2014–15 Saudi Pro League
Football league season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2014–15 Saudi Professional League (known as the Abdul Latif Jameel Professional League for sponsorship reasons) was the 39th season of the Saudi Pro League, the top Saudi professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1976. The season began on 8 August 2014 and ended on 18 May 2015.[3] Al-Nassr were the defending champions having won their seventh title the prior season.[4] The league was contested by the 12 teams from the 2013–14 season as well as Al-Khaleej and Hajer, who joined as the promoted clubs from the 2013–14 First Division. They replace Al-Ettifaq and Al-Nahda who were relegated to the 2014–15 First Division.
Al-Orobah
| Season | 2014–2015 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 8 August 2014 – 18 May 2015 |
| Champions | Al-Nassr (8th title) |
| Relegated | Al-Shoulla Al-Orobah |
| AFC Champions League | Al-Nassr Al-Hilal Al-Ahli Al-Ittihad |
| GCC Champions League | Al-Fateh Al-Faisaly |
| Matches | 182 |
| Goals | 528 (2.9 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Omar Al Somah (22 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Al-Ahli 6–1 Hajer (16 August 2014) Al-Nassr 5–0 Al-Shoulla (7 March 2015) Al-Ahli 5–0 Al-Fateh (28 April 2015) |
| Biggest away win | Hajer 0–4 Al-Nassr (30 November 2014) Najran 0–4 Al-Nassr (5 February 2015) Al-Faisaly 1–5 Al-Nassr (26 April 2015) |
| Highest scoring | Hajer 4–4 Al-Shabab (19 February 2015) Al-Taawoun 4–4 Al-Khaleej (15 May 2015) |
| Longest winning run | 8 games[1] Al-Ahli |
| Longest unbeaten run | 26 games[1] Al-Ahli |
| Longest winless run | 11 games[1] Al-Raed |
| Longest losing run | 7 games[1] Al-Orobah |
| Highest attendance | 60,134[2] Al-Ittihad 0–0 Al-Hilal (1 December 2014) |
| Lowest attendance | 45[2] Najran 1–2 Hajer (18 May 2015) |
| Average attendance | 9,146 |
← 2013–14 2015–16 → | |
On 10 May, Al-Nassr secured their eighth league title and second one in a row with one game to spare after a 1–0 win against derby rivals Al-Hilal coupled with Al-Ahli's 2–2 draw with Al-Taawoun.[5] Runners-up Al-Ahli ended the season without a single defeat becoming the third team to ever do so in a 26-game league season and the fourth team overall. They became the first team to end the season unbeaten and not be crowned champions.
Both Al-Orobah and Al-Shoulla were relegated on the final matchday on 10 May. Al-Orobah were relegated after a 1–0 home defeat to Najran.[6] Al-Shoulla were relegated after a 2–2 draw with Al-Raed.[7]
Teams
Fourteen teams competed in the league – the twelve teams from the previous season and the two teams promoted from the First Division. The promoted teams were Hajer (returning after a season's absence) and Al-Khaleej (returning to the top flight after seven years). They replaced Al-Ettifaq (ending their thirty-seven-year top-flight spell) and Al-Nahda (who were relegated after one season in the top flight).
Stadiums and locations
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli | Jeddah | King Abdullah Sports City | 62,345 |
| Al-Faisaly | Harmah | Prince Salman Sport City Stadium | 5,200[8] |
| Al-Fateh | Hofuf | Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium | 19,096[9] |
| Al-Hilal | Riyadh | King Fahd International Stadium Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium |
62,685[10] 22,500[11] |
| Al-Ittihad | Jeddah | King Abdullah Sports City | 62,345 |
| Al-Khaleej | Saihat | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium (Dammam) | 21,701[12] |
| Al-Nassr | Riyadh | King Fahd International Stadium Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium |
62,685[10] 22,500[11] |
| Al-Orobah | Sakakah | Al-Orobah Club Stadium | 6,000[13] |
| Al-Raed | Buraidah | King Abdullah Sport City Stadium | 23,600[14] |
| Al-Shabab | Riyadh | King Fahd International Stadium Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium |
62,685[10] 22,500[11] |
| Al-Shoulla | Al-Kharj | Al-Shoulla Club Stadium | 8,000[15] |
| Al-Taawoun | Buraidah | King Abdullah Sport City Stadium | 23,600[14] |
| Hajer | Al-Hasa | Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium | 19,096 |
| Najran | Najran | Al Akhdoud Club Stadium | 3,200[16] |
Personnel and kits
- 1 On the back of the strip.
