2012–13 Iraqi Elite League
The 2012–13 Iraqi Elite League was the 39th season of the competition since its establishment in 1974. The season began on 19 October 2012 and finished on 4 September 2013. Al-Shorta were crowned Premier League champions for the fourth time, finishing on 72 points, two points ahead of nearest competitors Erbil. Having narrowly escaped relegation just two seasons prior, Al-Shorta had undergone a transformation under the presidency of Ayad Bunyan and were able to outperform favourites Erbil, Duhok, Zakho, Al-Zawraa, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Talaba.[1]
Season | 2012–13 |
---|---|
Champions | Al-Shorta (4th title) |
Relegated | Al-Kahrabaa Al-Sulaymaniya Al-Sinaa Kirkuk |
AFC Champions League | Al-Shorta |
AFC Cup | Erbil |
Matches played | 305 |
Goals scored | 772 (2.53 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Amjad Radhi (25 goals) |
Biggest home win | Al-Zawraa 7–0 Kirkuk Erbil 8–1 Al-Minaa |
Biggest away win | Al-Sinaa 0–6 Al-Minaa |
Highest scoring | Erbil 8–1 Al-Minaa |
Longest winning run | 6 games Zakho (27 January 2013 - 27 February 2013) Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (4 May 2013 - 24 July 2013) |
Longest unbeaten run | 20 games Al-Shorta (20 October 2012 - 27 April 2013) |
Longest losing run | 12 games Kirkuk (14 May 2013 - 4 September 2013) |
← 2011–12 2013–14 → |
On the final day of the season, three teams were all still in the race for the title. Al-Shorta needed a win against Al-Talaba to secure the league, whilst Erbil had to defeat Al-Najaf and hope that Al-Shorta failed to win their game if they wanted to retain their title. Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya needed both Al-Shorta and Erbil to slip up and needed to defeat Masafi Al-Wasat by a large goal margin in order for them to go home with the trophy. All three teams ended up winning their respective matches, making Al-Shorta the champions.[2]
SWAT incident
On 23 June 2013, after a match with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, seven football players of Karbalaa and their manager were beaten by the anti-terror police. They used sticks and batons against the eight men. Five of them were in critical condition, and on June 30, Mohammed Abbas Al-Jabouri, the club's manager, died in hospital.[3]
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Al-Shorta (C) | 34 | 20 | 12 | 2 | 62 | 29 | +33 | 72 | 2014 AFC Champions League preliminary round 1 |
2 | Erbil | 34 | 21 | 7 | 6 | 68 | 34 | +34 | 70 | 2014 AFC Cup group stage |
3 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 34 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 60 | 33 | +27 | 69 | |
4 | Al-Zawraa | 34 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 61 | 29 | +32 | 65 | |
5 | Duhok | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 54 | 35 | +19 | 58 | |
6 | Baghdad | 34 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 36 | 28 | +8 | 53 | |
7 | Zakho | 34 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 48 | 41 | +7 | 52 | |
8 | Al-Minaa | 34 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 54 | 48 | +6 | 52 | |
9 | Al-Naft | 34 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 43 | 43 | 0 | 46 | |
10 | Naft Al-Junoob | 33 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 47 | 49 | −2 | 39[lower-alpha 1] | |
11 | Al-Najaf | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 34 | 43 | −9 | 38 | |
12 | Karbalaa | 34 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 40 | 49 | −9 | 37 | |
13 | Masafi Al-Wasat | 34 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 27 | 39 | −12 | 37 | |
14 | Al-Talaba | 34 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 35 | 47 | −12 | 35 | |
15 | Al-Kahrabaa | 33 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 30 | 49 | −19 | 34[lower-alpha 1] | Relegated to Iraq Division One |
16 | Al-Sulaymaniya | 34 | 9 | 7 | 18 | 37 | 60 | −23 | 34 | |
17 | Al-Sinaa | 34 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 23 | 46 | −23 | 25 | |
18 | Kirkuk | 34 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 17 | 74 | −57 | 18 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
- Al-Kahrabaa and Naft Al-Junoob refused to play each other in round 25 after the death of Karbalaa's coach Mohammed Abbas Al-Jabouri. On July 27, before round 30, the IFA decided not to deduct either team any points.
Results
Season statistics
Top scorers
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Erbil | 25 | |
2 | Duhok | 20 | |
3 | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 18 | |
4 | Erbil | 15 | |
5 | Al-Kahrabaa | 11 | |
Al-Zawraa | |||
Hat-tricks
Player name[4] | Scored for | Scored against | Goals | Result | Date of match |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Al-Shorta | Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya | 3 | 4–1 | 18 November 2012 | |
Al-Minaa | Al-Sulaymaniya | 4 | 5–2 | 27 January 2013 | |
Erbil | Kirkuk | 3 | 6–0 | 28 January 2013 | |
Erbil | Al-Najaf | 3 | 4–1 | 28 February 2013 | |
Al-Minaa | Al-Sinaa | 3 | 6–0 | 12 April 2013 | |
Duhok | Kirkuk | 3 | 4–0 | 19 April 2013 | |
Al-Zawraa | Kirkuk | 3 | 7–0 | 29 April 2013 | |
Al-Kahrabaa | Erbil | 3 | 3–5 | 6 May 2013 | |
Zakho | Al-Kahrabaa | 3 | 6–2 | 4 September 2013 | |
Zakho | Al-Kahrabaa | 3 | 6–2 | 4 September 2013 |
Media coverage
Iraqi Elite League Media Coverage | ||
---|---|---|
Country | Television Channel | Matches |
Al-Iraqiya Sports Channel | 3 matches per round | |
Awards
The Player of the Season was awarded to Hussein Abdul-Wahid of Al-Shorta.
References
- FIFA.com
- "Iraqi League 2012–2013". Goalzz.com.
- "Al-Jazeera SC official website - SWAT Incident". Archived from the original on 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2013-08-10.
- "Iraqi Premier League 2012/2013 All Fixtures". Goalzz. Kooora.com. Retrieved 16 May 2019.