Professional League
Season2008–09
Dates13 September 2008 – 12 April 2009
ChampionsAl-Ittihad (8th title)
RelegatedAbha
Al-Watani
AFC Champions LeagueAl-Ittihad
Al-Hilal
Al-Ahli
Al-Shabab
Gulf Club Champions CupAl-Nassr
Al-Ettifaq
Matches played134
Goals scored371 (2.77 per match)
Top goalscorerNasser Al-Shamrani
Hicham Aboucherouane
(12 goals each)
Biggest home winAl-Hilal 7–0 Najran
(20 December 2008)
Biggest away winAl-Raed 0–4 Al-Shabab
(30 November 2008)
Al-Shabab 0–4 Al-Ittihad
(28 January 2009)
Highest scoringAl-Ittihad 7–2 Al-Watani
(15 December 2008)
Al-Raed 6–3 Al-Wehda
(8 April 2009)
Longest winning run5 games[1]
Al-Ittihad
Longest unbeaten run18 games[1]
Al-Hilal
Longest winless run12 games[1]
Abha
Longest losing run5 games[1]
Al-Raed

The 2008–09 Saudi Professional League was the 33rd season of Saudi Professional 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 2009–10 Gulf Club Champions Cup. Al-Watani and Abha were relegated to the First Division.[3]

Changes

Professional League rebrand

On 26 May 2008, the Saudi FF announced that league would be rebranded and would be known as the 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 First Division. 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-Qadisiyah (after six consecutive years in the top-flight).

Stadiums and locations

Club Location Stadium
Abha Abha Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium
Al-Ahli Jeddah Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium
Al-Ettifaq Dammam Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium
Al-Hazem Ar Rass Al-Hazem Club Stadium
Al-Hilal Riyadh King Fahd Stadium
Al-Ittihad Jeddah Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium
Al-Nassr Riyadh King Fahd Stadium
Al-Raed Buraydah King Abdullah Sport City Stadium
Al-Shabab Riyadh King Fahd Stadium
Al-Watani Tabuk King Khalid Sport City Stadium
Al-Wehda Mecca King Abdul Aziz Stadium
Najran Najran Al Akhdoud Club Stadium

Personnel

Club Coach Nationality City Stadium Capacity 2007–08 season Notes
Abha Idris Obeis Morocco Abha Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Stadium 20,000 First Division runners-up
Al-Ahli Stoycho Mladenov Bulgaria Jeddah Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium 24,000 8th Qualified to the 2008 Gulf Club Champions Cup
Al-Ettifaq Ioan Andone Romania Dammam Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium 30,000 4th Qualified to the 2009 AFC Champions League
Al-Hazem Ammar Souayah Tunisia Ar Rass Al Hazm Club Stadium 11,000 7th Qualified to the 2008–09 Arab Champions League
Al-Hilal Georges Leekens Belgium Riyadh King Fahd Stadium 69,000 1st Qualified to the 2009 AFC Champions League
Al-Ittihad Gabriel Calderón Argentina Jeddah Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium 24,000 2nd Qualified to the 2009 AFC Champions League
Al-Nassr Edgardo Bauza Argentina Riyadh King Fahd Stadium 69,000 5th Qualified to the 2008 Gulf Club Champions Cup
Al-Raed Luiz Antonio Brazil Buraydah King Abdullah Sport City Stadium 35,000 First Division champions
Al-Shabab Enzo Trossero Argentina Riyadh King Fahd Stadium 69,000 3rd Qualified to the 2009 AFC Champions League
Al-Watani Hélio Vieira Brazil Tabuk King Khalid Sport City Stadium 20,000 9th
Al-Wehda Theo Bucker Germany Mecca King Abdul Aziz Stadium 28,550 6th Qualified to the 2008–09 Arab Champions League
Najran Mokhtar Tlili Tunisia Najran Al Akhdoud Club Stadium 10,000 10th

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 Luiz Antonio 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 Olaroiu Sacked[15] Romania Catalin Necula (caretaker) March 2009
Al-Hilal Romania Catalin 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 is registered during the mid-season transfer window.

Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 AFC Player Former Players
Abha Morocco Aziz Ayat Aabi Morocco Khalid Zouine
Al-Ahli Algeria Youcef Saïbi Egypt Walid Soliman Senegal Ibrahima Gueye Jordan Baha' Abdel-Rahman Algeria Adel Maïza
Brazil Harison
Nigeria Ndubuisi Eze
Al-Ettifaq Brazil Paulo Sérgio Ghana Prince Tagoe Morocco Salaheddine Aqqal Syria Mohannad Ibrahim
Al-Hazem Morocco Karim Eddafi Senegal Hamad Ji Senegal Mohamed Roubize Jordan Bashar Bani Yaseen France Kodjo Afanou
Al-Hilal Libya Tarik El Taib Romania Mirel Rădoi Sweden Christian Wilhelmsson South Korea Seol Ki-hyeon Bolivia Ronald Raldes
Al-Ittihad Brazil Renato Cajá Egypt Emad Moteab Morocco Hicham Aboucherouane Oman Ahmed Hadid
Al-Nassr Brazil Éder Gaúcho Brazil Élton Egypt Hossam Ghaly Oman Hassan Rabia Benin Razak Omotoyossi
Al-Raed Brazil Felipe Campos Brazil Leandro Sena Ivory Coast Boris Kabi Bahrain Saleh Abdulhameed Morocco Zakaria Aboub
Morocco Tarik Miri
Al-Shabab Brazil Ricardo Bóvio Brazil Marcelo Camacho Qatar Talal Al-Bloushi Brazil Nei
Al-Watani Brazil Josimar Senegal Makhete Diop Jordan Basem Fathi Guinea Mamadou Ba Camara
Guinea Mousa Conde
Senegal Assane Sy
Al-Wehda Brazil Harison Tunisia Amir Akrout Tunisia Mejdi Traoui Syria Raja Rafe Senegal Daouda N'Diaye
Tunisia Bilel Sabri
Najran Brazil Vinícius Brazil Wilsinho France Abdulfatah Safi Oman Talal Khalfan

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Al-Ittihad (C) 22 17 4 1 57 21 +36 55 Qualification for the Champions League group stage[lower-alpha 1]
2 Al-Hilal 22 15 5 2 41 9 +32 50
3 Al-Ahli 22 11 7 4 33 20 +13 40
4 Al-Shabab 22 10 5 7 37 29 +8 35
5 Al-Nassr 22 10 4 8 24 22 +2 34 Qualification for the Gulf Club Champions Cup
6 Al-Ettifaq 22 7 8 7 23 20 +3 29
7 Al-Wehda 22 7 5 10 33 39 −6 26
8 Al-Hazem 22 6 7 9 25 31 −6 25
9 Najran 22 6 3 13 22 42 −20 21
10 Al-Raed (O) 22 6 1 15 28 43 −15 19 Qualification to relegation play-offs
11 Abha (R) 22 4 7 11 19 40 −21 19
12 Al-Watani (R) 22 2 6 14 22 48 −26 12 Relegation to the First Division
Source: SLstat
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation or teams for international competitions); 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:

Fixtures and results

Home \ Away ABH AHL ETT HAZ HIL ITT NSR RAE SHB WAT WHD NAJ
Abha 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–3 1–2 2–2 0–1 2–1 2–2 2–2 1–0
Al-Ahli 2–1 1–1 1–0 0–1 1–2 2–1 3–2 2–1 2–0 0–0 2–0
Al-Ettifaq 3–1 0–0 0–0 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 3–0 4–0 1–1
Al-Hazem 2–1 1–1 1–1 1–2 3–3 1–0 1–0 1–1 3–0 3–1 2–1
Al-Hilal 4–1 0–0 2–0 3–0 1–2 2–1 2–0 2–0 0–0 0–0 7–0
Al-Ittihad 3–0 1–2 3–0 3–0 0–0 1–0 5–1 2–1 7–2 2–1 3–2
Al-Nassr 0–1 2–1 1–0 3–1 0–2 2–2 1–0 0–0 1–0 3–1 1–0
Al-Raed 3–1 2–3 1–2 1–0 0–2 0–2 0–1 0–4 3–2 6–3 0–1
Al-Shabab 5–0 3–2 1–0 2–0 1–1 0–4 2–1 1–4 2–2 4–2 2–1
Al-Watani 0–0 2–2 0–1 3–3 1–3 1–2 1–2 3–1 0–2 0–2 3–1
Al-Wehda 4–1 0–2 1–0 2–1 0–1 1–3 1–2 3–1 1–1 4–0 2–1
Najran 1–1 1–4 0–2 2–1 2–1 1–4 1–0 2–1 0–2 2–0 2–2
Updated to match(es) played on 12 April 2009. Source: Goalzz.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

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.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Abha 3–4 Al-Raed 1–1 2–3

First leg

Abha1–1Al-Raed
Yaseen 20' Report Al-Amri 57'

Second leg

Al-Raed3–2Abha
Felipe Campos 37'
B. Al-Sherif 65'
Kabi 88'		 Report Al-Faraj 2'
Morjan 49'
Referee: Jérôme Laperrière (Switzerland)

Al-Raed won 4–3 on aggregate.