- 2 On the right sleeve of the strip.
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Khaleej | End of contract | 6 April 2014 | Pre-season | 29 April 2014[17] | ||
| Al-Faisaly | 1 May 2014 | 21 May 2014 | ||||
| Al-Nassr | 1 May 2014 | 3 May 2014[18] | ||||
| Al-Orobah | 1 May 2014 | 25 May 2014[19] | ||||
| Al-Raed | 1 May 2014 | 31 May 2014[20] | ||||
| Al-Shoulla | 1 May 2014 | 9 May 2014[21] | ||||
| Najran | 1 May 2014 | 8 June 2014[22] | ||||
| Al-Ahli | Resigned | 5 May 2014[23] | 16 June 2014[24] | |||
| Al-Shabab | End of contract | 15 May 2014 | 3 June 2014[25] | |||
| Al-Hilal | Sacked | 26 May 2014[26] | 26 May 2014[27] | |||
| Al-Fateh | End of contract | 27 May 2014 | 27 May 2014[28] | |||
| Al-Shoulla | Sacked | 26 July 2014[29] | 26 July 2014[29] | |||
| Najran | Resigned | 25 August 2014[30] | 11th | 25 August 2014[30] | ||
| Al-Ittihad | Sacked | 28 August 2014[31] | 4th | 28 August 2014 | ||
| Al-Raed | 1 September 2014[32] | 13th | 1 September 2014 | |||
| Al-Taawoun | 2 September 2014[33] | 10th | 4 September 2014[34] | |||
| Hajer | Resigned | 20 September 2014[35] | 8th | 20 September 2014 | ||
| Najran | 24 September 2014[36] | 11th | 24 September 2014 | |||
| Al-Fateh | Sacked | 25 September 2014[37] | 10th | 1 October 2014[38] | ||
| Hajer | End of caretaker period | 27 September 2014 | 8th | 27 September 2014[39] | ||
| Al-Shabab | Mutual consent | 6 October 2014[40] | 4th | 7 October 2014[41] | ||
| Al-Raed | End of caretaker period | 7 October 2014 | 13th | 7 October 2014[42] | ||
| Najran | 8 October 2014 | 11th | 8 October 2014[43] | |||
| Al-Ittihad | 16 October 2014 | 3rd | 16 October 2014[44] | |||
| Al-Nassr | Sacked | 1 November 2014[45] | 1st | 2 November 2014[46] | ||
| Al-Orobah | Mutual consent | 17 December 2014[47] | 12th | 17 December 2014 | ||
| Al-Shabab | Sacked | 21 December 2014[48] | 3rd | 8 January 2015[49] | ||
| Al-Orobah | End of caretaker period | 2 January 2015 | 11th | 2 January 2015[50] | ||
| Al-Hilal | Sacked | 15 February 2015[51] | 3rd | 15 February 2015 | ||
| End of caretaker period | 28 February 2015 | 4th | 28 February 2015[52] | |||
| Al-Faisaly | Sacked | 14 March 2015[53] | 6th | 14 March 2015[53] | ||
| Al-Raed | 24 March 2015[54] | 11th | 24 March 2015[54] | |||
| Al-Shabab | 27 March 2015[55] | 5th | 28 March 2015[56] | |||
| Al-Orobah | 7 April 2015[57] | 13th | 7 April 2015[57] | |||
Foreign players
The number of foreign players is restricted to four per team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries.[58]
Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
- ^1 Orestes has East Timorese passport and was counted as Asian player.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Nassr (C) | 26 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 62 | 20 | +42 | 64 | Qualification for the AFC Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Al-Ahli | 26 | 17 | 9 | 0 | 59 | 22 | +37 | 60 | |
