The 2016–17 Saudi Professional League (also known as the Jameel League for sponsorship reasons) was the 41st season of Saudi Pro League, the top Saudi professional league for association football clubs, since its inception in 1976. The season started on 11 August 2016 and concluded on 4 May 2017.
Al-Hilal won their fourteenth league title, and first since the 2010–11 season, with two matches to spare following a 2–1 win over Al-Shabab on 20 April. The defending champions were Al-Ahli who finished as runners-up.
Al-Ettifaq and Al-Batin entered as the two promoted teams from the 2015–16 Saudi First Division.
Teams The league comprises 14 teams, 11 from the 2015–16 campaign, as well as two teams promoted from the 2015–16 First Division and the relegation play-off winners.
On the final day of the season Al-Mojzel won the First Division title and their first-ever promotion to the top flight after a 3–2 win against Al-Jeel. Al-Ettifaq were also promoted after they finished in 2nd place, it would be their first participation in the Pro League since the 2013–14 season. The two promoted teams replaced Najran and Hajer. Al-Raed were relegation play-off winners.
On 3 August 2016, Al-Mojzel were stripped of their title and instead got relegated to the Second Division due to a match fixing scandal. The SAFF decided to promote Al-Batin instead.
Stadiums and locations
Team Home city Stadium Capacity Al-Ahli Jeddah King Abdullah Sports City Al-Batin Hafar al-Batin Al-Batin Club Stadium Al-Ettifaq Dammam Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium Al-Faisaly Harmah King Salman Sport City Stadium (Al Majma'ah) Al-Fateh Al-Hasa Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium Al-Hilal Riyadh King Fahd International Stadium Al-Ittihad Jeddah King Abdullah Sports City Al-Khaleej Saihat Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium (Khobar) Al-Nassr Riyadh King Fahd International Stadium Al-Qadsiah Khobar Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium Al-Raed Buraidah King Abdullah Sport City Stadium Al-Shabab Riyadh King Fahd International Stadium Al-Taawoun Buraidah King Abdullah Sport City Stadium Al-Wehda Makkah King Abdul Aziz Stadium
Notes
Personnel and kits Team Manager Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsorAl-Ahli Christian Gross Taisir Al-JassimPumaAl-Batin Khalid Al Koroni Naif EisaskillanoAl-Ettifaq Eelco Schattorie Hassan KadeshKappaAl-Majdouie HyundaiAl-Faisaly Giovanni Solinas Omar AbdulazizErreàAldreesAl-Fateh Fathi Al-Jabal Hamdan Al-HamdanRomaiAl-Majdouie HyundaiAl-Hilal Ramón Díaz Salman Al-FarajNikeMobilyAl-Ittihad José Luis Sierra Adnan FallatahJoma Al-Khaleej Jalel Kadri Abdullah Al-SalemJomaAl-Majdouie HyundaiAl-Nassr Patrice Carteron Hussein AbdulghaniSaudi SportaMobilyAl-Qadisiyah Bandar Basreh (interim) Naif HazaziLotto Hokail Dental ClinicAl-Raed Nacif Beyaoui Jufain Al-BishiHattrickAl-Shabab Sami Al-Jaber Ahmed OtaifRomai Al-Taawoun José Manuel Gomes Jehad Al-HussainJomaHerfyAl-Wehda Adel Abdel Rahman Waleed MahboobErreà
Managerial changes
TeamOutgoing managerDate of vacancyManner of departureIncoming managerDate of appointment Al-Faisaly Liviu Ciobotariu 17 May 2016SackedPre-season Hélio dos Anjos 23 May 2016 Al-Hilal Georgios Donis 18 May 2016 Abdullatif Al-Hussaini (interim) 18 May 2016 Al-Fateh Nacif Beyaoui 29 May 2016 End of contract Ricardo Sá Pinto 29 May 2016 Al-Taawoun José Manuel Gomes 29 May 2016 Signed by Al-Ahli Darije Kalezić 2 June 2016 Al-Ahli Christian Gross 30 May 2016End of contract José Manuel Gomes 31 May 2016 Al-Khaleej Jalel Kadri 30 May 2016 Patrick De Wilde 9 June 2016 Al-Nassr Raúl Caneda 21 June 2016 Sacked Zoran Mamić21 June 2016 Al-Hilal Abdullatif Al-Hussaini (interim) 12 June 2016 Interim period ended Gustavo Matosas 12 June 2016 Al-Raed Aleksandar Ilić 16 June 2016 End of contract Nacif Beyaoui 12 June 2016 Al-Shabab Fathi Al-Jabal 22 June 2016Resigned Sami Al-Jaber 22 June 