2009–10 Saudi Professional League

The 2009–10 Saudi Professional League (known as the Zain Professional League for sponsorship reasons) was the 34th season of the Saudi Professional League, the top Saudi professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1976. The season began on 18 August 2009, and ended on 18 March 2010.[2] Al-Ittihad were the defending champions.[3]

Professional League
Season2009–2010
Dates18 August 2009 – 18 March 2010
ChampionsAl-Hilal (12th title)
Champions LeagueAl-Hilal
Al-Ittihad
Al-Nassr
Al-Shabab
Matches played132
Goals scored377 (2.86 per match)
Top goalscorerMohammad Al-Shalhoub (12 goals)
Biggest home winAl-Ittihad 7–1 Al-Qadisiyah
(26 August 2009)
Biggest away winNajran 0–5 Al-Wehda
(7 January 2010)
Highest scoringAl-Ittihad 7–1 Al-Qadisiyah
(26 August 2009)
Longest winning run6 games[1]
Al-Hilal
Longest unbeaten run14 games[1]
Al-Hilal
Longest winless run14 games[1]
Al-Raed
Longest losing run8 games[1]
Najran

Al-Hilal secured the title with a 2–0 win away to Al-Hazem on 24 January 2010.[4] Al-Hilal won the league with three games to spare. Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Shabab and Al-Nassr all secured a berth for the 2011 AFC Champions League. No teams were relegated at the end of the season following the decision to increase the number of teams from 12 to 14.[5]

Name sponsorship

On 16 June 2009, the Saudi Professional League announced a sponsorship with telecommunication company Zain. As part of the sponsorship deal the Saudi Professional League would be known as the Zain Professional League for the next 4 seasons.[6]

Qualification and Prize Money

The League champions, runners-up and third-placed team, as well as the winners of the King Cup of Champions, qualify for the 2011 AFC Champions League.

The top six teams, and the Crown Prince Cup winners and runners-up qualify for King Cup of Champions.

  • Prize money:
    • First place: 2.5 million Saudi Riyals
    • Second place: 1.5 million Saudi Riyals
    • Third place: 1 million Saudi Riyals

Teams

Twelve teams competed in the league – the top nine teams from the previous season, the relegation play-off winner and the two teams promoted from the First Division. Al-Raed defeated Abha 4–3 on aggregate to confirm their top-flight status.[7] The promoted teams were Al-Qadisiyah (returning after a season's absence) and Al-Fateh (playing top-flight football for the first time ever). They replaced Abha (relegated after a season's presence) and Al-Watani (ending their two-year top-flight spell).

Stadiums and locations
Locations of teams in the 2009–10 Saudi Professional League
Club Location Stadium
Al-Ahli Jeddah Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium
Al-Ettifaq Dammam Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium
Al-Fateh Al-Hasa Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium
Al-Hazem Ar Rass Al-Hazem Club Stadium
Al-Hilal Riyadh King Fahd Stadium
Al-Ittihad Jeddah Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium
Al-Nassr Riyadh King Fahd Stadium
Al-Qadisiyah Al Khubar Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium
Al-Raed Buraydah King Abdullah Sport City Stadium
Al-Shabab Riyadh King Fahd Stadium
Al-Wehda Mecca King Abdul Aziz Stadium
Najran Najran Al Akhdoud Club Stadium

Personnel
Club Coach Nationality City Stadium Capacity 2008–09 season Notes
Al-Ahli Sergio Farias Jeddah Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium 24,000 3rd Qualified to the 2010 AFC Champions League
Al-Ettifaq Marin Ion Dammam Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium 30,000 6th Qualified to the 2009–10 Gulf Club Champions Cup
Al-Fateh Fathi Al-Jabal Al-Hasa Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium 20,000 First Division runners-up
Al-Hazem Lula Ar Rass Al-Hazem Club Stadium 11,000 8th
Al-Hilal Eric Gerets Riyadh King Fahd Stadium 69,000 2nd Qualified to the 2010 AFC Champions League
Al-Ittihad Enzo Trossero Jeddah Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium 24,000 1st Qualified to the 2010 AFC Champions League
Al-Nassr Jorge da Silva Riyadh King Fahd Stadium 69,000 5th Qualified to the 2009–10 Gulf Club Champions Cup
Al-Qadisiyah Dimitar Dimitrov Al Khubar Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium 10,000 First Division champions
Al-Raed Edison Mario Souza Buraydah King Abdullah Sport City Stadium 35,000 10th
Al-Shabab Jaime Pacheco Riyadh King Fahd Stadium 69,000 4th Qualified to the 2009–10 Gulf Club Champions Cup
Al-Wehda Eurico Gomes Mecca King Abdul Aziz Stadium 28,550 7th
Najran Mourad Okbi Najran Al Akhdoud Club Stadium 10,000 9th

