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2008–09 Saudi Pro League
Al-Watani Al-Hilal Al-Ahli Al-Shabab Al-Ettifaq Nasser Al-Shamrani (12 goals each) (20 December 2008) (30 November 2008)
(28 January 2009) (15 December 2008)
(8 April 2009)
The 2008–09 Saudi Professional League was the 33rd season of Saudi Pro League since its establishment in 1976 and first after rebranding to the Saudi Pro League. 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. 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.
Changes
Professional League rebrand
On 26 May 2008, the SAFF announced that the league would be rebranded as Saudi Pro League. The changes were based on the criteria introduced by AFC President Mohammed bin Hammam to improve the football standards in Asia. 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 Pro League board rather than the SAFF.
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
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abha | Abha | Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City | 20,000 |
| Al-Ahli | Jeddah | Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City | 24,000 |
| Al-Ettifaq | Dammam | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium | 30,000 |
| Al-Hazem | Ar Rass | Al-Hazem Club Stadium | 11,000 |
| Al-Hilal | Riyadh | King Fahd Sports City | 69,000 |
| Al-Ittihad | Jeddah | Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City | 24,000 |
| Al-Nassr | Riyadh | King Fahd Sports City | 69,000 |
| Al-Raed | Buraidah | King Abdullah Sports City | 35,000 |
| Al-Shabab | Riyadh | King Fahd Sports City | 69,000 |
| Al-Watani | Tabuk | King Khalid Sport City Stadium | 20,000 |
| Al-Wehda | Mecca | King Abdulaziz Sports City | 28,550 |
| Najran | Najran | Prince Hathloul bin Abdulaziz Sports City | 10,000 |
Personnel
| Club | Head coach | 2007–08 season | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abha | MAR Idris Obeis | First Division runners-up | |
| Al-Ahli | BUL Stoycho Mladenov | 8th | Qualified to the 2008 Gulf Club Champions Cup |
| Al-Ettifaq | ROM Ioan Andone | 4th | Qualified to the 2009 AFC Champions League |
| Al-Hazem | TUN Ammar Souayah | 7th | Qualified to the 2008–09 Arab Champions League |
| Al-Hilal | BEL Georges Leekens | 1st | Qualified to the 2009 AFC Champions League |
| Al-Ittihad | ARG Gabriel Calderón | 2nd | Qualified to the 2009 AFC Champions League |
| Al-Nassr | ARG Edgardo Bauza | 5th | Qualified to the 2008 Gulf Club Champions Cup |
| Al-Raed | BRA Luis Antônio Zaluar | First Division champions | |
| Al-Shabab | ARG Enzo Trossero | 3rd | Qualified to the 2009 AFC Champions League |
| Al-Watani | BRA Hélio Vieira | 9th | |
| Al-Wehda | GER Theo Bücker | 6th | Qualified to the 2008–09 Arab Champions League |
