This article needs to be updated. (October 2019) |
The 2018–19, UAE Pro League was the 45th edition with Al Ain being the defending champions after winning their 13th title. Both Baniyas and Kalba returned to the pro league after getting relegated back at 2017. After losing Al Shabab and Dubai last season the league has been reduced to 12 teams. Both the teams needed to get back to 14 teams so they held a relegation play off between bottom two teams of last year and the 3rd and 4th placed teams of the 2nd division. Sharjah set a record of the longest unbeaten run in a UAE Pro League season for 23 games before losing to Al Wasl 3–2. In 2019, Sharjah won their first title since 1996 after beating Al Wahda 3–2, this was the first time a team outside of Dubai and Abu Dhabi won the league since the 1996. On 26 May, Emirates and Dibba Al Fujairah were relegated after a fixed match between Shabab Al Ahli and Fujairah favored Fujairah and got them out of relegation. The Emirates demanded that the UAEFA investigate on the match between Shabab Al Ahli and Fujairah, questioning the legitimacy of the two penalties that was rewarded to Fujairah and the two goals that was disallowed for Shabab Al Ahli.[1] However the UAE court later rejected their complaint and the team got relegated[2]
| Season | 2018–19 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Sharjah (6th title) |
| Relegated | Emirates Dibba Al Fujairah |
| 2020 AFC Champions League | Sharjah Shabab Al Ahli Al Wahda Al Ain |
| 2020 Arab Champions League | Al Jazira Al Wasl |
| Matches played | 168 |
| Goals scored | 605 (3.6 per match) |
| Average goals/game | 3.6 |
| Top goalscorer | Sebastián Tagliabué (27 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Al Jazira 6–0 Emirates (30 November 2018) |
| Biggest away win | Al Dhafra 0–5 Shabab Al Ahli (24 November 2018) Fujairah 0–5 Al Jazira (14 February 2019) |
| Highest scoring | Shabab Al-Ahli 4–5 Al Jazira (30 August 2018) Sharjah 6–3 Al Nasr (14 September 2018) Al Wasl 6–3 Fujairah (1 November 2018) |
| Longest winning run | Sharjah (9 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Sharjah (23 games) |
| Longest winless run | Dibba Al Fujairah (13 games) |
| Longest losing run | Dibba Al Fujairah (7 games) |
| Highest attendance | Al Ain 1–2 Sharjah (18,103) |
| Lowest attendance | Dibba Al Fujairah 3–1 Al Dhafra (39) |
| Average attendance | 464 |
← 2017–18 2019–20 →
All statistics correct as of 26 May 2019. | |
Changes
editTo Division 1
editRelegated to UAE Division 1
From Division 1
editPromoted to UAE Pro League
Teams
editStadia and locations
edit- Note: Table lists clubs in alphabetical order.
| Club | 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 (Bur Dubai) | Al-Maktoum Stadium | 15,058 |
| Al Wahda | Abu Dhabi (Al Nahyan) | Al Nahyan Stadium | 12,201 |
| Al Wasl | Dubai (Bur Dubai) | Zabeel Stadium | 8,439 |
| Baniyas | Abu Dhabi (Al Shamkha) | Baniyas Stadium | 10,000 |
| Dibba Al Fujairah | Fujairah* | Fujairah Club Stadium* | 10,645 |
| Emirates | Ras Al Khaimah | Emirates Club Stadium | 5,200 |
| Fujairah | Fujairah | Fujairah Club Stadium | 10,645 |
| Ittihad Kalba | Kalba | Ittihad Kalba Stadium | 8,500 |
| Shabab Al Ahli | Dubai (Deira) | Dubai Club Stadium | 7,500 |
| Sharjah | Sharjah | Sharjah Stadium | 11,073 |
* = Dibba Al Fujairah Stadium doesn't fit UAE Pro League requirements, therefore Dibba Al Fujairah shares Fujairah Club Stadium with Fujairah club
Personnel and kits
editNote: 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 | Hummel | Ajman Bank | ||
| Al Ain | Nike | First Gulf Bank | ||
| Al Dhafra | Adidas | Ruwais | ||
| Al Jazira | Adidas | IPIC | ||
| Al Nasr | Nike | Emirates NBD | ||
| Al Wahda | Adidas | Cadillac | ||
| Al Wasl | New Balance | Emaar Properties | ||
| Baniyas | Adidas | Secure Engineering | ||
| Dibba Al Fujairah | Uhlsport | N/A | ||
| Emirates | Uhlsport | Al Naeem City Center | ||
| Fujairah | Nike | Asas | ||
| Ittihad Kalba | Erreà | N/A | ||
| Shabab Al Ahli | Nike | Nakheel Properties | ||
| Sharjah | Adidas | Saif Zone |
Managerial changes
edit| Team | Outgoing manager | Date of vacancy | Manner of departure | Pos. | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fujairah | 28 April 2018 | Sacked | Pre-season | 29 May 2018 | ||
| Al Jazira | 17 May 2018 | End of contract | 2 June 2018 | |||
| Al Wasl | 30 June 2018 | 12 May 2018 | ||||
| Al Dhafra | 30 June 2018 | 20 May 2018 | ||||
| Baniyas | 30 May 2018 | 28 May 2018 | ||||
| Shabab Al Ahli | 30 May 2018 | 28 May 2018 | ||||
| Emirates | 30 May 2018 | 28 May 2018 | ||||
| Ittihad Kalba | 4 September 2018 | Sacked | 13th | 2 September 2018 | ||
| Shabab Al Ahli | 14 October 2018 | 8th | 14 October 2018 | |||
| Al Wasl | 23 October 2018 | 9th | 26 December 2018 | |||
| Dibba Al Fujairah | 26 October 2018 | 14th | 26 October 2018 | |||
| Al Jazira | 9 November 2018 | Signed by Sporting CP | 2nd | 8 November 2018 | ||
| Al Wahda | 25 November 2018 | Sacked | 5th | 8 December 2018 | ||
| Al Nasr | 2 December 2018 | 10th | 15 December 2018 | |||
| Al Ain | 30 January 2019 | Signed by Al-Hilal | 3rd | 18 February 2019 | ||
| Dibba Al Fujairah | 1 March 2019 | Sacked | 14th | 2 March 2019 | ||
| Fujairah | 12th | |||||
| Al Nasr | 31 March 2019 | 11th | 31 March 2019 |
Foreign players
editAll teams could register as many foreign players as they want, but could only use four professionals 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 squad or left club within the season, after pre-season transfer window, or in the mid-season transfer window, and at least had one appearance.
