2008–09 Saudi Pro League
| Season | 2008–09 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 13 September 2008 – 12 April 2009 |
| Champions | Al-Ittihad (8th title) |
| Relegated | Abha Al-Watani |
| AFC Champions League | Al-Ittihad Al-Hilal Al-Ahli Al-Shabab |
| Gulf Club Champions Cup | Al-Nassr Al-Ettifaq |
| Matches played | 134 |
| Goals scored | 371 (2.77 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Nasser Al-Shamrani Hicham Aboucherouane (12 goals each) |
| Biggest home win | Al-Hilal 7–0 Najran (20 December 2008) |
| Biggest away win | Al-Raed 0–4 Al-Shabab (30 November 2008) Al-Shabab 0–4 Al-Ittihad (28 January 2009) |
| Highest scoring | Al-Ittihad 7–2 Al-Watani (15 December 2008) Al-Raed 6–3 Al-Wehda (8 April 2009) |
| Longest winning run | Al-Ittihad (5 games)[1] |
| Longest unbeaten run | Al-Hilal (18 games)[1] |
| Longest winless run | Abha (12 games)[1] |
| Longest losing run | Al-Raed (5 games)[1] |
2009–10 → | |
The 2008–09 Saudi Professional League was the 33rd season of Saudi Pro League since its establishment in 1976. Al-Hilal were the defending champions, having won their 11th title in the previous season. The campaign began on 13 September 2008 and ended on 12 April 2009. A total of 12 teams contested the league, 10 of which already contested in the 2007–08 season, and two of which were promoted from the First Division. On 12 April 2009, in the final round of the season, Al-Ittihad won the title after a 2–1 victory over Al-Hilal.[2] It was their eighth league title overall. Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, Al-Ahli and Al-Shabab all secured a berth for the 2010 AFC Champions League, while Al-Nassr and Al-Ettifaq qualified for the Gulf Club Champions Cup. Al-Watani and Abha were relegated to the Saudi First Division League.[3]
Changes
Professional League rebrand
On 26 May 2008, the SAFF announced that the league would be rebranded as Saudi Professional League. The changes were based on the criteria introduced by AFC President Mohammed bin Hammam to improve the football standards in Asia.[4] The changes also included a website dedicated to recording statistics of the league for the first time. It was also announced that the website would be run by the Saudi Professional League rather than the Saudi FF.[5]
Qualification and Prize money
The League champions, runners-up and third place as well as the winner of the King Cup of Champions qualified for the 2010 AFC Champions League. The top eight teams qualified for King Cup of Champions. Prize money:
- First place: 2.5 million Saudi Riyals
- Second place: 1.5 million Saudi Riyals
- Third place: 1 million Saudi Riyals
Teams
Twelve teams competed in the league – the top ten teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the Saudi First Division League. The promoted teams were Al-Raed (returning to the top flight after an absence of five years) and Abha (returning to the top flight after an absence of two years). They replaced Al-Tai (after seven consecutive years in the top-flight) and Al-Qadsiah (after six consecutive years in the top-flight).
Stadiums and locations
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Personnel
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Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Replaced by | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abha | Morocco Abdelkader Youmir | Sacked[6] | Saudi Arabia Saad Al-Beshri (caretaker) | October 2008 |
| Al-Watani | Algeria Moussa Saïb | Sacked[7] | Tunisia Habib Ben Romdhane (caretaker) | October 2008 |
| Al-Watani | Tunisia Habib Ben Romdhane | Caretaker period ended[8] | Brazil Hélio Vieira | November 2008 |
| Abha | Saudi Arabia Saad Al-Beshri | Caretaker period ended | Morocco Idris Obeis | November 2008 |
| Al-Shabab | Argentina Nery Pumpido | Sacked[9] | Brazil Enzo Trossero | December 2008 |
| Al-Nassr | Croatia Rodion Gačanin | Sacked[10] | Brazil Edgar (caretaker) | December 2008 |
| Al-Raed | Tunisia Mohammed Aldo | Sacked[11] | Brazil Luis Antônio Zaluar | December 2008 |
| Al-Ettifaq | Portugal Toni | Sacked[12] | Romania Ioan Andone | December 2008 |
| Najran | Romania Costică Ștefănescu | Sacked[13] | Tunisia Mokhtar Tlili | January 2009 |
| Al-Nassr | Brazil Edgar | Caretaker period ended[14] | Argentina Edgardo Bauza | January 2009 |
| Al-Hilal | Romania Cosmin Olăroiu | Sacked[15] | Romania Cătălin Necula (caretaker) | March 2009 |
| Al-Hilal | Romania Cătălin Necula | Caretaker period ended[16] | Belgium Georges Leekens | April 2009 |
Foreign players
The number of foreign players was limited to 3 per team, and should not be a goalkeeper. For the January transfer window, the SAFF added an additional slot for a player from one of the AFC countries.
