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.
Al-Ahli clinched the championship on the last day of the season, one of the most exciting campaigns for a number of years and also qualified for the 2009 edition of the 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[lower-alpha 1] |
| 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 |
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 |
|---|
| Al-Ahli 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
References
External links
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