| Najran | TUN Mokhtar Tlili | 10th |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Replaced by | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abha | MAR Abdelkader Youmir | Sacked | KSA Saad Al-Beshri (caretaker) | October 2008 |
| Al-Watani | ALG Moussa Saïb | Sacked | TUN Habib Ben Romdhane (caretaker) | October 2008 |
| Al-Watani | TUN Habib Ben Romdhane | Caretaker period ended | BRA Hélio Vieira | November 2008 |
| Abha | KSA Saad Al-Beshri | Caretaker period ended | MAR Idris Obeis | November 2008 |
| Al-Shabab | ARG Nery Pumpido | Sacked | ARG Enzo Trossero | December 2008 |
| Al-Nassr | CRO Rodion Gačanin | Sacked | BRA Edgar (caretaker) | December 2008 |
| Al-Raed | TUN Mohammed Aldo | Sacked | BRA Luis Antônio Zaluar | December 2008 |
| Al-Ettifaq | POR Toni | Sacked | ROM Ioan Andone | December 2008 |
| Najran | ROM Costică Ștefănescu | Sacked | TUN Mokhtar Tlili | January 2009 |
| Al-Nassr | BRA Edgar | Caretaker period ended | ARG Edgardo Bauza | January 2009 |
| Al-Hilal | ROM Cosmin Olăroiu | Sacked | ROM Cătălin Necula (caretaker) | March 2009 |
| Al-Hilal | ROM Cătălin Necula | Caretaker period ended | BEL 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.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | AFC Player | Former players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abha | MAR Aziz Ayat Aabi | MAR Khalid Zouine | |||
| Al-Ahli | ALG Youcef Saïbi | EGY Walid Soliman | SEN Ibrahima Gueye | JOR Baha' Abdel-Rahman | ALG Adel Maïza |
| BRA Harison | |||||
| NGA Ndubuisi Eze | |||||
| Al-Ettifaq | BRA Paulo Sérgio | GHA Prince Tagoe | MAR Salaheddine Aqqal | SYR Mohannad Ibrahim | |
| Al-Hazem | MAR Karim Eddafi | SEN Hamad Ji | SEN Mohamed Rebeiz | JOR Bashar Bani Yaseen | FRA Kodjo Afanou |
| Al-Hilal | LBY Tarik El Taib | ROM Mirel Rădoi | SWE Christian Wilhelmsson | KOR Seol Ki-hyeon | BOL Ronald Raldes |
| Al-Ittihad | BRA Renato Cajá | EGY Emad Moteab | MAR Hicham Aboucherouane | OMA Ahmed Hadid Al-Mukhaini | |
| Al-Nassr | BRA Éder Gaúcho | BRA Élton Arábia | EGY Hossam Ghaly | OMA Hassan Rabia | BEN Razak Omotoyossi |
| Al-Raed | BRA Felipe Campos | BRA Leandro Sena | CIV Boris Kabi | BHR Saleh Abdulhameed | MAR Tarik Miri |
| MAR Zakaria Aboub | |||||
| Al-Shabab | BRA Marcelo Camacho | BRA Ricardo Bóvio | KUW Ahmad Ajab | QAT Talal Al-Bloushi | BRA Nei |
| Al-Watani | BRA Josimar | SEN Assane Sy | SEN Makhete Diop | JOR Basem Fathi | GUI Mamadou Ba Camara |
| GUI Mousa Conde | |||||
| Al-Wehda | BRA Harison | TUN Amir Akrout | TUN Mejdi Traoui | SYR Raja Rafe | LBY Omar Daoud |
| SEN Daouda N'Diaye | |||||
| TUN Bilel Sabri | |||||
| Najran | BRA Vinícius | BRA Wilsinho | FRA Abdulfatah Safi | OMA Talal Khalfan |
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 Pro league next season while the loser were relegated to the First Division. Al-Raed won 4–3 on aggregate and retained their place in the next edition.
First leg
Second leg
Al-Sherif Kabi Morjan
Al-Raed won 4–3 on aggregate.
