2014–15 UAE Pro League

Arabian Gulf League
Season2014–15
ChampionsAl-Ain (12th title)
RelegatedAjman
Al-Ittihad Kalba
2016 AFC Champions LeagueAl-Ain
Al-Jazira
Al-Shabab Al-Arabi
Al-Nasr
2015–16 GCC Champions LeagueAl-Wasl
Baniyas
Matches played182
Goals scored562 (3.09 per match)
Average goals/game3.09
Top goalscorerMirko Vučinić
(25 goals)
Biggest home winAl Ain 7–1 Ajman
(13 February 2015)
Biggest away winFujairah 0–7 Baniyas
(30 November 2014)
Highest scoringAl Ain 7–1 Ajman
(13 February 2015)
Longest winning runAl Jazira (5 matches)
Longest unbeaten runAl Ain (12 matches)
Longest winless runAjman (14 matches)
Longest losing runKalba (9 matches)
Highest attendance19,790 Al-Jazira vs. Al Wahda
Lowest attendance182 Ajman vs. Emirates
Average attendance2,529

The 2014–15 UAE Pro League, known as the Arabian Gulf League for sponsorship reasons,[1] was the 40th top-level football season in the United Arab Emirates. Fourteen teams participated with Al Ahli as the defending champions after securing the championship last season for the first time since the 2008–09 campaign.

The league was started on 15 September 2014 and was concluded on 15 May 2015.[2]

Teams

Al Shaab and Dubai Club were relegated to the second tier being replaced by Ittihad Kalba and Fujairah who were both relegated in the 2012–13 campaign.[3]

Stadia and locations

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Locations of teams in the 2014–15 UAE Pro-League
Team Home city Emirate Manager Stadium Capacity
Ajman Ajman Ajman Portugal Manuel Cajuda Ajman Stadium 5,537
Al Ahli Dubai Dubai Romania Cosmin Olăroiu Rashed Stadium 9,415
Al Ain Al Ain Abu Dhabi Croatia Zlatko Dalić Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium 25,000
Al Dhafra Madinat Zayed Abu Dhabi France Laurent Banide Al Dhafra Stadium 5,020
Al Jazira Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi Belgium Eric Gerets Al Jazira Stadium 42,056
Al Nasr Dubai Dubai Serbia Ivan Jovanović Al-Maktoum Stadium 10,954
Al Shabab Dubai Dubai Brazil Caio Júnior Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium 8,011
Al Wahda Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi Saudi Arabia Sami Al-Jaber Al-Nahyan Stadium 11,538
Al Wasl Dubai Dubai Argentina Gabriel Calderon Zabeel Stadium 8,411
Baniyas Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi Spain Luis García Plaza Baniyas Stadium 9,047
Emirates Ras al-Khaimah Ras al-Khaimah Brazil Paulo Comelli Emirates Club Stadium 5,020
Fujairah Fujairah Fujairah Czech Republic Ivan Hašek Fujairah Club Stadium 5,020
Ittihad Kalba Kalba Sharjah United Arab Emirates Walid Obaid Al-Balooshi Ittihad Kalba Stadium 3,000
Sharjah Sharjah Sharjah Brazil Paulo Bonamigo Sharjah Stadium 10,082

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Al Jazira Italy Walter Zenga Sacked[4] Pre-season 14 May 2014 Belgium Eric Gerets[5] 20 May 2014
Al Shabab Brazil Marcos Paquetá Mutual consent 23 May 2014 Brazil Caio Júnior[6] 23 May 2014
Baniyas Iraq Adnan Hamad 1 July 2014 Spain Luis García Plaza[7] 10 July 2014
Al Wasl Brazil Jorginho 13th 1 October 2014 Argentina Gabriel Calderón 1 October 2014
Ajman Tunisia Fathi Al-Jabal Sacked 13th 25 January 2015 Portugal Manuel Cajuda 27 January 2015
Al Wahda Portugal José Peseiro[8] 4th 10 February 2015 Saudi Arabia Sami Al Jaber 16 February 2015