League table
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sharjah (C) | 26 | 17 | 8 | 1 | 57 | 30 | +27 | 59 | Qualification for AFC Champions League group stage[a] |
| 2 | Shabab Al Ahli | 26 | 17 | 2 | 7 | 57 | 36 | +21 | 53 | |
| 3 | Al Wahda | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 63 | 40 | +23 | 46 | |
| 4 | Al Ain | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 45 | 35 | +10 | 46 | Qualification for AFC Champions League play-off round |
| 5 | Al Jazira | 26 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 66 | 41 | +25 | 45 | Qualification for Arab Champions League |
| 6 | Baniyas | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 50 | 40 | +10 | 40 | |
| 7 | Ajman | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 41 | 40 | +1 | 37 | |
| 8 | Al Nasr | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 42 | 41 | +1 | 36 | |
| 9 | Al Wasl | 26 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 45 | 54 | −9 | 34 | Qualification for Arab Champions League |
| 10 | Al Dhafra | 26 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 37 | 49 | −12 | 29 | |
| 11 | Kalba | 26 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 41 | 51 | −10 | 25 | |
| 12 | Fujairah | 26 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 36 | 63 | −27 | 21 | |
| 13 | Emirates (R) | 26 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 30 | 62 | −32 | 18 | Relegation to UAE Division 1 |
| 14 | Dibba Al Fujairah (R) | 26 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 34 | 62 | −28 | 17 |
Source: AGLeague
Rules for classification: [15] 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored; 5) number of away goals scored; 6) fair play ranking[16] 7) draw
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: [15] 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored; 5) number of away goals scored; 6) fair play ranking[16] 7) draw
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Since league runners-up, Shabab Al Ahli, were also UAE President's Cup winners, the league 3rd place qualified for the AFC Champions League group stage.
Results
editSeason statistics
edit- As of 26 May 2019[17]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Wahda | 27 | |
| 2 | Sharjah | 20 | |
| Al Jazira | |||
| 4 | Baniyas | 18 | |
| 5 | Sharjah | 17 | |
| 6 | Al Nasr | 16 | |
| 7 | Fujairah | 14 | |
| 8 | Al Wasl | 13 | |
| Al Wasl | |||
| Al Wahda | |||
| 11 | Al Jazira | 12 | |
| Shabab Al Ahli | |||
| Shabab Al Ahli |
Number of teams by Emirates
edit| Emirate | Number of teams | Teams | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Al Ain, Al Jazira, Al Wahda, Baniyas and Al Dhafra | |
| 2 | 3 | Shabab Al Ahli, Al Nasr and Al Wasl | |
| 3 | 2 | Sharjah and Kalba | |
| Dibba Al Fujairah and Fujairah | |||
| 4 | 1 | Ajman | |
| Emirates |
References
edit- ^ "نادي الإمارات يطالب باتخاذ إجراءات مناسبة في فيديو الفجيرة وشباب الأهلي". الإمارات اليوم. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
- ^ "لجنة الانضباط ترفض شكوى نادي الإمارات في واقعة ماجد ناصر". الرياضية. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ^ "Diego Maradona leaves Al Fujairah after failing to secure automatic promotion". 27 April 2018 – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ "Al Jazira wish Ten Cate well".
- ^ "Kalba coach Vieira sacked just one game into new season".
- ^ "UAE football: Joining late no excuse not to win title, says Arruabarrena".
- ^ "Laurenţiu Reghecampf a fost prezentat la Al Wasl! Salariu uriaş primit de antrenorul român. Foto » Fanatik.ro" (in Romanian). 6 January 2019.
- ^ "Damien Hertog tijdelijk hoofdtrainer Al-Jazira".
- ^ "Al Wahda sack manager Laurentiu Reghecampf days after Al Jazira defeat".
- ^ "Ten Cate returns to Abu Dhabi with Al Wahda".
- ^ "UAE news: Al Nasr spring surprise with deal for former Al Ittihad coach Benat San Jose - Article - Sport360".
- ^ "Following the Termination of Zoran's Contract Amicably.. Croatia's Šobić is the Boss' "Temporary" Head Coach | ALAINFC".
- ^ "Al Hajeri Hails the Efforts of the Technical Committee of Professionalism.. Spain's Juan Garrido is to Lead the "Boss" Squad Until End of Season | ALAINFC".
- ^ "النصر يقيل مدربه بينات". البيان (in Arabic). 31 March 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
- ^ "Article (15) of Arabian Gulf League Regulations" (PDF). Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "Fairplay - Arabian Gulf League". uae.agleague.ae. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
- ^ "UAE League Top Scorers". uaefa. Retrieved 4 April 2019.