The 2011–12 UAE Pro League (known as Etisalat Pro League for sponsorship reasons) was the 38th top-level football season in the UAE and the fifth Professional season. The season was contested by 14 teams due to an expansion in the league system.
Al Ain were the defending champions, having won the previous 2011–12 Pro League season.
On Thursday, 18 April 2013, Al Ain won their match against Dubai Club which guaranteed them as winners of the 2012–13 Pro League and retained their Pro League trophy. They received their trophy on their last match against Al Nasr on Saturday, 25 May 2013.
Promotion
In June 2012, the UAE FA announced that the league would be expanded into 14 clubs. The two teams that came in the bottom two of the previous campaign – Sharjah and Emirates Club – would enter a promotion/relegation series with the teams that came third and fourth in the second level – Al Dhafra and Al Shaab. These playoff winners would join Ittihad Kalba and Dibba Al Fujairah who came in the top two in the second division.
Promotion/relegation play-offs
Teams
Stadia and locations
Team Home city Manager Stadium Capacity Ajman Ajman Abdul Wahab Abdul Qader Ajman Stadium 10,000 Al Ahli Dubai Quique Sánchez Flores Rashed Stadium 18,000 Al Ain Al Ain Cosmin Olăroiu Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium 15,000 Al Dhafra Madinat Zayed Laurent Banide Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan Stadium 12,000 Al Jazira Abu Dhabi Luis Milla Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium 42,056 Al Nasr Dubai Walter Zenga Al-Maktoum Stadium 12,000 Al Shaab Sharjah Marius Șumudică Khalid Bin Mohammed Stadium 10,000 Al Shabab Dubai Marcos Paqueta Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium 12,000 Al Wahda Abu Dhabi Josef Hickersberger Al-Nahyan Stadium 12,000 Al Wasl Dubai Eid Baroot Zabeel Stadium 12,000 Baniyas Abu Dhabi Salem Al Orafi Bani Yas Stadium 9,570 Dibba Al Fujairah Fujairah Abdullah Mesfer Fujairah Club Stadium 3,500 Dubai Dubai René Marsiglia Police Officers Club Stadium 6,500 Ittihad Kalba Kalba Zé Mário Ittihad Kalba Club Stadium 3,000
Managerial changes Managerial changes during the 2012–13 campaign.
Pre-season Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Replaced by Al Wasl Diego Maradona Sacked Bruno Metsu Al Wahda Josef Hickersberger Resigned Branko Ivanković Al Dhafra Džemal Hadžiabdić Al Sharjah Valeriu Tiţa Faouzi Benzarti Dubai Ayman El Ramady René Marsiglia Baniyas Gabriel Calderón Contract not renewed Jozef Chovanec Al Jazira Caio Júnior Contract not renewed Paulo Bonamigo Al Shabab Paulo Bonamigo Resigned Marcos Paqueta
During season Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Replaced by Ittihad Kalba Dragan Talajić Sacked Lotfi Benzarti Al Wasl Bruno Metsu Illness Gilles Morisseau & Nasser Khamis (caretaker) Dibba Al Fujairah Marcelo Cabo Sacked Abdullah Mesfer Al Wasl Gilles Morisseau & Nasser Khamis (caretaker) Temporary mandate Guy Lacombe Ittihad Kalba Lotfi Benzarti Sacked Zé Mário Al Shaab Sérgio Alexandre Sacked Marius Șumudică Al Dhafra Džemal Hadžiabdić Sacked Laurent Banide Al Wasl Guy Lacombe Sacked Eid Baroot Al Jazira Paulo Bonamigo Sacked Luis Milla Al Wahda Branko Ivanković Sacked Josef Hickersberger Baniyas Jozef Chovanec Appointed as technical director Salem Al Orafi
Foreign players Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 AFC player Former player(s) Ajman Boris Kabi Founéké Sy Driss Fettouhi Fawzi Bashir Karim Kerkar Karrar Jassim Abdessamad Ouhakki Al Ahli Grafite Luis Jiménez Ricardo Quaresma Youssef Mohamad Achille Emaná Al Ain Jirès Kembo Ekoko Asamoah Gyan Mirel Rădoi Alex Brosque Al Dhafra Rodriguinho Amara Diané Makhete Diop Anas Bani Yaseen Fawzi Bashir Al Jazira Matías Delgado Fernandinho Ricardo Oliveira Shin Hyung-min Al Nasr Bruno Correa Léo Lima Giuseppe Mascara Takayuki Morimoto Nashat Akram Al Shaab Michaël N'dri Filipe Teixeira Noel Kaseke Hassan Maatouk Careca Rodriguinho Al Shabab Ciel Edgar Luiz Henrique Azizbek Haydarov Al Wahda Marcelinho Éric Mouloungui Papa Waigo Dino Djulbic Srđan Andrić Anas Bani Yaseen Al Wasl Jussiê Achille Emaná Emiliano Alfaro Ahmed Ibrahim Khalaf Mariano Donda Lucas Neill Shikabala Baniyas Mohamed Aboutrika André Senghor Christian Wilhelmsson Nick Carle Mohamed Zidan Ismail Belmaalem Dibba Al Fujairah Alex Luiz Fernando Samuel Ocran Bilal El Najjarine Júnior Abdelrazaq Al-Hussain Dubai Careca Juca Magrão Richard Porta Alhassane Keita Simon Feindouno Juan Quero Ittihad Kalba Ji-Paraná Aboubacar Camara Edward Sadomba Amer Deeb Serginho Ahmed Jahouh Nabil Daoudi
Richard Porta has Australian citizenship and was counted as an Asian player. Serginho has Syrian citizenship and was counted as an Asian player.
League table
Results
Season statistics
Top scorers RankScorerClubGoals1 Asamoah GyanAl Ain312 GrafiteAl Ahli243 Emiliano AlfaroAl Wasl174 Giuseppe MascaraAl Nasr105 Ricardo OliveiraAl Jazira96 Bruno CorreaAl Nasr8 Boris KabiAjman André SenghorBaniyas Papa WaigoAl Wahda Richard PortaDubai
References
External links Results, venues, dates and times of matches at official site Football Association The UAE Football Association