| 3 | Al-Hilal | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 46 | 17 | +29 | 54 | |
| 4 | Al-Ittihad | 26 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 52 | Qualification for the AFC Champions League play-off round[a] |
| 5 | Al-Shabab | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 37 | 31 | +6 | 40 | |
| 6 | Al-Fateh | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 35 | 43 | −8 | 33 | Qualification for the GCC Champions League |
| 7 | Al-Faisaly | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 31 | 42 | −11 | 30 | |
| 8 | Al-Khaleej | 26 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 35 | 41 | −6 | 29 | |
| 9 | Al-Taawoun | 26 | 7 | 7 | 12 | 42 | 46 | −4 | 28[b] | |
| 10 | Hajer | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 29 | 56 | −27 | 28[b] | |
| 11 | Al-Raed | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 33 | 45 | −12 | 26 | |
| 12 | Najran | 26 | 7 | 3 | 16 | 28 | 41 | −13 | 24 | |
| 13 | Al-Shoulla (R) | 26 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 26 | 48 | −22 | 21 | Relegation to the First Division |
| 14 | Al-Orobah (R) | 26 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 21 | 43 | −22 | 17 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Total goal difference; 5) Total goals scored; 6) Fair-play points (Note: Head-to-head record is used only after all the matches between the teams in question have been played).
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- As winners of the 2015 King Cup, Al-Hilal, qualified for AFC Champions League group stage thus the spot for the third-placed team (AFC Champions League play-off round) is passed down to the fourth-placed team.
- Al-Taawoun finished ahead of Hajer on overall goal difference: Al-Tawoun –4, Hajer –27 (Hajer 2–0 Al-Taawoun, Al-Taawoun 3–1 Hajer).
Results
Season progress
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[59] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Ahli | 22 | |
| 2 | Al-Nassr | 21 | |
| 3 | Al-Taawoun | 15 | |
| 4 | Al-Shabab | 14 | |
| 5 | Najran | 13 | |
| Al-Hilal | |||
| 7 | Al-Fateh | 10 | |
| Al-Hilal | |||
| Al-Fateh | |||
| Al-Raed | |||
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli | Hajer | 6–1 (H) | 16 August 2014 | [60] | |
| Al-Taawoun | Al-Ittihad | 4–3 (H) | 5 December 2014 | [61] | |
| Al-Ittihad | Al-Taawoun | 3–4 (A) | 5 December 2014 | [61] | |
| Al-Ittihad | Al-Faisaly | 3–0 (A) | 12 February 2015 | [62] | |
| Al-Ittihad | Al-Raed | 3–1 (H) | 15 March 2015 | [63] | |
| Al-Ahli | Al-Nassr | 4–3 (A) | 22 March 2015 | [64] | |
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets[65] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Nassr | 10 | |
| 2 | Al-Ahli | 9 | |
| 3 | Al-Shabab | 8 | |
