UAE Arabian Gulf League

UAE Arabian Gulf League
Country United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates
Confederation AFC
Founded 1973
Number of teams 14
Level on pyramid 1
Relegation to First Division
Domestic cup(s) President's Cup
UAE League Cup
Arabian Gulf Super Cup
International cup(s) AFC Champions League
Current champions Al-Ahli (7 titles)
(2015–16)
Most championships Al Ain (12 titles)
TV partners Abu Dhabi Sports, Dubai Sports
Website www.agleague.ae
2015–16 season

The Arabian Gulf League is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al-Sharjah, whilst Al-Ain has the record with 12 league titles to their name. Fourteen clubs compete in the League that operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the UAE First Division.

The League was founded in 1973 as the UAE Football League. The first 1973–74 season was a "trial" championship but was declared official by the UAE FA in 2001.[1] In February 2007, the Pro League Committee was formed, and became the organizing body of the League, whose name was changed to UAE Pro League. Starting from the 2013–14 season the name was controversially changed to UAE Arabian Gulf League.[2] The name change has been viewed as a revival of the Persian Gulf naming dispute[3] with Iran accusing the United Arab Emirates of racism,[4][5] and the Iranian Football Federation barring the transfer of Javad Nekounam to a UAE club.[6]

Member clubs (2015–16)

UAE Football League
Club Location Stadium
Al Ahli Dubai Rashed Stadium
Al Ain Al Ain Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium
Al Dhafra Al Gharbia Hamdan Bin Zayed Stadium
Al Jazira Abu Dhabi Al Jazira Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium
Al Nasr Dubai Al-Maktoum Stadium
Al Shaab Sharjah Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium
Al Shabab Dubai Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium
Al Sharjah Sharjah Sharjah Stadium
Al Wahda Abu Dhabi Al-Nahyan Stadium
Al Wasl Dubai Zabeel Stadium
Bani Yas Abu Dhabi Baniyas Stadium
Emirates Ras Al Khaimah Emirates Club Stadium
Dibba Club Fujairah Fujairah Club Stadium
Fujairah SC Fujairah Fujairah Club Stadium

List of champions

Source:[7]

Notes
1. Al-Sharjah won its first championship in 1973–74 as Al-Oroba.

Champions

Performance by club

Club Winners Winning seasons
Al-Ain
12
1976–77, 1980–81, 1983–84, 1992–93, 1997–98, 1999–00, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014-15
Al-Wasl
7
1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1987–88, 1991–92, 1996–97, 2006–07
Al-Ahli
7
1974–75, 1975–76, 1979–80, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2013–14, 2015–16
Al-Sharjah
5
1973–74, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1993–94, 1995–96
Al-Wahda
4
1998–99, 2000–01, 2004–05, 2009–10
Al-Nasr
3
1977–78, 1978–79, 1985–86
Al-Shabab
3
1989–90, 1994–95, 2007–08
Al-Jazira
1
2010–11

Players

All-time top scorers

Source:[8]

Rank Nat Name Club Years Goals Apps
1 United Arab Emirates Fahad Khamees Al Wasl 1980–1997166230
2 United Arab Emirates Mohammad Omar Al Wasl
Al Ain
Al Jazira
Al Dhafra
Al Nasr
Ajman
1992–2011132237
3 United Arab Emirates Adnan Al Talyani Al Shaab 1980–1999129232
4 United Arab Emirates Abdulaziz Mohamed Al Sharjah N/A–2002127N/A
5 United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
Youssouf Atiq
Ahmed Abdullah
Al Ahli
Al Ain
1988–2002
1978–1995
117N/A
6 United Arab Emirates Faisal Khalil Al Ahli
Al Wasl
Al Shaab
1999–114302
7 Ghana Asamoah Gyan Al Ain 2011-2015110102
8 Brazil Anderson Barbosa Al Sharjah
Al Wasl
2002–200999128
9 United Arab Emirates Ali Thani Al Sharjah N/A93N/A