- Players name in bold indicates the player was registered during mid-season transfer window.
- Players name in italic indicates the player was de-registered or left their respective clubs during mid-season transfer window.
League table
Fixtures and results
Relegation play-offs
Al-Raed, who finished 10th, faced Abha, who finished 11th for a two-legged play-off. The winner on aggregate score after both matches earned entry into the 2009–10 Professional League while the loser was relegated to the First Division. Al-Raed won 4–3 on aggregate and retained their place in the next edition.[17]
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abha | 3–4 | Al-Raed | 1–1 | 2–3 |
First leg
Second leg
Al-Raed won 4–3 on aggregate.
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[18] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morocco Hicham Aboucherouane | Al-Ittihad | 12 |
| Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Shamrani | Al-Shabab | ||
| 3 | Egypt Emad Moteab | Al-Ittihad | 10 |
| Saudi Arabia Yasser Al-Qahtani | Al-Hilal | ||
| 5 | Ivory Coast Boris Kabi | Al-Raed | 9 |
| Saudi Arabia Hassan Al-Raheb | Al-Ahli | ||
| Saudi Arabia Naif Hazazi | Al-Ittihad | ||
| Tunisia Amir Akrout | Al-Wehda | ||
| 9 | Saudi Arabia Mohammad Al-Anbar | Al-Hilal | 8 |
| 10 | Saudi Arabia Essa Al-Mehyani | Al-Wehda | 7 |
| Saudi Arabia Sultan Al-Nemri | Al-Ittihad |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil Nei4 | Al-Shabab | Al-Wehda | 4–2 (H) | 4 October 2008 | [19] |
| Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Shamrani | Al-Shabab | Abha | 5–0 (H) | 4 December 2008 | [20] |
| Morocco Hicham Aboucherouane | Al-Ittihad | Al-Watani | 7–2 (H) | 15 December 2008 | [21] |
| Saudi Arabia Yasser Al-Qahtani4 | Al-Hilal | Najran | 7–0 (H) | 20 December 2008 | [22] |
- Notes
4 Player scored 4 goals
(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team
Most assists
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists[23] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia Mohammed Noor | Al-Ittihad | 11 |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia Abdoh Otaif | Al-Shabab | 7 |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia Ahmed Al-Fraidi | Al-Hilal | 6 |
| Sweden Christian Wilhelmsson | Al-Hilal | ||
| 5 | Senegal Hamad Ji | Al-Hazem | 5 |
| Saudi Arabia Saleh Al-Saqri | Al-Ittihad | ||
| Libya Tarik El Taib | Al-Hilal | ||
| Morocco Hicham Aboucherouane | Al-Ittihad | ||
| 9 | Saudi Arabia Al Hasan Al-Yami | Najran | 4 |
| Saudi Arabia Hassan Al-Raheb | Al-Ahli | ||
| Saudi Arabia Essa Al-Mehyani | Al-Wehda |
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Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets[24] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saudi Arabia Mohamed Al-Deayea | Al-Hilal | 14 |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia Yasser Al-Mosailem | Al-Ahli | 7 |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia Mabrouk Zaid | Al-Ittihad | 6 |
| Saudi Arabia Waleed Abdullah | Al-Shabab | ||
| 5 | Saudi Arabia Saeed Al-Harbi | Al-Hazem | 5 |
| Saudi Arabia Salem Asiri | Abha | ||
| 7 | Saudi Arabia Adnan Al-Salman | Al-Ettifaq | 3 |
| Saudi Arabia Assaf Al-Qarni | Al-Wehda | ||
| Saudi Arabia Jaber Al-Ameri | Najran |
Discipline
Player
- Most yellow cards: 6[25]
- Brazil Harison (Al-Ahli/Al-Wehda)
- Saudi Arabia Abdullah Al-Dossari (Al-Wehda)
- Saudi Arabia Abdullah Huwais (Al-Watani)