Season statistics

Scoring

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals[18]
1 Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Shamrani Al-Shabab 12
Morocco Hicham Aboucherouane Al-Ittihad
3 Egypt Emad Moteab Al-Ittihad 10
Saudi Arabia Yasser Al-Qahtani Al-Hilal
5 Tunisia Amir Akrout Al-Wehda 9
Ivory Coast Boris Kabi Al-Raed
Saudi Arabia Hassan Al-Raheb Al-Ahli
Saudi Arabia Naif Hazazi Al-Ittihad
9 Saudi Arabia Mohammad Al-Anbar Al-Hilal 8
10 Saudi Arabia Sultan Al-Nemri Al-Ittihad 7
Saudi Arabia Essa Al-Mehyani Al-Wehda

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstResultDateRef
Brazil Nei4Al-ShababAl-Wehda4–2 (H)4 October 2008[19]
Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-ShamraniAl-ShababAbha5–0 (H)4 December 2008[20]
Morocco Hicham AboucherouaneAl-IttihadAl-Watani7–2 (H)15 December 2008[21]
Saudi Arabia Yasser Al-Qahtani4Al-HilalNajran7–0 (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

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 Salem Asiri Abha 5
Saudi Arabia Saeed Al-Harbi Al-Hazem
7 Saudi Arabia Adnan Al-Salman Al-Ettifaq 3
Saudi Arabia Assaf Al-Qarni Al-Wehda
Saudi Arabia Jaber Al-Ameri Najran

Discipline

Player

Club

  • Most yellow cards: 52[26]
    • Abha
    • Al-Watani
  • Most red cards: 7[27]
    • 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.[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 Saudi Arabia Nasser Al-Shamrani
Morocco Hicham Aboucherouane		 Al-Shabab
Al-Ittihad

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "All Statistics:Teams". Archived from the original on 2017-05-23.
  2. ↑ "الاتحاد يتوج بلقب الدوري السعودي على حساب الهلال".
  3. ↑ "الحزن يسيطر على لاعبي الوطني بعد الهبوط".
  4. ↑ "دوري المحترفين في آسيا.. الحلم أصبح حقيقة!".
  5. ↑ "ثوب الاحتراف يزين الدوري السعودي بعد ثلاثة عقود".
  6. ↑ "هروب مدرب أبها".
  7. ↑ "الوطني يعين الحبيب مدرباً بعد هروب صايب".
  8. ↑ "البرازيلي فيريرا مدربا للوطني".
  9. ↑ "الشباب يقيل بومبيدو.. والبديل مواطنه هيكتور".
  10. ↑ "اقالة رادان و تكليف ادغر مؤقتا".
  11. ↑ "الرائد ينهي علاقته بالدو ويبحث عن بديله في أوروبا".
  12. ↑ "الاتفاق يقيل توني والنصر يفسد إتمام تعاقده مع اندوني".
  13. ↑ "التليلي مدرباً لنجران".
  14. ↑ http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_168493833.html Edgardo Bauza takes over as Al-Nasr Coach
  15. ↑ "اتحاد الكرة يقيل الروماني كوزمين من تدريب الهلال ويمنعه من السعودية".
  16. ↑ http://www.the-afc.com/eng/articles/viewArticle.jsp_168624529.html Leekens takes over at Al Hilal
  17. ↑ "الرائد وأبها بين الاستمرار في الأضواء والمغادرة إلى الأولى".
  18. ↑ "أكثر اللاعبين تسجيلاً للأهداف". slstat.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
  19. ↑ "Al Shabab 4 – 2 Al Wehda". Archived from the original on 21 January 2016.
  20. ↑ "Al Shabab 5 – 0 Abha". Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
  21. ↑ "Al Ittihad 7 – 2 Al Watani". Archived from the original on 29 June 2016.
  22. ↑ "Al Hilal 7 – 0 Najran". Archived from the original on 29 June 2016.
  23. ↑ "أكثر اللاعبين صناعة للأهداف". slstat.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
  24. ↑ "أكثر الحراس محافظة على شباكه". slstat.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
  25. 1 2 "عدد الكروت الملونة التي أبرزت". Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
  26. ↑ "أكثر فريق حصل على كروت صفراء". Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
  27. ↑ "أكثر فريق حصل على كروت حمراء". Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
  28. ↑ "أحمد عطيف أفضل لاعب والحمد أفضل لاعب واعد والسبع أفضل رياضي في نتائج جوائز الموسم السعودي".
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