2008–09 Qatar Stars League
| Season | 2008–09 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Al-Gharafa |
| AFC Champions League | Al-Gharafa Al-Sadd |
| AFC Cup | Al-Rayyan |
| Gulf Club Champions Cup | Al-Khor Qatar SC |
| Top goalscorer | Magno Alves (25 goals) |
← 2007–08 2009–10 → | |
The 2008–09 Qatar Stars League season was the 36th edition of top level football in Qatar and started on the 13 September 2008.
The season was played in 3 stages:
The 2008–09 calendar released by the QFA saw the first phase run through 13 September till 23 November before phase two kicked off on 27 November to end on 7 February 2009. The final phase started on February 12 and concluded on April 17.
Ten teams played for the title of league champions with each outfit playing 27 matches. The last team in the standings was to be relegated until the QFA announced an expansion to the league for the following season.
The competition was played at the seven stadiums of Al-Sadd, Al-Rayyan, Al-Gharafa, Al-Wakrah, Al-Khor, Qatar SC, and Al-Arabi.
Al-Gharafa won the title last season after pipping powerhouse Al-Sadd into second place while Al-Shamal were relegated and their place in the top division would be taken up by Al-Kharaitiyat.
League expansion
The Qatar Stars League has slowly expanded since the turn of the decade, moving from 9 clubs to 10 clubs and then latest setup of 12 clubs for the 2009–10 Qatar Stars League campaign.
There are 2 divisions in the Qatari football structure and the league has previously seen one club promoted and relegated each year except in 'expansion' years.
It was announced on 15 April 2009 that no clubs would be relegated from the top flight due to expansion reasons. The announcement was made with only one game remaining.[1]
Teams
| Club | City/Town | Stadium | Head coach | Last season | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Gharafa | Al Gharrafa | Thani bin Jassim Stadium | Marcos Paquetá | Q-League Champions | 2009 AFC Champions League Qualifier |
| Al-Sadd | Doha | Jassim bin Hamad Stadium | Cosmin Olăroiu | 2nd in Q-League | |
| Umm Salal | Umm Salal | Thani bin Jassim Stadium | Gérard Gili | 3rd in Q-League | 2009 AFC Champions League Qualifier |
| Qatar SC | Doha | Suheim bin Hamad Stadium | Sebastião Lazaroni | 4th in Q-League | |
| Al-Rayyan | Al Rayyan | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium | Paulo Autuori | 5th in Q-League | |
| Al-Arabi | Doha | Grand Hamad Stadium | Uli Stielike | 6th in Q-League | |
| Al-Khor | Al Khor | Al-Khor SC Stadium | Bertrand Marchand | 7th in Q-League | 2008 Gulf Club Champions Cup Qualifier |
| Al-Sailiya | Al Sailiya | Suheim bin Hamad Stadium | Nebojša Vučković | 8th in Q-League | |
| Al-Wakrah | Al Wakrah | Al Janoub Stadium | Mustapha Madih | 9th in Q-League | |
| Al-Kharaitiyat | Al Kharaitiyat | Ahmad bin Ali Stadium | Arturzinho | Promoted from 2nd level |
Foreign players
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Gharafa | 27 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 56 | 33 | +23 | 56 |
| 2 | Al-Sadd | 27 | 15 | 9 | 3 | 60 | 25 | +35 | 54 |
| 3 | Al-Rayyan | 27 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 62 | 35 | +27 | 52 |
| 4 | Qatar SC | 27 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 42 | 36 | +6 | 43 |
| 5 | Al-Khor | 27 | 9 | 13 | 5 | 38 | 28 | +10 | 40 |
| 6 | Umm Salal | 27 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 35 |
| 7 | Al-Arabi | 27 | 8 | 5 | 14 | 37 | 51 | −14 | 29 |
| 8 | Al-Wakrah | 27 | 8 | 3 | 16 | 32 | 56 | −24 | 27 |
| 9 | Al-Sailiya | 27 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 31 | 58 | −27 | 20 |
| 10 | Al-Kharaitiyat | 27 | 3 | 6 | 18 | 19 | 59 | −40 | 15 |
| Qatar Stars League 2008–09 winners |
|---|
| Al-Gharafa 6th title |
Top scorers
- 25 goals
- 21 goals
- 20 goals
- 19 goals
- 15 goals
- 13 goals
- 11 goals
- Sayed Mohamed Adnan (Al-Khor)
- Jean-Emmanuel Effa Owona (Al-Sailiya)
- Pascal Feindouno (Al-Sadd)
- Amad Al-Hosni (Al-Rayyan)
- 10 goals
References
- ^ Q-League expands to 12 Archived 2009-05-02 at the Wayback Machine