2016 Al-Ittihad Victor Pițurcă 28 July 2016 José Luis Sierra 28 July 2016 Al-Khaleej Patrick De Wilde 30 August 2016 Mutual consent12th Jalel Kadri 30 August 2016 Al-Hilal Gustavo Matosas 22 September 2016 Sacked3rd Ciprian Panait (interim) 22 September 2016 Al-Fateh Ricardo Sá Pinto 23 September 2016 Mutual consent14th Fathi Al-Jabal 11 October 2016 Al-Ahli José Manuel Gomes 30 September 2016 Sacked5th Christian Gross 3 October 2016 Al-Hilal Ciprian Panait 15 October 2016 Interim period ended2nd Ramón Díaz 15 October 2016 Al-Taawoun Darije Kalezić 16 October 2016 Sacked11th Constantin Gâlcă 18 October 2016 Al-Qadisiyah Hamad Al-Dossari 29 October 2016 Resigned13th Riadh Belkhir (interim) 29 October 2016 Al-Ettifaq Djamel Belkacem 29 October 2016 Sacked7th Eelco Schattorie (interim) 29 October 2016 Al-Batin Adel Abdel Rahman 6 November 2016 Resigned9th Khalid Al Koroni 6 November 2016 Al-Qadisiyah Riadh Belkhir (interim) 9 November 2016 Interim period ended13th Hélio dos Anjos 9 November 2016 Al-Faisaly Hélio dos Anjos 9 November 2016 Signed by Al-Qadisiyah10th Fahd Elouarga (interim) 9 November 2016 Al-Ettifaq Eelco Schattorie (interim) 10 November 2016 Interim period ended6th Juan Carlos Garrido 10 November 2016 Al-Faisaly Fahd Elouarga (interim) 19 November 2016 Interim period ended9th Tomislav Ivković 19 November 2016 Al-Wehda Kheïreddine Madoui 9 December 2016 Sacked11th Badreldin Hamed (interim) 9 December 2016 Al-Wehda Badreldin Hamed (interim) 15 December 2016 Interim period ended13th Adel Abdel Rahman 15 December 2016 Al-Nassr Zoran Mamić 28 January 2017 Resigned4th Patrice Carteron 31 January 2017 Al-Ettifaq Juan Carlos Garrido 18 February 2017 Mutual consent8th Eelco Schattorie 18 February 2017 Al-Faisaly Tomislav Ivković 19 February 2017 Sacked11th Giovanni Solinas 20 February 2017 Al-Taawoun Constantin Gâlcă 20 March 2017 Resigned5th José Manuel Gomes 21 March 2017 Al-Qadisiyah Hélio dos Anjos 22 April 2017 Sacked12th Bandar Basreh (interim) 22 April 2017
Foreign players The number of foreign players is limited to 4 per team, and should not be a goalkeeper.
Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Former Players Al-Ahli Mohamed Abdel Shafy Giannis Fetfatzidis Saad Abdul-Amir Omar Al Somah Luíz Carlos Al-Batin Jhonnattann Jou Silva Tarabai William Alves Ahmed Hamoudi Lassana Fané Al-Ettifaq Mohamed Koffi Aminou Bouba Michael Eneramo Juanmi Callejón Leo Boubacar Fofana Al-Faisaly Igor Rossi Luisinho Martin Maloča Mircea Axente Gonzalo Cabrera Everaldo Rafael Alemão Al-Fateh Sandro Manoel Ukra Abdelkader Oueslati Lamjed Chehoudi João Guilherme Nathan Júnior Luís Leal Al-Hilal Carlos Eduardo Léo Bonatini Omar Khribin Nicolás Milesi Tiago Alves Al-Ittihad Carlos Villanueva Mahmoud Kahraba Fahad Al Ansari Ahmed Akaïchi Al-Khaleej Jandson Boubacar Fofana Ismail Diakhité Adama François Alexander López Sadat Ouro-Akoriko Al-Nassr Bruno Uvini Ivan Tomečak Marin Tomasov Víctor Ayala Al-Qadisiyah Bismark Élton Arábia Ahmed Al-Dhefiri Patrick Friday Eze Saad Abdul-Amir Al-Raed Adriano Daniel Amora Wander Luiz Ismaël Bangoura Gilmar Al-Shabab Djamel Benlamri Mohamed Benyettou Saif Al Hashan Heberty Al-Taawoun Alassane N'Diaye Ricardo Machado Lucian Sânmărtean Jehad Al-Hussain Sandro Manoel Mounir El Hamdaoui Al-Wehda Ahmed Magdy Sherif Hazem Torric Jebrin Adolfo Lima Felipe Adão Eudes Dagoulou Jehad Al Baour
League table
Positions by round The following table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve the chronological evolution, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards. If a club from the Saudi Professional League wins the King Cup, they will qualify for the AFC Champions League, unless they have already qualified for it through their league position. In this case, an additional AFC Champions League group stage berth will be given to the 3rd placed team, and the AFC Champions League play-off round spot will be given to 4th.