| 4 | Al-Hilal | 7 | |
| 5 | Al-Taawoun | 5 | |
| Al-Faisaly | |||
| 7 | Al-Ittihad | 4 | |
| Al-Faisaly | |||
Discipline
Player
- Most yellow cards: 10[66]
Adnan Fallatah (Al-Taawoun)
- Most red cards: 2[66]
Mohamed Husain (Al-Nassr)
Khalid Al-Ghamdi (Al-Nassr)
Sultan Al-Yami (Al-Orobah)
Club
- Most yellow cards: 63[66]
- Najran
- Most red cards: 7[66]
- Al-Shabab
Attendances
By round
| Round | Total | Games | Avg. Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 139,173 | 7 | 19,882 |
| Round 2 | 34,802 | 7 | 4,972 |
| Round 3 | 31,136 | 7 | 4,448 |
| Round 4 | 86,586 | 7 | 12,369 |
| Round 5 | 43,471 | 7 | 6,210 |
| Round 6 | 29,017 | 7 | 4,151 |
| Round 7 | 115,246 | 7 | 16,464 |
| Round 8 | 27,127 | 7 | 3,875 |
| Round 9 | 86,696 | 7 | 12,385 |
| Round 10 | 78,823 | 7 | 11,260 |
| Round 11 | 31,342 | 7 | 4,477 |
| Round 12 | 63,776 | 7 | 9,111 |
| Round 13 | 85,384 | 7 | 12,198 |
| Round 14 | 23,436 | 7 | 3,348 |
| Round 15 | 50,236 | 7 | 7,177 |
| Round 16 | 122,641 | 7 | 17,520 |
| Round 17 | 26,215 | 7 | 3,745 |
| Round 18 | 71,086 | 7 | 10,155 |
| Round 19 | 69,109 | 7 | 9,873 |
| Round 20 | 52,536 | 7 | 7,505 |
| Round 21 | 115,986 | 7 | 16,569 |
| Round 22 | 23,998 | 7 | 3,428 |
| Round 23 | 59,097 | 7 | 8,442 |
| Round 24 | 47,950 | 7 | 6,850 |
| Round 25 | 43,619 | 7 | 6,231 |
| Round 26 | 105,164 | 7 | 17,527 |
| Total | 1,664,652 |
182 | 9,146 |
By team
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Ittihad | 550,822 | 60,134 | 11,499 | 42,371 | +457.8% |
| 2 | Al-Ahli | 443,161 | 60,010 | 12,938 | 34,089 | +328.3% |
| 3 | Al-Nassr | 210,416 | 59,174 | 5,120 | 16,186 | −3.2% |
| 4 | Al-Hilal | 169,086 | 40,730 | 2,677 | 13,007 | +3.1% |
| 5 | Al-Orobah | 47,539 | 6,735 | 173 | 3,657 | +30.5% |
| 6 | Al-Raed | 43,046 | 10,120 | 489 | 3,311 | +85.6% |
| 7 | Al-Shabab | 42,767 | 18,250 | 483 | 3,290 | −8.3% |
| 8 | Al-Fateh | 36,096 | 10,560 | 273 | 2,777 | +23.9% |
| 9 | Al-Taawoun | 34,908 | 6,752 | 335 | 2,685 | −54.7% |
| 10 | Al-Khaleej | 34,901 | 9,223 | 155 | 2,685 | n/a
† |
| 11 | Hajer | 21,082 | 4,300 | 160 | 1,622 | n/a
† |
| 12 | Najran | 12,331 | 2,983 | 45 | 949 | −2.8% |
| 13 | Al-Shoulla | 11,087 | 3,864 | 78 | 853 | −13.8% |
| 14 | Al-Faisaly | 7,410 | 2,229 | 53 | 570 | −21.1% |
| League total | 1,664,652 | 60,134 | 45 | 9,146 | +86.3% |
Updated to games played on 18 May 2015
Source: [2][67][68]
Notes:
† Teams played previous season in First Division.
Awards
On 5 August 2014, the SAFF announced a new set of awards that included six categories.[69] The winners were announced on 14 June 2015.[70]
- Player of the Year:
Mohammad Al-Sahlawi (Al-Nassr) - Young Player of the Year:
Abdulfattah Asiri (Al-Ittihad) - Goalkeeper of the Year:
Abdullah Al-Enezi (Al-Nassr) - Manager of the Year:
Christian Gross (Al-Ahli) - Top Scorer:
Omar Al Somah (Al-Ahli) - Perfect Team: Al-Ahli