2014–15 Qatar Stars League
51st season of top-tier football league in Qatar
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The 2014–15 Qatari League, also known as Qatari Stars League, was the 42nd edition of top-level football championship in Qatar. The season started on 21 August 2014. Lekhwiya, the defending champions, won their fourth league title with one matchday remaining by winning against Al Ahli on 12 April 2015.
| Season | 2014–15 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Lekhwiya (4th title) |
| Relegated | Al Shahaniya Al-Shamal |
| AFC Champions League | Lekhwiya Al Sadd El Jaish |
| Matches | 182 |
| Goals | 613 (3.37 per match) |
| Top goalscorer |  Dioko Kaluyituka(25 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Al-Gharafa 7–0 Al-Shamal (21 March 2015) |
| Biggest away win | Al-Wakrah 0–7 Qatar SC (29 November 2014) |
| Highest scoring | Al Kharaitiyat 4–4 Al-Arabi (28 February 2015) |
| Longest winning run | Lekhwiya (5 matches) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Al Sadd (13 matches) |
| Longest winless run | Al-Shamal (17 matches) |
| Longest losing run | Al-Wakrah (5 matches) |
← 2013–14 2015–16 →
All statistics correct as of 16 April 2015. | |
Teams
Al-Shamal were promoted as champions from the 2nd Division. They last played in the top flight in 2009–10. They were joined by 2nd Division runners up Al Shahaniya who entered the top flight for the first time in their history. Relegated teams were Muaither who lasted one season in the top flight and former power-house outfit Al-Rayyan.
Stadia and locations
Doha
Umm Salal
Al Khor
Locations of teams in the 2014–15 Qatari League
| Club | City/Town | Stadium | Capacity | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Ahli | Doha | Grand Hamad Stadium | 13,000 |  Zlatko Kranjčar |
| Al-Arabi | Doha | Grand Hamad Stadium[1] | 13,000 |  José Daniel Carreño |
| Al-Gharafa | Al Gharrafa | Thani bin Jassim Stadium | 25,000 |  Habib Sadegh |
| Al Kharaitiyat | Al Kharaitiyat | Al-Khor SC Stadium | 13,000 |  Amar Osim |
| Al-Khor | Al Khor | Al-Khor SC Stadium | 13,000 |  László Bölöni[2] |
| Al Sadd | Doha | Jassim bin Hamad Stadium | 14,000 |  Hussein Ammouta |
| Al-Sailiya | Al Sailiya | Jassim bin Hamad Stadium | 14,000 | Sami Trabelsi |
| Al Shahaniya | Al-Shahaniya | Thani bin Jassim Stadium | 25,000 | Luka Bonačić |
| Al-Shamal | Madinat ash Shamal | Al-Shamal SC Stadium | 5,000 |  Dragan Cvetković |
| Al-Wakrah | Al Wakrah | Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium | 12,000 | Goran Tufegdžić |
| El Jaish | Duhail | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium | 15,000 |  Sabri Lamouchi |
| Lekhwiya | Doha | Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium | 15,000 |  Michael Laudrup |
| Qatar SC | Doha | Suheim bin Hamad Stadium | 13,000 |  Radhi Shenaishil |
| Umm Salal | Umm Salal | Suheim bin Hamad Stadium | 13,000 |  Bülent Uygun |
Kit manufacturer and sponsors
| Teams | Kit manufacturer | Sponsors |
|---|---|---|
| Al Ahli | Jako | Regency Group |
| Al-Arabi | Adidas | |
| Al-Gharafa | BURRDA | |
| Al Kharaitiyat | BURRDA | ORYX GTL |
| Al-Khor | Adidas | Al Sultan Beach Resort |
| Al Sadd | BURRDA | Vodafone |
| Al-Sailiya | Adidas | QIB |
| Al Shahaniya | Macron | |
| Al-Shamal | Hummel | |
| Al-Wakrah | Jako | Alijarah Holding |
| El Jaish | Nike | NAPT |
| Lekhwiya | BURRDA | Masraf Al Rayan |
| Qatar SC | Hummel | QNB |
| Umm Salal | Nike | MSC Qatar |
Stadium changes
- El Jaish have moved out of the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium to join Lekhwiya at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium.
- Al Ahli have moved out of the Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium to join Al-Arabi at the Grand Hamad Stadium.
- Al-Sailiya have moved out of the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium to join Al Sadd at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.
- Umm Salal have moved out of the Grand Hamad Stadium to join Qatar SC at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium.
