The 2008 J.League Division 1 season was the 44th season of the top-flight club football in Japan and the 16th season since the establishment of J.League Division 1. The season began on March 8 and ended on December 6.
A total of eighteen clubs participated in double round-robin format. Starting this season, top three clubs received automatic qualification to the following years' AFC Champions League. The bottom two clubs were relegated to J.League Division 2 by default, while 16th-placed club had to defend their spot in the top-flight in the pro/rele series.
Clubs
The following 18 clubs participated in J.League Division 1 during 2008 season. Of these clubs, Consadole Sapporo, Tokyo Verdy, and Kyoto Purple Sanga are newly promoted clubs.
Club nameHome town(s)Note(s)Albirex NiigataNiigata & Seirō, NiigataConsadole SapporoSapporo, HokkaidoPromoted from J2 League in 2007FC TokyoTokyoGamba OsakaSuita, Osaka2008 ACL participantJEF United ChibaChiba & Ichihara, ChibaJúbilo IwataIwata, ShizuokaKashima AntlersSouthwestern cities/towns of Ibaraki2008 ACL participantDefending championsKashiwa ReysolKashiwa, ChibaKawasaki FrontaleKawasaki, KanagawaKyoto Purple SangaSouthwestern cities/town in KyotoPromoted from J2 League in 2007Nagoya GrampusNagoya, AichiRenamed from Nagoya Grampus EightOita TrinitaAll cities/towns in ŌitaOmiya ArdijaSaitamaShimizu S-PulseShizuokaTokyo VerdyTokyoPromoted from J2 League in 2007Renamed from Tokyo Verdy 1969Urawa Red DiamondsSaitama2008 ACL ParticipantVissel KobeKobe, HyōgoYokohama F. MarinosYokohama & Yokosuka
Personnel Club Head coachKit manufacturerShirt sponsorAlbirex Niigata Jun SuzukiAdidasKameda SeikaConsadole Sapporo Toshiya MiuraKappaNitoriFC Tokyo Hiroshi JofukuAdidasEneosGamba Osaka Akira NishinoUmbroPanasonicJEF United Chiba Alex MillerKappaFuji ElectricJúbilo Iwata Hans OoftPumaIida SangyoKashima Antlers Oswaldo de OliveiraNikeTostemKashiwa Reysol Nobuhiro IshizakiUmbroHitachiKawasaki Frontale Tsutomu TakahataAsicsFujitsuKyoto Purple Sanga Hisashi KatoCW-XKyoceraNagoya Grampus Dragan StojkovićLe Coq SportifToyotaOita Trinita Péricles ChamuscaPumaNoneOmiya Ardija Yasuhiro HiguchiLottoNTT DocomoShimizu S-Pulse Kenta HasegawaPumaSuzuyoTokyo Verdy Tetsuji HashirataniKappaAmebaUrawa Red Diamonds Gert EngelsNikeSAVASVissel Kobe Hiroshi MatsudaAsicsRakutenYokohama F. Marinos Kokichi KimuraNikeNissan
Foreign players Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Non-visa foreign Type-C contract Former players Albirex Niigata Alessandro Davi Márcio Richardes Michael Fitzgerald Luís Augusto Consadole Sapporo Anderson Claiton Davi Chong Yong-de Alceu Edson Nonato FC Tokyo Bruno Quadros Caboré Emerson Paulista Gamba Osaka Lucas Severino Mineiro Rôni Baré JEF United Chiba Eddy Bosnar Michael Reinaldo Kim Dong-soo Mirko Hrgović Park Jong-jin Júbilo Iwata Ferrugem Gilsinho Kashima Antlers Danilo Marcinho Marquinhos Kashiwa Reysol Alex França Popó Kawasaki Frontale Juninho Renatinho Vitor Júnior Jong Tae-se Hulk Kyoto Purple Sanga Ataliba Fernandinho Sidiclei William Pinheiro Paulinho Nagoya Grampus Magnum Frode Johnsen Miloš Bajalica Oita Trinita Edmilson Alves Roberto Ueslei Omiya Ardija Dênis Marques Leandro Euzébio Klemen Lavrič Pedro Júnior Shimizu S-Pulse Marcos Aurélio Marcos Paulo Kim Dong-sub Fernandinho Tokyo Verdy Diego Souza Leandro Osama Elsamni Francismar Hulk Urawa Red Diamonds Edmílson Robson Ponte Vissel Kobe Leandro Raphael Botti Kim Nam-il Park Kang-jo Yokohama F. Marinos Lopes Tigrão Kim Kun-hoan Rôni
Format Eighteen clubs will play in double round-robin (home and away) format, a total of 34 games each. A club receives 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. The clubs are ranked by points, and tie breakers are, in the following order: Goal differential Goals scored Head-to-head results Disciplinary points A draw would be conducted, if necessary. However, if two clubs are tied at the first place, both clubs will be declared as the champions. The bottom two clubs will be relegated to J2, while the 16th placed club plays a two-legged promotion/relegation Series. The champions of this season qualifies to the AFC Champions League and one to three more clubs may also qualify. Changes from Previous Year Introduction of Disciplinary points for tie breaker (2008–) Top three clubs will qualify to AFC Champions League The J.League will not qualify to the abolished A3 Champions Cup.
Table
Results
Player statistics Top scorers
RankScorerClubGoals1 MarquinhosKashima Antlers212 DaviConsadole Sapporo163 Atsushi YanagisawaKyoto Sanga14 Jong Tae-seKawasaki Frontale5 AlessandroAlbirex Niigata136 JuninhoKawasaki Frontale12 Shingo AkamineFC Tokyo Frode JohnsenNagoya Grampus
Top assists
RankPlayerClubAssists1 Yoshizumi OgawaNagoya Grampus122 Kengo NakamuraKawasaki Frontale 11 Kota UedaJúbilo Iwata4 JuninhoKawasaki Frontale105 ClaitonConsadole Sapporo96 DaniloKashima Antlers8 Akihiro HyodoShimizu S-Pulse Yasuhito EndōGamba Osaka9 Lucas SeverinoGamba Osaka7 Yoshito ŌkuboVissel Kobe
Awards
Individual awards AwardRecipientClubMost Valuable Player MarquinhosKashima AntlersRookie of the Year Yoshizumi OgawaNagoya GrampusManager of the Year Oswaldo de OliveiraKashima AntlersTop Scorer MarquinhosKashima Antlers
Best Eleven PosFootballerClubNationalityGKSeigo NarazakiNagoya GrampusDFAtsuto UchidaKashima AntlersDFDaiki IwamasaKashima AntlersDFMarcus Tulio TanakaNagoya GrampusDFSatoshi YamaguchiGamba OsakaDFYuji NakazawaYokohama F. MarinosMFKengo NakamuraKawasaki FrontaleMFYasuhito EndōGamba OsakaMFYoshizumi OgawaNagoya GrampusFWMarquinhosKashima AntlersFWAtsushi YanagisawaKyoto Sanga
Attendances
References
External links J. League Official Site (English)