group now looks interesting with only a few points between PAOK, AEK and Panathinaikos. A gap back to Olympiacos now thankfully.

Watched the highlights on YouTube and was behind closed doors, very odd ambience for such a huge derby. Can't seem to find the Greek league on the firestick but maybe they show the games live here on their FAs YouTube channel, was able to get the Belarus league live there for Dinamo Minsk games.

Anyway have a feeling about Panathinaikos this year, it's been so long for them since their financial turmoil and Olympiacos going on to win 18 leagues or so since. Panathinaikos have done them in the league and cup this season now. Owned by the fans and would be good to see them get back to the top of Greek football, always had a soft spot for them wearing the shamrock and their European exploits back in the day

eagle eye · 06-02-2024 11:38pm

I lived in Boston when the Revolution started and bought a season ticket for a couple of years.

I'm currently fascinated with Inter Miami and Messi. I'm expecting tickets for Rev home games against Inter to be sold for up to $1000. The whole country is gone crazy over Messi. He's broken the shirt sales records after a couple of weeks there and no matter what City he goes to the ticket prices are insane.

I got interested in Le Havre when Frank Stapleton played there for a short while. They haven't had it easy for a long time but won ligue 2 last season and are back in the top division for the first time in quite a while. I've been to eight of their games, went by boat twice from Rosslare.

Paul Pogba and Dimitri Payet came through the youth ranks there but never played for the first team.

The Golden Miller · 26-04-2024 3:39am

USG doing their best to throw the league away again. In fairness though, the rules there are ridiculous for the championship round. Your points get halved. So if your 10 points clear, go into the championship round with a 5 point lead. Farcical. USG by rights should of been well clear only for those laughable rules in Belgium. Done them last year too. Work hard all season to be fcuked over going into the last few games, where the only beneficiaries are the teams miles behind, leapfrogging back into contention when the leaders points are cut in half! 15 point lead, all of a sudden 7 etc. What a joke!

Panathinakos nearly looked dead there at one stage, losing to PAOK, and going a goal down v AEK in the Championship round. Fought back to beat AEK, and with PAOK's loss to Olympiakos, 4 teams in contention again. Be great to see Panathinakos end their 20 year or so domestic league drought

eagle eye · 05-05-2024 3:50am

Messi going nuts in the MLS. A goal and five assists tonight, three to Suarez for his hat trick.

Its 12 games into the season and Messi leads the goals and assist charts despite missing four games. 10 goals and 12 assists so far.

NIMAN · 05-05-2024 9:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122098972#Comment_122098972

It's one of the greatest players of all time playing in a pub league, not really that surprised at his stats.

Irish Aris · 05-05-2024 11:19am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122064444#Comment_122064444

As things stand, Panathinaikos is highly unlikely to win the league. 2 games to go- they are 4 points behind AEK who has the easiest game against Lamia in the end.

AEK's to lose now, though I wouldn't rule out PAOK just yet. Olympiacos mathematically in it too, but if they manage to knock out Villa, they might just focus on the final.

Domestic Leagues Around the World

Comments