Foreign players

Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Former players
Ajman Brazil Rafael Crivellaro Iraq Ahmed Ibrahim Khalaf Ivory Coast Boris Kabi Morocco Driss Fettouhi Algeria Karim Ziani
Ivory Coast Bakari Koné
Al Ahli Brazil Éverton Ribeiro Chile Luis Jiménez Morocco Oussama Assaidi South Korea Kwon Kyung-won Brazil Ciel
Brazil Grafite
Chile Carlos Muñoz
Portugal Hugo Viana
Romania Mirel Rădoi
Al Ain France Jirès Kembo Ekoko Ghana Asamoah Gyan Slovakia Miroslav Stoch South Korea Lee Myung-joo
Al Dhafra Iraq Humam Tariq Lebanon Bilal El Najjarine Morocco Youssef Kaddioui Senegal Makhete Diop Argentina Matías Defederico
Brazil Diego Felipe
Brazil Paulinho Guerreiro
Al Jazira Argentina Manuel Lanzini Brazil Jucilei Burkina Faso Jonathan Pitroipa Montenegro Mirko Vučinić
Al Nasr Australia Brett Holman Brazil Renan Garcia Senegal Ibrahima Touré Spain Pablo Hernández North Macedonia Ivan Trichkovski
Al Shabab Brazil Edgar Chile Carlos Villanueva Moldova Henrique Luvannor Uzbekistan Azizbek Haydarov
Al Wahda Argentina Damián Díaz Argentina Sebastián Tagliabúe Kuwait Hussain Fadhel Morocco Adil Hermach
Al Wasl Brazil Caio Canedo Brazil Éderson Brazil Fábio Lima Portugal Hugo Viana Brazil Neto Berola
Baniyas Argentina Denis Stracqualursi Spain Ángel Dealbert Spain Joan Verdú Chile Carlos Muñoz
South Korea Kim Jung-woo
Emirates Brazil Alexandro Brazil Luiz Henrique Morocco Issam Erraki South Korea Sin Jin-ho Argentina Germán Herrera
Brazil Rodrigo Silva
Fujairah Algeria Karim Ziani Algeria Madjid Bougherra Ivory Coast Boubacar Sanogo Lebanon Hassan Maatouk Algeria Hassan Yebda
Ittihad Kalba Brazil Danilo Bueno East Timor Paulo Martins Morocco Said Fettah Senegal Papa Waigo Brazil Rafael
São Tomé and Príncipe Luís Leal
Syria Wael Ayan
Sharjah Brazil Marion Brazil Maurício Ramos Brazil Rodriguinho Brazil Wanderley Brazil Léo Lima
Brazil Luan

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Al-Ain (C) 26 18 6 2 62 19 +43 60 Qualification to the 2016 AFC Champions League Group Stage
2 Al-Jazira 26 16 3 7 66 46 +20 51 Qualification to the 2016 AFC Champions League Qualifying play-off
3 Al-Shabab 26 14 7 5 49 35 +14 49 Qualification to the 2016 AFC Champions League Second Qualifying Round
4 Al-Wahda 26 13 8 5 44 32 +12 47
5 Al-Nasr 26 10 9 7 43 32 +11 39 Qualification to the 2016 AFC Champions League Group Stage[a]
6 Al-Wasl 26 10 9 7 53 45 +8 39 Qualification to the 2016 GCC Champions League
7 Al-Ahli 26 10 8 8 35 27 +8 38
8 Baniyas 26 9 8 9 42 37 +5 35 Qualification to the 2016 GCC Champions League
9 Fujairah 26 9 5 12 23 45 −22 32
10 Emirates 26 8 6 12 34 45 −11 30
11 Al-Dhafra 26 5 12 9 31 33 −2 27
12 Sharjah 26 7 5 14 36 43 −7 26
13 Ajman (R) 26 2 9 15 27 60 −33 15 Relegation to the 2015–16 UAE Division 1 Group A
14 Ittihad Kalba (R) 26 3 1 22 17 63 −46 10
Updated to match(es) played on 3 June 2015. Source: [1]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Al-Nasr qualifies for 2016 AFC Champions League Group Stage as winners of 2014–15 UAE President's Cup.

