2008–09 UAE Pro League
Football league season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2008–09 UAE Pro League season was the 34th edition of top level football in the United Arab Emirates and started on 19 September 2008 until 24 May 2009.
| Season | 2008–09 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Al-Ahli |
| Relegated | Al-Shaab Al Khaleej Club |
| Top goalscorer | Fernando Baiano (25) |
Al-Ahli clinched the championship on the last day of the season, also qualifying for the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup as the host representative.
Al-Shabab were defending champions from the 2007–08 campaign.
Emirates and Hatta were relegated from the previous season. Ajman and Al-Khaleej were promoted from the second level.
The winners of the league qualified for the 2009 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup as the host representative.
Clubs
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Replaced by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Wasl |  Miroslav Beranek |
Sacked[1] |  Hélio dos Anjos |
| Al-Wahda |  Ahmad Abdulhaleem |
Sacked[2] |  Josef Hickersberger |
| Al-Dhafra |  Mohammad Kwid |
Resigned[3] |  Eid Baroot |
| Al-Sharjah |  Youssef Al Zawawi |
Resigned after 11 games[4] |  Toni Oliveira |
| Al-Wasl | Hélio dos Anjos |
Sacked | Jaroslav Horák |
| Ajman |  Abdul Wahab Abdul Qader |
Sacked [5] | |
| Al-Sharjah | Toni Oliveira |
Sacked after 'poor results' [6] | Abdul Wahab Abdul Qader |
| Al-Ahli | Ivan Hašek |
Quit after winning championship [7][8] |  Ioan Andone |
Foreign players
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Ahli (C) | 22 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 54 | 25 | +29 | 55 | 2009 Club World Cup and 2010 AFC Champions League Group Stage |
| 2 | Al Jazira | 22 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 57 | 17 | +40 | 54 | 2010 AFC Champions League Group Stage |
| 3 | Al Ain | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 40 | 20 | +20 | 43 | |
| 4 | Al-Wahda | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 40 | 39 | +1 | 34 | 2010 AFC Champions League Qualifying play-off[a] |
| 5 | Al Shabab | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 33 | 37 | −4 | 28 | 2009–10 Gulf Club Champions Cup |
| 6 | Al Nasr | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 37 | 40 | −3 | 26 | |
| 7 | Al Wasl | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 38 | 45 | −7 | 26 | 2009–10 Gulf Club Champions Cup |
| 8 | Al-Dhafra | 22 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 32 | 32 | 0 | 24 | |
| 9 | Ajman | 22 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 21 | 39 | −18 | 24 | |
| 10 | Al Sharjah | 22 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 31 | 45 | −14 | 22 | |
| 11 | Al-Shaab (R) | 22 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 23 | 37 | −14 | 18 | Relegation to 2009–10 UAE League Division 1 |
| 12 | Al Khaleej Club (R) | 22 | 4 | 2 | 16 | 21 | 51 | −30 | 14 |
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Since Al-Ain also won the 2008–09 UAE President's Cup, the fourth-placed team of the league also qualified for the 2010 AFC Champions League.
| UAE League 2008–09 winners |
|---|
| 5th title |
Top goalscorers
Source: goalzz.com
- 25 goals
- 13 goals
Mohamed Omer (Al-Nasr) (also UFL Top Scorer)
Mohamed Kader (Dhafra)
- 12 goals
- 11 goals
- 9 goals