2020–21 UAE Pro League
Football league season
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The 2020–21 UAE Pro League was the 46th edition of the UAE Pro League following the cancellation of the previous season, no team changes occurred due to the previous season declared as void in UAE football.[1] Despite starting the season with rough results, Al Jazira went on to win their third league title while Baniyas finished second, coincidentally, both teams finished in the same positions ten years ago in the 2010–11 season.
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16 October 2020 – 15 May 2021 |
| Champions | Al Jazira (3rd title) |
| Relegated | Fujairah Hatta |
| AFC Champions League | Al Jazira Baniyas Shabab Al Ahli Sharjah |
| FIFA Club World Cup | Al Jazira |
| Matches | 182 |
| Goals | 566 (3.11 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Ali Mabkhout (25 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Al Wahda 6–0 Hatta (16 October 2020) |
| Biggest away win | Kalba 0–6 Al Jazira (14 February 2021) |
| Highest scoring | Shabab Al Ahli 3–5 Al Jazira (21 November 2020) |
| Longest winning run | Sharjah Al Jazira (6 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Shabab Al Ahli (13 games) |
| Longest winless run | Hatta (15 games) |
| Longest losing run | Hatta (8 games) |
2021–22 →
All statistics correct as of 15 May 2021. | |
Stadia and locations
- Note: Table lists clubs in alphabetical order.
| Team | Home city | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajman | Ajman | Ajman Stadium | 5,537 |
| Al Ain | Al-Ain | Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium | 25,965 |
| Al Dhafra | Madinat Zayed | Al Dhafra Stadium | 5,020 |
| Al Jazira | Abu Dhabi (Al Nahyan) | Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium | 42,056 |
| Al Nasr | Dubai (Al Nasr) | Al-Maktoum Stadium | 15,058 |
| Al Wahda | Abu Dhabi (Al Nahyan) | Al Nahyan Stadium | 12,201 |
| Al Wasl | Dubai (Zabeel) | Zabeel Stadium | 8,439 |
| Baniyas | Abu Dhabi (Al Shamkha) | Baniyas Stadium | 10,000 |
| Fujairah | Fujairah | Fujairah Club Stadium | 10,645 |
| Hatta | Hatta | Hamdan Bin Rashid Stadium | 5,000 |
| Kalba | Kalba | Ittihad Kalba Stadium | 8,500 |
| Khor Fakkan | Khor Fakkan | SBM Al Qassimi Stadium | 7,500 |
| Shabab Al Ahli | Dubai (Deira) | Al-Rashid Stadium | 12,052 |
| Sharjah | Sharjah | Sharjah Stadium | 20,000 |
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajman |  Ayman Elramady |
 Rashed Malallah |
Hummel | Ajman Bank |
| Al Ain |  Pedro Emanuel |
Ismail Ahmed |
Nike | First Abu Dhabi Bank |
| Al Dhafra |  Mohammad Kwid |
Ahmed Ali |
Adidas | Ruwais |
| Al Jazira |  Marcel Keizer |
Ali Khasif |
Adidas | Healthpoint |
| Al Nasr |  Ramón Díaz |
Tareq Ahmed |
N45 | Emirates Islamic |
| Al Wahda | Henk ten Cate |
Ismail Matar |
Adidas | No sponsor |
| Al Wasl |  Odair Hellmann |
Lima |
New Balance | Emaar |
| Baniyas |  Daniel Isăilă |
Fawaz Awana |
Joma | No sponsor |
| Fujairah |  Nassif Al Bayawi |
Hilal Saeed |
Nike | Asas |
| Hatta |  Vladimir Vermezović |
Mahmoud Hassan |
uhlsport | No sponsor |
| Kalba |  Jorge Da Silva |
Mansor Abbas |
Erreà | Caltex |
| Khor Fakkan | Caio Zanardi |
Saif Mohammed |
Adidas | No sponsor |
| Shabab Al Ahli | Mahdi Ali |
Majed Naser |
Nike | Nissan |
| Sharjah | Abdulaziz Al Yassi |
Shahin Abdulrahman |
Adidas | Saif Zone |
Foreign players
All teams could register as many foreign players as they want, but could only use four on the field each game.
- Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
- Players in italics were out of the squad or left the club within the season, after the pre-season transfer window, or in the mid-season transfer window, and at least had one appearance.