- Saudi Arabia Ahmed Al-Fraidi (Al-Hilal)
- Saudi Arabia Ahmed Menawer (Al-Hazem)
- Saudi Arabia Basem Al-Sherif (Al-Raed)
- Saudi Arabia Ibrahim Al-Kaabi (Al-Watani)
- Saudi Arabia Ibrahim Hazzazi (Al-Ahli)
- Saudi Arabia Taisir Al-Jassim (Al-Ahli)
- Most red cards: 2[25]
- Saudi Arabia Naif Al-Qadi (Al-Shabab)
- Saudi Arabia Redha Tukar (Al-Ittihad)
- Saudi Arabia Sultan Al-Balawi (Al-Watani)
Club
Awards
The following awards were given following the conclusion of the season. The awards were known as the Arriyadiyah and Mobily Awards for Sports Excellence and were sponsored by Saudi newspaper Arriyadiyah and Saudi telecommunication company Mobily. The awards were presented on 30 May 2009.[28]
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season | 1st place, gold medalist(s) Saudi Arabia Ahmed Otaif 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Libya Tarik El Taib 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Saudi Arabia Osama Hawsawi |
Al-Shabab Al-Hilal Al-Hilal |
| Young Player of the Season | 1st place, gold medalist(s) Saudi Arabia Hamad Al-Hamad 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Saudi Arabia Salman Al-Faraj 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Saudi Arabia Mansoor Al-Harbi |
Al-Ettifaq Al-Hilal Al-Ahli |
| Goldent Boot | Morocco Hicham Aboucherouane Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Shamrani |
Al-Ittihad Al-Shabab |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "All Statistics:Teams". Archived from the original on 2017-05-23.
- ↑ "الاتحاد يتوج بلقب الدوري السعودي على حساب الهلال".
- ↑ "الحزن يسيطر على لاعبي الوطني بعد الهبوط".
- ↑ "دوري المحترفين في آسيا.. الحلم أصبح حقيقة!".
- ↑ "ثوب الاحتراف يزين الدوري السعودي بعد ثلاثة عقود".
- ↑ "هروب مدرب أبها".
- ↑ "الوطني يعين الحبيب مدرباً بعد هروب صايب".
- ↑ "البرازيلي فيريرا مدربا للوطني".
- ↑ "الشباب يقيل بومبيدو.. والبديل مواطنه هيكتور".
- ↑ "اقالة رادان و تكليف ادغر مؤقتا".
- ↑ "الرائد ينهي علاقته بالدو ويبحث عن بديله في أوروبا".
- ↑ "الاتفاق يقيل توني والنصر يفسد إتمام تعاقده مع اندوني".
- ↑ "التليلي مدرباً لنجران".
- ↑ http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_168493833.html Edgardo Bauza takes over as Al-Nasr Coach
- ↑ "اتحاد الكرة يقيل الروماني كوزمين من تدريب الهلال ويمنعه من السعودية".
- ↑ http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_168624529.html Leekens takes over at Al Hilal
- ↑ "الرائد وأبها بين الاستمرار في الأضواء والمغادرة إلى الأولى".
- ↑ "أكثر اللاعبين تسجيلاً للأهداف". slstat.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
- ↑ "Al Shabab 4 – 2 Al Wehda". Archived from the original on 21 January 2016.
- ↑ "Al Shabab 5 – 0 Abha". Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
- ↑ "Al Ittihad 7 – 2 Al Watani". Archived from the original on 29 June 2016.
- ↑ "Al Hilal 7 – 0 Najran". Archived from the original on 29 June 2016.
- ↑ "أكثر اللاعبين صناعة للأهداف". slstat.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
- ↑ "أكثر الحراس محافظة على شباكه". slstat.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 "عدد الكروت الملونة التي أبرزت". Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
- ↑ "أكثر فريق حصل على كروت صفراء". Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
- ↑ "أكثر فريق حصل على كروت حمراء". Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
- ↑ "أحمد عطيف أفضل لاعب والحمد أفضل لاعب واعد والسبع أفضل رياضي في نتائج جوائز الموسم السعودي".