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAR Hicham Aboucherouane | Al-Ittihad | 12 |
| KSA Nasser Al-Shamrani | Al-Shabab | ||
| 3 | EGY Emad Moteab | Al-Ittihad | 10 |
| KSA Yasser Al-Qahtani | Al-Hilal | ||
| 5 | CIV Boris Kabi | Al-Raed | 9 |
| KSA Hassan Al-Raheb | Al-Ahli | ||
| KSA Naif Hazazi | Al-Ittihad | ||
| TUN Amir Akrout | Al-Wehda | ||
| 9 | KSA Mohammad Al-Anbar | Al-Hilal | 8 |
| 10 | KSA Essa Al-Mehyani | Al-Wehda | 7 |
| KSA Sultan Al-Nemri | Al-Ittihad |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRA Nei4 | Al-Shabab | Al-Wehda | 4–2 (H) | ||
| KSA Nasser Al-Shamrani | Al-Shabab | Abha | 5–0 (H) | ||
| MAR Hicham Aboucherouane | Al-Ittihad | Al-Watani | 7–2 (H) | ||
| KSA Yasser Al-Qahtani4 | Al-Hilal | Najran | 7–0 (H) |
;Notes 4 Player scored 4 goals (H) – Home team (A) – Away team
Most assists
| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KSA Mohammed Noor | Al-Ittihad | 11 |
| 2 | KSA Abdoh Otaif | Al-Shabab | 7 |
| 3 | KSA Ahmed Al-Fraidi | Al-Hilal | 6 |
| SWE Christian Wilhelmsson | Al-Hilal | ||
| 5 | SEN Hamad Ji | Al-Hazem | 5 |
| KSA Saleh Al-Saqri | Al-Ittihad | ||
| LBY Tarik El Taib | Al-Hilal | ||
| MAR Hicham Aboucherouane | Al-Ittihad | ||
| 9 | KSA Al Hasan Al-Yami | Najran | 4 |
| KSA Hassan Al-Raheb | Al-Ahli | ||
| KSA Essa Al-Mehyani | Al-Wehda |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean |
|---|---|---|---|
| sheets | |||
| 1 | KSA Mohamed Al-Deayea | Al-Hilal | 14 |
| 2 | KSA Yasser Al-Mosailem | Al-Ahli | 7 |
| 3 | KSA Mabrouk Zaid | Al-Ittihad | 6 |
| KSA Waleed Abdullah | Al-Shabab | ||
| 5 | KSA Saeed Al-Harbi | Al-Hazem | 5 |
| KSA Salem Asiri | Abha | ||
| 7 | KSA Adnan Al-Salman | Al-Ettifaq | 3 |
| KSA Assaf Al-Qarni | Al-Wehda | ||
| KSA Jaber Al-Ameri | Najran |
Discipline
Player
-
Most yellow cards: 6
- BRA Harison (Al-Ahli/Al-Wehda)
- KSA Abdullah Al-Dossari (Al-Wehda)
- KSA Abdullah Huwais (Al-Watani)
- KSA Ahmed Al-Fraidi (Al-Hilal)
- KSA Ahmed Menawer (Al-Hazem)
- KSA Basem Al-Sherif (Al-Raed)
- KSA Ibrahim Al-Kaabi (Al-Watani)
- KSA Ibrahim Hazzazi (Al-Ahli)
- KSA Taisir Al-Jassim (Al-Ahli)
-
Most red cards: 2
- KSA Naif Al-Qadi (Al-Shabab)
- KSA Redha Tukar (Al-Ittihad)
- KSA Sultan Al-Balawi (Al-Watani)
Club
-
Most yellow cards: 52
- Abha
- Al-Watani
-
Most red cards: 7
- Al-Wehda
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.
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Season | KSA Ahmed Otaif | |
| Tarik El Taib | ||
| Osama Hawsawi | Al-Shabab | |
| Al-Hilal | ||
| Al-Hilal | ||
| Young Player of the Season | KSA Hamad Al-Hamad | |
| Salman Al-Faraj | ||
| Mansoor Al-Harbi | Al-Ettifaq | |
| Al-Hilal | ||
| Al-Ahli | ||
| Goldent Boot | MAR Hicham Aboucherouane | |
| KSA Nasser Al-Shamrani | Al-Ittihad | |
| Al-Shabab |
References
References
- "All Statistics:Teams".
- "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".
- "Al Shabab 4 – 2 Al Wehda".
- "Al Shabab 5 – 0 Abha".
- "Al Ittihad 7 – 2 Al Watani".
- "Al Hilal 7 – 0 Najran".
- "أكثر اللاعبين صناعة للأهداف".
- "أكثر الحراس محافظة على شباكه".
- "عدد الكروت الملونة التي أبرزت".
- "أكثر فريق حصل على كروت صفراء".
- "أكثر فريق حصل على كروت حمراء".
- "أحمد عطيف أفضل لاعب والحمد أفضل لاعب واعد والسبع أفضل رياضي في نتائج جوائز الموسم السعودي".
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