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Arabi |  Paulo César Carpegiani |
Mutual contest | 11 April 2014 | Pre-season | Dan Petrescu[3] |
11 April 2014 |
| Al-Gharafa | Diego Aguirre |
Resigned | 5 June 2014 | Marcos Paquetá[4] |
7 June 2014 | |
| Qatar SC | Sebastião Lazaroni |
Mutual consent | 1 July 2014 |  Ivan Hašek[5] |
1 July 2014 | |
| Lekhwiya |  Eric Gerets |
1 July 2014 | Michael Laudrup[6] |
1 July 2014 | ||
| Qatar SC | Ivan Hašek |
Sacked | 11 September 2014 | 9th | Radhi Shenaishil |
11 September 2014 |
| Al Shahaniya |  Miguel Ángel Lotina |
Resigned | 22 September 2014 | 13th | Luka Bonačić |
21 November 2014 |
| Al-Wakrah | Maher Kanzari |
Sacked | 28 October 2014 | 12th |  Noureddine Zekri[7] |
28 October 2014 |
| Al-Arabi | Dan Petrescu |
1 December 2014 | 8th | José Daniel Carreño |
1 December 2014 | |
| El Jaish | Nabil Maâloul[8] |
Signed by Kuwait | 13 December 2014 | 4th | Sabri Lamouchi |
27 December 2014 |
| Al Kharaitiyat | Bertrand Marchand |
Sacked | 15 December 2014 | 12th | Amar Osim |
27 December 2014 |
| Al Ahli | Milan Máčala |
7 February 2015 | 7th | Zlatko Kranjčar |
7 February 2015 | |
| Al-Wakrah | Noureddine Zekri |
20 February 2015 | 12th | Goran Tufegdžić |
23 February 2015 | |
| Al-Shamal |  Silvio Diliberto |
14th | Dragan Cvetković |
|||
| Al-Gharafa | Marcos Paquetá |
7th | Habib Sadegh[9] |
15 April 2015 |
Foreign players
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lekhwiya (C) | 26 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 59 | 25 | +34 | 62 | 2016 AFC Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Al Sadd | 26 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 68 | 35 | +33 | 57 | 2016 AFC Champions League 2nd qualifying round[a] |
| 3 | El Jaish | 26 | 15 | 2 | 9 | 54 | 33 | +21 | 47 | |
| 4 | Qatar SC | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 51 | 40 | +11 | 46 | |
| 5 | Al Ahli | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 48 | 40 | +8 | 38 | 2016 GCC Champions League |
| 6 | Umm Salal | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 43 | 37 | +6 | 37 | |
| 7 | Al-Gharafa | 26 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 48 | 54 | −6 | 36 | |
| 8 | Al-Arabi | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 43 | 38 | +5 | 35 | 2016 GCC Champions League |
| 9 | Al Kharaitiyat | 26 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 37 | 38 | −1 | 34 | |
| 10 | Al-Khor | 26 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 38 | 48 | −10 | 30 | |
| 11 | Al-Sailiya | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 40 | 54 | −14 | 29 | |
| 12 | Al-Wakrah | 26 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 34 | 52 | −18 | 23 | |
| 13 | Al Shahaniya (R) | 26 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 26 | 57 | −31 | 20 | Relegation to 2015–16 Qatari 2nd Division |
| 14 | Al-Shamal (R) | 26 | 1 | 8 | 17 | 24 | 62 | −38 | 11 |
Updated to match(es) played on 16 April 2015. Source: RSSSF
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 Sadd, winners of 2015 Emir of Qatar Cup, have already qualified for the 2016 AFC Champions League via QSL, third-placed El Jaish earned a spot in the same tournament.
Season statistics
- As of 16 April 2015[10]
Top scorers
| Position | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dioko Kaluyituka |
Al Ahli | 25 |
| 2 | Hamdi Harbaoui |
Qatar SC | 21 |
| 3 | Júlio Cesar |
Al-Khor | 16 |
| Romarinho |
El Jaish | ||
 Hassan Abdel-Fattah |
Al Kharaitiyat | ||
| 6 |  Sebastián Sáez |
Al-Wakrah | 11 |
| Paulinho |
Al-Arabi | ||
 Hassan Al-Haydos |
Al Sadd | ||
| Khalfan Ibrahim |
Al Sadd | ||
| Meshal Abdullah |
Al Ahli | ||
| Sebastián Soria |
Lekhwiya | ||
| Issam Jemâa |
Al-Sailiya | ||
| Tuncay Şanlı |
Umm Salal |
Awards
Monthly awards
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | ||
| August | Michael Laudrup |
Lekhwiya |  Mojtaba Jabbari |
Al Ahli | [11][12] |
| September | Radhi Shenaishil |
Qatar SC | Hamdi Harbaoui |
Qatar SC | [13][14] |
| October | Hussein Ammouta |
Al Sadd | Rodrigo Tabata |
Al Sadd | [15][16] |
| November | Bülent Uygun |
Umm Salal | Dioko Kaluyituka |
Al Ahli | |
| December | Michael Laudrup |
Lekhwiya | Hassan Al-Haydos |
Al Sadd | [17][18] |
| February | Amar Osim |
Al Kharaitiyat | Hassan Abdel-Fattah |
Al Kharaitiyat | [19][20] |