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Replaced by Date
Al-Hilal Georges Leekens Sacked[8] Eric Gerets May 2009
Al-Ahli Stoycho Mladenov Sacked[9] Gustavo Alfaro June 2009
Al-Raed Luiz Antonio End of contract[10] Acácio Casimiro June 2009
Al-Hazem Ammar Souayah End of contract[11] Mohsen Saleh July 2009
Al-Nassr Edgardo Bauza End of contract[12] Jorge da Silva July 2009
Al-Shabab Enzo Trossero End of contract[13] Jaime Pacheco July 2009
Al-Qadisiyah Daniel Lanata Sacked[14] Ammar Souayah September 2009
Al-Raed Acácio Casimiro Sacked[15] Edison Mario Souza October 2009
Najran Marcelo Javier Zuleta Sacked[16] Samir Jouili October 2009
Al-Ettifaq Stoycho Mladenov Sacked[17] Saber Eid (caretaker) October 2009
Al-Ettifaq Saber Eid (caretaker) End of caretaker period[18] Marin Ion October 2009
Al-Ahli Gustavo Alfaro Resigned[19] Alan Guido (caretaker) November 2009
Al-Qadisiyah Ammar Souayah Resigned[20] Anas Al Zerqati (caretaker) November 2009
Al-Hazem Mohsen Saleh Resigned[21] Emad Al Solami (caretaker) November 2009
Al-Hazem Emad Al Solami (caretaker) End of caretaker period[22] Lula December 2009
Al-Ahli Alan Guido (caretaker) End of caretaker period[23] Sergio Farias December 2009
Al-Qadisiyah Anas Al Zerqati (caretaker) End of caretaker period[24] Dimitar Dimitrov December 2009
Najran Samir Jouili Sacked[25] Mourad Okbi January 2010
Al-Ittihad Gabriel Calderón Sacked[26] Hassan Khalifah (caretaker) January 2010
Al-Ittihad Hassan Khalifah (caretaker) End of caretaker period[27] Enzo Trossero January 2010
Al-Shabab Jaime Pacheco Sacked [28] Edgar Parreira April 2010

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Al-Hilal (C) 22 18 2 2 56 18 +38 56 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
and the King Cup of Champions[lower-alpha 1]
2 Al-Ittihad 22 14 3 5 46 30 +16 45
3 Al-Nassr 22 12 7 3 38 23 +15 43
4 Al-Shabab 22 11 7 4 36 23 +13 40
5 Al-Wehda 22 7 7 8 34 27 +7 28 Qualification for the King Cup of Champions
6 Al-Ahli 22 7 7 8 28 29 −1 28
7 Al-Hazem 22 6 6 10 29 38 −9 24
8 Al-Fateh 22 6 6 10 26 38 −12 24
9 Al-Ettifaq 22 5 7 10 24 30 −6 22
10 Al-Qadisiyah 22 5 5 12 20 40 −20 20
11 Al-Raed 22 3 7 12 18 35 −17 16
12 Najran 22 4 4 14 22 46 −24 16
Source: SLstat
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Total goal difference; 3) Total goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Play-off (only for deciding champion, relegation and AFC competitions participation).
(C) Champion.
Notes:
  1. Since the winners of the King Cup of Champions, Al-Ittihad, qualified for the Champions League, the spot given to the King Cup of Champions winners (Champions League group stage) was passed to the fourth-placed team.

Results
Home \ Away AHL ETT FAT HAZ HIL ITT NSR QAD RAE SHB WHD NAJ
Al-Ahli 2–0 1–1 2–1 1–2 0–1 3–3 3–2 1–0 1–1 2–0 0–1
Al-Ettifaq 0–0 0–2 2–3 0–2 2–1 1–1 0–2 3–0 0–0 1–3 3–1
Al-Fateh 3–1 0–3 1–1 0–4 1–2 0–2 5–0 2–0 2–1 0–0 0–1
Al-Hazem 1–1 0–2 2–1 0–2 1–2 2–2 1–1 2–1 1–2 1–2 3–1
Al-Hilal 3–1 1–0 5–1 4–0 5–0 2–2 2–1 2–1 2–2 3–1 5–0
Al-Ittihad 2–1 1–1 1–1 5–2 2–1 1–2 7–1 3–2 1–2 2–0 3–1
Al-Nassr 1–1 1–0 3–1 1–0 2–1 0–1 3–0 4–2 0–2 1–0 3–2
Al-Qadisiyah 1–2 1–1 0–1 3–1 1–2 3–3 0–2 0–0 0–3 1–0 1–0
Al-Raed 1–2 0–0 2–1 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–2
Al-Shabab 2–1 4–1 2–2 0–2 1–2 1–0 3–2 0–1 2–1 2–2 1–0
Al-Wehda 1–1 2–2 6–0 0–0 1–2 1–3 0–2 2–1 4–1 1–1 2–0
Najran 2–1 3–2 1–1 2–4 1–2 2–3 1–1 0–0 0–1 1–3 0–5
Updated to match(es) played on 18 March 2010. Source: Slstat.com
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