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Date of vacancy | Manner of departure | Pos. | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baniyas |  Winfried Schäfer |
1 June 2020 | End of contract | Pre-season | Daniel Isăilă[2] |
27 June 2020 |
| Fujairah |  Fabio Viviani |
Goran Tufegdžić[3] |
12 July 2020 | |||
| Khor Fakkan | Goran Tufegdžić |
12 July 2020 | Signed by Fujairah | Caio Zanardi[4] |
2 October 2020 | |
| Al Wahda |  Manuel Jiménez |
18 July 2020 | End of contract | Mark Wotte[5] |
20 July 2020 | |
| Mark Wotte[6] |
7 September 2020 | Sacked | Vuk Rašović[7] |
7 September 2020 | ||
| Al Dhafra | Vuk Rašović |
Signed by Al Wahda | Aleksandar Veselinović[8] |
25 September 2020 | ||
| Al Wasl | Laurențiu Reghecampf[9] |
18 October 2020 | Sacked | 12th | Salem Rabie[10] |
20 October 2020 |
| Hatta |  Christos Kontis[11] |
22 November 2020 | 14th | Vladimir Vermezović[12] |
22 November 2020 | |
| Al Wasl | Salem Rabie |
7 December 2020 | Mutual consent | 9th | Odair Hellmann[13] |
8 December 2020 |
| Shabab Al Ahli | Gerard Zaragoza |
15 December 2020 | Sacked | 7th | Mahdi Ali[14] |
15 December 2020 |
| Al Dhafra | Aleksandar Veselinović |
5 January 2021 | 10th | Mohammad Kwid[15] |
5 January 2021 | |
| Al Nasr |  Krunoslav Jurčić |
4 February 2021 | 4th | Ramón Díaz[16] |
4 February 2021 | |
| Fujairah | Goran Tufegdžić[17] |
16 February 2021 | Resigned | 12th | Nassif Al Bayawi |
17 February 2021 |
| Al Wahda | Vuk Rašović[18] |
12 March 2021 | Sacked | 8th | Henk ten Cate[19] |
13 March 2021 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Jazira (C) | 26 | 17 | 6 | 3 | 65 | 29 | +36 | 57 | Qualification for AFC Champions League group stage and FIFA Club World Cup first round |
| 2 | Baniyas | 26 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 50 | 22 | +28 | 54 | Qualification for AFC Champions League play-off round |
| 3 | Shabab Al Ahli | 26 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 52 | 30 | +22 | 50 | Qualification for AFC Champions League group stage[a] |
| 4 | Sharjah | 26 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 48 | 29 | +19 | 48 | Qualification for AFC Champions League play-off round |
| 5 | Al Nasr | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 47 | 33 | +14 | 46 | |
| 6 | Al Ain | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 39 | 33 | +6 | 41 | |
| 7 | Al Wahda | 26 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 48 | 33 | +15 | 40 | |
| 8 | Kalba | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 29 | 39 | −10 | 39 | |
| 9 | Al Wasl | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 49 | 47 | +2 | 37 | |
| 10 | Khor Fakkan | 26 | 7 | 4 | 15 | 35 | 50 | −15 | 25 | |
| 11 | Al Dhafra | 26 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 31 | 58 | −27 | 21 | |
| 12 | Ajman | 26 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 24 | 57 | −33 | 18 | |
| 13 | Fujairah (R) | 26 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 31 | 57 | −26 | 15 | Relegation to UAE Division 1 |
| 14 | Hatta (R) | 26 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 19 | 50 | −31 | 12 |
Source: Arabian Gulf League
Rules for classification: [20] 1) points; 2) head-to-head goal difference; 3) head-to-head goals scored; 4) head-to-head away goals scored; 5) goal difference; 6) number of goals scored; 7) number of away goals scored; 8) head-to-head points; 9) fair play ranking 10) draw
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: [20] 1) points; 2) head-to-head goal difference; 3) head-to-head goals scored; 4) head-to-head away goals scored; 5) goal difference; 6) number of goals scored; 7) number of away goals scored; 8) head-to-head points; 9) fair play ranking 10) draw
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Since Shabab Al Ahli won the UAE President's Cup, they qualified directly to the AFC Champions League group stage meanwhile the league runner-ups Baniyas qualified for the play-off round instead.
Results
- The Emirates FA announced on 1 December 2020 that Hatta were found guilty for failing to fulfill match protocols by only conducting corona tests on 19 instead of 20 players in their match against Al Jazira in Round 7. They decided to award the match to Al Jazira as a 3–0 forfeit win; the match originally finished 2–0 to Al Jazira.[21]
Seasonal statistics
Positions by round
| Leader and qualification to AFC Champions League group stage | |
| qualification to AFC Champions League Play off round | |
| Relegation to UAE First Division League |
Source: UAEproleague
Top Scorers
As of 15 May 2021[22]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Mabkhout |
Al Jazira | 25 |
| 2 | Fabio Lima |
Al Wasl | 22 |
| 3 | João Pedro |
Baniyas | 18 |
| 4 | Igor Coronado |
Sharjah | 17 |
| 5 | Welliton |
Sharjah | 13 |
 Kodjo Laba |
Al Ain | ||
| 7 | Igor Jesus |
Shabab Al Ahli | 12 |
| Peniel Mlapa |
Kalba | ||
 Tim Matavž |
Al Wahda | ||
| 10 | Ramon Lopes |
Khor Fakkan | 11 |
| Sebastián Tagliabúe |
Al Nasr |
Clean sheets
As of 15 May 2021
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fahad Al-Dhanhani |
Baniyas | 11 |
| 2 | Ali Khasif |
Al Jazira | 10 |
| 3 | Majed Naser |
Shabab Al Ahli | 8 |
| Jamal Al Sarrah |
Kalba | ||
| 5 | Ahmed Shambih |
Al Nasr | 7 |
| Khalid Eisa |
Al Ain | ||
| 7 | Mohammed Al-Shamsi |
Al Wahda | 5 |
| Adel Al-Hosani |
Sharjah | ||
| 9 | Ahmed Mahmoud |
Khor Fakkan | 4 |
| 10 | Khaled Al-Senani |
Al Dhafra | 3 |
| Ali Al-Hosani |
Ajman | ||
| Humaid Al-Najar |
Al Wasl | ||
| Abdullah Al-Tamimi |
Fujairah |
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welliton | Sharjah | Al Dhafra | 5–0 (H) | 3 November 2020 | 4 |
| Igor Jesus | Shabab Al Ahli | Hatta | 3–0 (H) | 4 November 2020 | |
| Ali Mabkhout | Al Jazira | Al Dhafra | 5–1 (A) | 5 February 2021 | 15 |
| Kalba | 6–0 (A) | 14 February 2021 | 16 | ||
| Fabio Lima4 | Al Wasl | Kalba | 4–4 (H) | 19 February 2021 | 17 |
| Ali Mabkhout | Al Jazira | Fujairah | 4–2 (H) | 15 March 2021 | 21 |
- Notes
4 Player scored 4 goals
(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team