Results

Home \ Away AJM AHL AIN JAZ NAS SHB WAS BAN DHA EMI FUJ KAL SHR WAH
Ajman 0–0 0–4 2–3 0–3 2–2 1–2 2–2 1–1 2–4 0–1 0–1 0–4 3–3
Al-Ahli 0–0 1–1 4–2 2–2 2–4 0–4 0–0 1–0 0–1 4–0 2–0 2–0 1–1
Al Ain 7–1 1–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 2–0 1–0 3–1 2–1 3–0 4–0 4–1 4–0
Al Jazira 3–1 2–0 4–3 3–2 2–4 4–2 1–4 1–2 3–0 2–2 3–0 1–2 1–1
Al Nasr 1–1 2–1 1–2 2–4 1–1 0–0 0–0 1–0 3–0 5–1 3–0 3–0 0–2
Al Shabab 2–1 1–0 1–1 3–4 2–1 2–2 1–0 1–1 1–3 1–0 2–1 4–2 1–2
Al Wasl 3–3 1–5 0–1 2–4 2–2 2–2 1–2 2–2 2–2 3–1 1–0 2–1 3–0
Baniyas 3–0 1–0 0–3 2–3 1–1 2–0 2–2 1–0 2–3 1–1 1–0 2–5 1–2
Dhafra 1–1 2–2 1–1 3–3 2–2 1–2 3–1 2–3 1–1 0–0 3–1 2–0 1–2
Emirates 0–2 0–1 1–5 0–2 0–3 2–3 2–3 3–0 0–0 1–2 1–0 1–1 1–2
Fujairah 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–3 0–1 0–3 1–4 0–7 0–0 0–1 2–1 2–1 1–0
Kalba 2–3 0–3 1–4 0–4 2–0 0–2 1–6 1–1 1–0 0–3 2–3 1–2 0–1
Sharjah 4–1 0–1 1–1 1–2 0–2 0–2 0–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 0–2 4–2 4–1
Wahda 3–0 1–2 0–0 1–0 5–1 1–1 2–2 3–1 2–1 2–1 1–0 5–0 1–1
Updated to match(es) played on 12 April 2015. Source: Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Season statistics

Goalscorers

As of matches played 15 May 2015
Rank Player Club Goals[9]
1 Montenegro Mirko Vučinić Al Jazira 25
2 Senegal Ibrahima Touré Al Nasr 18
3 Brazil Wanderley Sharjah 17
4 United Arab Emirates Ali Mabkhout Al Jazira 16
4 Brazil Caio Al Wasl 16
4 Brazil Fábio Lima Al Wasl 16
5 Argentina Sebastián Tagliabué Wahda 15
6 Brazil Éderson Al Wasl 14
7 Ghana Asamoah Gyan Al Ain 13
8 Senegal Makhete Diop Dhafra 12
9 Moldova Henrique Luvannor Al Shabab 11

Hat-tricks

Player For Against Result Date
Montenegro Mirko Vučinić Al Jazira Emirates 3–0[10] 25 September 2014
United Arab Emirates Ahmed Khalil Al Ahli Al Jazira 4–2 18 October 2014
United Arab Emirates Ali Mabkhout Al Jazira Ajman 3–1 4 February 2015
Ghana Asamoah Gyan Al Ain Fujairah 3–0 28 February 2015

References

  1. ^ "UAE Pro League - Home".
  2. ^ "2014/15 Season Schedule confirmed". Pro League Committee. 19 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Arabian Gulf League 2014/2015". Soccerway. Perform. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  4. ^ "Al Jazira dismiss Walter Zenga after seven months". The National. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  5. ^ "Al Jazira confirm Eric Gerets as new coach to replace Walter Zenga". The National. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  6. ^ "Coach Marcos Paqueta is the fall guy for Al Shabab's wobbles". The National. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Baniyas reach agreement with new manager Luis Garcia". The National. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  8. ^ "Al Wahda dismiss manager Jose Peseiro after poor results". The National. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  9. ^ "Summary - Arabian Gulf League - United Arab Emirates - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  10. ^ "Al Jazira vs. Emirates - 25 September 2014 - Soccerway". Retrieved 26 September 2014.