Results
Season progress
Relegation play-offs Al-Batin which finished 12th will face Najran, the 3rd-placed 2016–17 Saudi First Division side for a two-legged play-off. Al-Batin beat Najran 3–2 on aggregate.
First leg
Second leg
Statistics
Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Omar Al Somah Al-Ahli242 Ismaël Bangoura Al-Raed183 Mahmoud Kahraba Al-Ittihad16 Mukhtar Fallatah Al-Wehda5 Carlos Eduardo Al-Hilal12 Jandson Al-Khaleej Jou Silva Al-Batin Léo Bonatini Al-Hilal9 Fahad Al-Muwallad Al-Ittihad1110 Mohamed Benyettou Al-Shabab10
Top assists
RankPlayerClubAssists1 Carlos Villanueva Al-Ittihad112 Sultan Al-Sawadi Al-Raed83 Luisinho Al-Faisaly6 Giannis Fetfatzidis Al-Ahli Abdurahman Al-Obaid Al-Qadsiah Yahya Al-Shehri Al-Nassr Ahmed Akaïchi Al-Ittihad8 Carlos Eduardo Al-Hilal5 Ivan Tomečak Al-Nassr Patrick Friday Eze Al-Qadsiah Adnan Fallatah Al-Ittihad Fahad Al-Muwallad Al-Ittihad Jehad Al-Hussain Al-Taawoun
Hat-tricks Player For Against Result Date Mansor Hamzi Al-Faisaly Al-Khaleej 3–1 Mahmoud Kahraba4 Al-Ittihad Al-Wehda 5–3 Mohamed Benyettou Al-Shabab Al-Ahli 3–2 Mukhtar Fallatah Al-Wehda Al-Batin 5–1 Omar Al Somah4 Al-Ahli Al-Khaleej 4–1 Jandson Al-Khaleej Al-Wehda 4–2 Omar Khribin Al-Hilal Al-Nassr 5–1 4 Player scored four goals
Clean sheets
RankPlayerClubClean sheets1 Abdullah Al-Mayouf Al-Hilal132 Fahad Al-Shammari Al-Taawoun7 Waleed Abdullah Al-Nassr4 Mazyad Freeh Al-Batin65 Hussain Shae'an Al-Nassr56 Ahmed Al-Rehaili Al-Ahli4 Mustafa Malayekah Al-Faisaly
Discipline
Player
Most yellow cards: 11 Yassin Barnawi (Al-Qadsiah)
Most red cards: 2 Hatim Belal (Al-Wehda) Adama François Sene (Al-Khaleej)
Club
Most yellow cards: 59 Al-Raed
Most red cards: 5 Al-Khaleej Al-Wehda
Awards Annual awards Award Winner ClubBest Player (CNN poll) Nawaf Al-AbedAl-HilalSaudi Pro League top scorer Omar Al-Somah (24 goals)Al-Ahli Team of the Season Team of the SeasonGoalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf (Al-Hilal)Defenders Mohammed Al-Breik (Al-Hilal) Osama Hawsawi (Al-Hilal) Djamel Benlamri (Al-Shabab) Yasser Al-Shahrani (Al-Hilal)Midfielders Nawaf Al-Abed (Al-Hilal) Carlos Eduardo (Al-Hilal) Fahad Al Ansari (Al-Ittihad) Salman Al-Faraj (Al-Hilal)Forwards Omar Al-Somah (Al-Ahli) Fahad Al-Muwallad (Al-Ittihad)
Attendances
By round + 2016–17 Professional League AttendanceRoundTotalAvg. Per Game Round 1 42,303 7 6,043 Round 2 33,135 7 4,734 Round 3 20,361 7 2,909 Round 4 66,445 7 9,492 Round 5 45,460 7 6,494 Round 6 61,352 7 8,765 Round 7 48,886 7 6,984 Round 8 50,102 7 7,157 Round 9 36,805 7 5,258 Round 10 67,399 7 9,628 Round 11 51,322 7 7,332 Round 12 37,001 7 5,286 Round 13 59,460 7 8,494 Round 14 59,107 7 8,444 Round 15 37,047 7 5,292 Round 16 88,613 7 12,659 Round 17 75,441 7 10,777 Round 18 25,890 7 3,699 Round 19 51,509 7 7,358 Round 20 82,696 7 11,814 Round 21 32,435 7 4,634 Round 22 28,931 7 4,133 Round 23 27,060 7 3,866 Round 24 38,754 7 5,536 Round 25 30,719 7 4,388 Round 26 72,199 7 10,314 Total 1,270,432 182 6,949
Source:
By team
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See also 2016–17 Saudi First Division 2017 King Cup 2016–17 Crown Prince Cup 2016 Super Cup
References