2012–13 Iraqi Elite League
The 2012–13 Iraqi Elite League was the 39th season of the competition since its establishment in 1974. The season began on 19 October 2012 and finished on 4 September 2013. Al-Shorta ended up as the champions with 72 points, two points ahead of nearest rivals Erbil. Al-Shorta were defeated only twice in the entire season and this was their fourth Premier League title; it was also the first time they had won the league since 2003. Having finished above the relegation zone on goal difference just two seasons prior, Al-Shorta had undergone a transformation under the presidency of Ayad Bunyan and were able to outperform favourites Erbil, Duhok, Zakho, Al-Zawraa, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Talaba.[1]
Season | 2012–13 |
---|---|
Champions | Al-Shorta (4th title) |
Relegated | Al-Kahrabaa Al-Sulaymaniya Al-Sinaa Kirkuk |
AFC Champions League | Al-Shorta |
AFC Cup | Erbil |
Matches played | 305 |
Goals scored | 772 (2.53 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Amjad Radhi (25 goals) |
Biggest home win | Al-Zawraa 7–0 Kirkuk Erbil 8–1 Al-Minaa |
Biggest away win | Al-Sinaa 0–6 Al-Minaa |
Highest scoring | Erbil 8–1 Al-Minaa |
Longest winning run | 6 games Zakho (27 January 2013 - 27 February 2013) Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (4 May 2013 - 24 July 2013) |
Longest unbeaten run | 20 games Al-Shorta (20 October 2012 - 27 April 2013) |
Longest losing run | 12 games Kirkuk (14 May 2013 - 4 September 2013) |
← 2011–12 2013–14 → |
On the final day of the season, three teams were all still in the race for the title. Al-Shorta needed a win against Al-Talaba to secure the league, whilst Erbil had to defeat Al-Najaf and hope that Al-Shorta failed to win their game if they wanted to retain their title. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya needed both Al-Shorta and Erbil to slip up and needed to defeat Masafi Al-Wasat by a big goal-margin in order for them to go home with the trophy. All three teams ended up winning their respective matches, making Al-Shorta the champions.[2]
SWAT incident
On 23 June 2013, after a match with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, seven football players of Karbalaa and their manager were beaten by the anti-terror police. They used sticks and batons against the eight men. Five of them were in critical condition, and on June 30, Mohammed Al-Jaboury, the club's manager, died in hospital.[3]
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Al-Shorta (C) | 34 | 20 | 12 | 2 | 62 | 29 | +33 | 72 | 2014 AFC Champions League preliminary round 1 |
2 | Erbil | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 68 | 34 | +34 | 70 | 2014 AFC Cup group stage |
3 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 34 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 60 | 33 | +27 | 69 | |
4 | Al-Zawraa | 34 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 61 | 29 | +32 | 65 | |
5 | Duhok | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 54 | 35 | +19 | 58 | |
6 | Baghdad | 34 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 36 | 28 | +8 | 53 | |
7 | Zakho | 34 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 48 | 41 | +7 | 52 | |
8 | Al-Minaa | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 54 | 48 | +6 | 52 | |
9 | Al-Naft | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 43 | 43 | 0 | 46 | |
10 | Naft Al-Junoob | 33 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 47 | 49 | −2 | 39[lower-alpha 1] | |
11 | Al-Najaf | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 34 | 43 | −9 | 38 | |
12 | Karbalaa | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 40 | 49 | −9 | 37 | |
13 | Masafi Al-Wasat | 34 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 27 | 39 | −12 | 37 | |
14 | Al-Talaba | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 35 | 47 | −12 | 35 | |
15 | Al-Kahrabaa | 33 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 30 | 49 | −19 | 34[lower-alpha 1] | Relegated to Iraq Division 1 |
16 | Al-Sulaymaniya | 34 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 37 | 60 | −23 | 34 | |
17 | Al-Sinaa | 34 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 23 | 46 | −23 | 25 | |
18 | Kirkuk | 34 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 17 | 74 | −57 | 18 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
- Al-Kahrabaa and Naft Al-Junoob refused to play each other after the death of Karbalaa's coach in round 25. On July 27, before round 30, the Iraqi FA decided not to deduct either team any points.
Results table
Season statistics
Top scorers
- As of September 4, 2013
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Erbil | 25 | |
2 | Duhok | 20 | |
3 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 18 | |
4 | Erbil | 15 | |
5 | Al-Kahrabaa | 11 | |
Al-Zawraa | |||
Hat-tricks
Player name[4] | Scored for | Scored against | Goals | Result | Date of match |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Al-Shorta | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 3 | 4–1 | 18 November 2012 | |
Al-Minaa | Al-Sulaymaniya | 4 | 5–2 | 27 January 2013 | |
Erbil | Kirkuk | 3 | 6–0 | 28 January 2013 | |
Erbil | Al-Najaf | 3 | 4–1 | 28 February 2013 | |
Al-Minaa | Al-Sinaa | 3 | 6–0 | 12 April 2013 | |
Duhok | Kirkuk | 3 | 4–0 | 19 April 2013 | |
Al-Zawraa | Kirkuk | 3 | 7–0 | 29 April 2013 | |
Al-Kahrabaa | Erbil | 3 | 3–5 | 6 May 2013 | |
Zakho | Al-Kahrabaa | 3 | 6–2 | 4 September 2013 | |
Zakho | Al-Kahrabaa | 3 | 6–2 | 4 September 2013 |
Media coverage
Iraqi Elite League Media Coverage | ||
---|---|---|
Country | Television Channel | Matches |
Al-Iraqiya Sports Channel | 3 matches per round | |
Awards
Player of the Season
The Player of the Season was awarded to Hussein Abdul-Wahid of Al-Shorta.
References
- FIFA.com
- "Iraqi League 2012–2013". Goalzz.com.
- "Al-Jazeera SC official website - SWAT Incident". Archived from the original on 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
- "Iraqi Premier League 2012/2013 All Fixtures". Goalzz. Kooora.com. Retrieved 16 May 2019.