Top scorers
Rank Scorer Club Goals[29]
1 Mohammad Al-Shalhoub Al-Hilal 12
2 Mohammad Al-Sahlawi Al-Nassr 11
Thiago Neves Al-Hilal
4 Waleed Al-Gizani Al-Hazem 10
5 Nasser Al-Shamrani Al-Shabab 9
Muhannad Assiri Al-Wehda
Yasser Al-Qahtani Al-Hilal
Ahmed Abo Obaid Al-Fateh
Christian Wilhelmsson Al-Hilal
Víctor Figueroa Al-Nassr

Most assists
Rank Scorer Club Assists
1 Christian Wilhelmsson Al-Hilal 10
2 Mohammed Noor Al-Ittihad 7
Marcelo Camacho Al-Shabab
Thiago Neves Al-Hilal
Manaf Abushgeer Al-Ittihad
6 Youssef Kaddioui Al-Wehda 6
7 Mohammad Al-Shalhoub Al-Hilal 5
Moussa Soulaimane Najran

Clean sheets
Rank Player Club Clean
sheets
1 Khalid Radhy Al-Nassr 8
2 Mohamed Al-Deayea Al-Hilal 7
3 Mohammad Khouja Al-Ettifaq 5
Mohammed Al-Khojali Al-Raed
Waleed Abdullah Al-Shabab
Mohammad Sharifi Al-Fateh
7 Faisal Al-Merqeb Al-Wehda 4
8 Mabrouk Zaid Al-Ittihad 3
Jaber Al-Ameri Najran

See also

References
  1. "All Statistics:Teams". Archived from the original on 11 June 2017.
  2. "جدول الدوري". Archived from the original on 22 April 2016.
  3. "الاتحاد بطلا لدوري المحترفين السعودي بفوزه على الهلال".
  4. "الهلال بطلاً للدوري السعودي 2010".
  5. "هل ستتغير خارطة دوري «زين»؟".
  6. "تغيير مسمى دوري المحترفين السعودي إلى "دوري زين"".
  7. "«رائد التحدي» يعلن البقاء في دوري الأضواء".
  8. "رسمياً..البلجيكي غيرتس مدرباً للهلال لموسمين مقبلين".
  9. "الأرجنتيني جوستافو الفارو يقود الأهلي الموسم المقبل مع خمسة مساعدين".
  10. "البرتغالي أكاسيو الفريدو مدربا للرائد".
  11. "الحزم يوقع مع محسن صالح رسمياً".
  12. http://www.the-afc.com/en/news-centre/member-association-news/222-west-asia-/24671-nasr-turn-to-uruguayan-da-silva-to-end-coaching-woes Nasr turn to Uruguayan Da Silva to end coaching woes
  13. http://www.the-afc.com/en/member-association-news/west-asia-news/24762-pacheco-is-new-shabab-coach Pacheco is new Shabab coach
  14. "دانيال يرفض حضور اجتماع القادسية.. والإدارة تقيله رسمياً".
  15. "الرائد يقيل البرتغالي أكاسيو.. والبديل البرازيلي ماريو".
  16. "شرط جزائي يحول تعاقد نجران من الغرايري إلى الجويلي".
  17. "الاتفاق أقال ملادينوف أمس .. ورئيسه يؤكد".
  18. "الروماني إيوان مدربا للاتفاق.. ويبدأ مهمته أمام العروبة".
  19. "أفضل مدرب في إفريقيا لعام 2008 يقود الأهلي خلفاً للفارو".
  20. "السويح يترك القادسية ويعود للحزم".
  21. "الحزم يودع محسن صالح والسلمي يبدأ مهمته".
  22. "رسمياً لولا بيريرا مدرباً للحزم".
  23. "فارياس يصل جدة والأمير عبدالله بن فيصل يفتتح المركز الإعلامي".
  24. "ديمتروف وقَّع للقادسية ودجلاس وصل البحرين".
  25. "العقبي يخلف الجويلي في نجران".
  26. "الاتحاد يقيل (كالديرون) ويعين خليفة مدربا مؤقتا".
  27. "الاتحاد يتعاقد مع (هيكتور) حتى نهاية الموسم".
  28. http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/clubs/afc-champions-league/28319-shabab-al-ain-boot-out-their-coaches%5B%5D Shabab, Al Ain boot out their coaches
  29. "Zain Saudi Professional League 2009/2010 - scorers".
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