Top scorers by season

Season Player Club Goals
1974–75[9] Suhail Salim Al Ahli 14
1975–76[10] Pakistan Ali Nawaz Baloch Al Wahda 12
1976–77[10] Sudan Al Fadhel Santo Al Nasr 10
1977–78[10] Tunisia Mohieddine Habita Al Ain 20
1980–81[11] Ghana Karim Abdul Razak Emirates 14
1981–82[12] United Arab Emirates Ahmed Abdullah Al Ain 12
1982–83[13] Brazil Carlos Al Nasr 12
1983–84[14] United Arab Emirates Ahmed Abdullah
United Arab Emirates Fahad Khamees
Al Ain
Al Wasl
20
1984–85[15] United Arab Emirates Fahad Khamees
United Arab Emirates Adnan Al Talyani
Al Wasl
Al Shaab
14
1985–86[11][15] United Arab Emirates Mohammed Salem Al Wahda 16
1986–87[11][15] United Arab Emirates Adnan Al Talyani
United Arab Emirates Khalil Ghanim
Al Shaab
Al Khaleej
13
1987–88[16] United Arab Emirates Zuhair Bakheet Al Wasl 25
1988–89[17] United Arab Emirates Fahad Khamees Al Wasl 14
1989–90[15] United Arab Emirates Hussain Yaslam Bani Yas 16
1991–92[18][19] United Arab Emirates Youssouf Atiq Al Ahli 25
1992–93[11][19] United Arab Emirates Saif Sultan Al Ain 20
1993–94[11][20] United Arab Emirates Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Sharjah 18
1994–95[11][19] United Arab Emirates Bader Jassim Al Wahda 10
1995–96[19][21] United Arab Emirates Jassim Al Dokhi Al Shaab 10
1996–97[11][19] United Arab Emirates Bader Jassim Al Wahda 11
1997–98[19] United Arab Emirates Ali Thani Al Sharjah 18
1998–99[22] Senegal Alboury Lah Al Wahda 29
1999–00[19][23] Senegal Alboury Lah Al Wahda 18
2000–01[24][25] United Arab EmiratesQatar Mohammed Al Enazi Al Wahda 22
2001–02[24][26] United Arab EmiratesQatar Mohammed Al Enazi Al Wahda 22
2002–03[27] Chile Cristián Montecinos Dubai 19
2003–04[28] Iran Ali Karimi Al Ahli 14
2004–05[13][29] Brazil Valdir
Brazil Anderson
Al Nasr
Al Sharjah
23
2005–06[30] Brazil Anderson Al Sharjah 19
2006–07[31] Brazil Anderson Al Sharjah 19
2007–08[32] United Arab Emirates Faisal Khalil
Brazil Anderson
Al Ahli
Al Sharjah
16
2008–09[33] Brazil Fernando Baiano Al Jazira 25
2009–10[34] Argentina José Sand Al Ain 24
2010–11[35] Senegal André Senghor Bani Yas 18
2011–12[36] Ghana Asamoah Gyan Al Ain 22
2012–13[37] Ghana Asamoah Gyan Al Ain 31
2013–14[38] Ghana Asamoah Gyan Al Ain 29
2014–15 Montenegro Mirko Vucinic Al Jazira 25

References

  1. "1973/74 UAE Football League". Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  2. "New League name announced by H.E. Mohammed Thani Murshed Al Romaithi". Pro League Committee. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  3. James M. Dorsey (13 September 2011). "MIDEAST - Gulf rivalry between Iran, UAE transferred to the football pitch". Hurriyetdailynews.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  4. Category: Asia (29 May 2013). "Iran accuses UAE of racism in renaming Pro League to the Persian Gulf League". Inside World Football. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  5. persiangulfstudies.com. "Persian Gulf Studies Center". Persiangulfstudies.com. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  6. "Iran bars captain's UAE transfer over Gulf name". Fox News. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  7. Atsushi Fujioka (19 May 2011). "United Arab Emirates - List of Champions". UAE FA website. RSSSF. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  8. "100s". FootballUAE.net. Archived from the original on 25 June 2002. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  9. "United Arab Emirates 1974/75". RSSSF.com.
  10. 1 2 3 "1975-1978" (in Arabic). AlIttihad.ae.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Scorers 1980-2001". FootballUAE.net (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2 May 2002. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  12. "The league championship 35 years old story" (in Arabic). AlIttihad.ae.
  13. 1 2 "Top-scorer Valder calls for professional set-up in UAE". GulfNews.com.
  14. "1983–84: Goals" (in Arabic). AlIttihad.ae.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "1984–91" (in Arabic). AlIttihad.ae.
  16. "1987–88: Goals". RSSSF.com.
  17. "1974–06" (in Arabic). AlIttihad.ae.
  18. "1991–92: Goals". RSSSF.com.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Al Ain achieve a record in the ninth title" (in Arabic). AlIttihad.ae.
  20. "1993–94: Goals". RSSSF.com.
  21. "1995–96: Goals". RSSSF.com.
  22. "The Pro-League 4th edition launches today". AGLeague.ae.
  23. "1999–00: Goals". RSSSF.com.
  24. 1 2 "2000-01: Goals". GulfNews.com.
  25. "2000-01: Goals". RSSSF.com.
  26. "2001-02: Goals". GulfNews.com.
  27. "2002-03: Goals". GulfNews.com.
  28. "2003-04: Goals". RSSSF.com.
  29. "2004-05: Goals". Goalzz.com.
  30. "2005-06: Goals". Goalzz.com.
  31. "2006-07: Goals". Goalzz.com.
  32. "2007-08: Goals". Goalzz.com.
  33. "2008-09: Goals". Goalzz.com.
  34. "2009-10: Goals". Soccerway.com.
  35. "2010-11: Goals". Soccerway.com.
  36. "2011-12: Goals". Soccerway.com.
  37. "2012–13: Goals". Soccerway.com.
  38. "2013-14: Goals". Soccerway.com.

External links

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