The 2008–09 Cypriot First Division was the seventy season of top-tier football on Cyprus. It started on 30 August 2008 and ended on 10 May 2009. The defending champions were Anorthosis.
APOEL won the championship three matchweeks before the end of the season.
This year, for the second time, the championship also featured a group stage play-off system. Teams were divided into 3 groups: 1st–4th, 5th–8th and 9th–12th. Points from the main part of the season still counted.
Format Fourteen teams participated in the 2008–09 Cypriot First Division. Each team played against every other team twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 26 matches. After these matches, the two teams with the worst records were relegated to the 2009–10 Cypriot Second Division. The remaining twelve teams were divided into three groups: 1st-4th, 5th-8th and 9th-12th.
The teams ranked first through fourth played out the champion and the participants for the European competitions. Teams ranked ninth through 12th determined the third relegated club, while the remaining four teams played a placement round. Every team played twice against its group opponents. Regular season records are carried over without any modifications.
The champions ensured their participation in the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League and the runners-up and the third team in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League.
Point system Teams received three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss.
Stadia and locations
TeamStadium AEK Larnaca GSZ Stadium AEL Limassol Tsirion Stadium AEP Paphos Pafiako Stadium Alki Larnaca Ammochostos Stadium Anorthosis Famagusta Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium APEP Tsirion Stadium APOEL GSP Stadium Apollon Limassol Tsirion Stadium APOP Kinyras Peyia Municipal Stadium Atromitos Yeroskipou Pafiako Stadium Doxa Katokopias Makario Stadium Ethnikos Achna Dasaki Stadium ENP Paralimni Stadium Omonia GSP Stadium
Promotion and relegation Teams promoted from 2007-08 Cypriot Second Division: Champions: AE Paphos Runners-up: APEP 3rd placed team: Atromitos
Teams relegated to 2008–09 Cypriot Second Division : Aris Limassol Nea Salamina Olympiakos Nicosia
Overview TeamHead CoachTeam CaptainVenueCapacityKitmakerShirt sponsorClub ChairmanAEK Larnaca Savvas Constantinou Constantinos MinaNeo GSZ Stadium13,032MassCytaVisionMarios EllinasAEL Limassol Mihai Stoichiţă Simos KrassasTsirion Stadium13,331MassSinergatiko Tamieftirio LemesouAndreas SofokleousAEP Paphos Nir Klinger Giorgos GeorgiouPafiako Stadium10,000MassEurolink Investment GroupFillippos GeorgiouAlki Larnaca Panikos Xiourouppas Ammochostos Stadium5,500LegeaTEAM A SecurityDemetris PhantousisAnorthosis Famagusta Michalis Pamboris Nikos NicolaouAntonis Papadopoulos Stadium10,003PumaQuality Group DevelopmentsChris GeorgiadesAPEP Pitsilia Willy Scheepers Bruno PianoTsirion Stadium13,331MassKKCGPanayiotis NeokleousAPOEL Ivan Jovanović Marinos SatsiasGSP Stadium22,859LottoMTN GroupFoivos ErotokritouApollon Limassol Thomas von HeesenChristos TheophilouTsirion Stadium13,331LottoColumbia Ship ManagementTheodoros AntoniouAPOP Kinyras Peyias Giorgos Polyviou Giannis SfakianakisPeyia Municipal Stadium3,828PumaPrimeTelMichalis MitasAtromitos Yeroskipou Sofoklis Sofokleous Argyris PetrouPafiako Stadium10,000UmbroSPE YeroskipouVangelis GenisDoxa Katokopia Pambos Christodoulou Kyriacos PolykarpouMakario Stadium16,000PumaYiannakas Real Estate LtdCharalambos ArgyrouEnosis Neon Paralimni Adamos Adamou & Antonis Kleftis Demos GoumenosParalimni Stadium5,800LottoElian DevelopersAdamos LoizouEthnikos Achna Stéphane Demol Christos PoyiatzisDasaki Stadium7,000NikeFamagusta DevelopersKikis PhilippouOmonia Takis Lemonis Kostas KaiafasGSP Stadium22,859LottoOcean TankersMiltiadis Neophytou
Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Replaced by Date of appointment Omonia Giorgos Savvidis Resigned 4 March 2008 Nedim Tutić 4 March 2008 Apollon Yossi Mizrahi Mutual consent 11 May 2008 Svetozar Šapurić 23 May 2008 Ethnikos Svetozar Šapurić Mutual consent 23 May 2008 Stéphane Demol 24 May 2008 Apollon Svetozar Šapurić Sacked 9 September 2008 Thomas von Heesen 15 September 2008 AEK Nir Klinger Sacked 27 October 2008 Makis Katsavakis 28 October 2008 AEP Savvas Constantinou Resigned 3 November 2008 Nir Klinger 5 November 2008 APOP Eduard Eranosyan Sacked 27 November 2008 Giorgos Polyviou 27 November 2008 AEK Makis Katsavakis Resigned 2 December 2008 Loizos Stefani 2 December 2008 Enosis Marios Constantinou Resigned 7 December 2008 Panayiotis Xiourouppas 8 December 2008 Alki Christos Kassianos Resigned 17 December 2008 Panayiotis Xiourouppas 7 January 2009 AEK Loizos Stefani Mutual consent 18 December 2008 Christos Kassianos 18 December 2008 Enosis Panayiotis Xiourouppas Mutual consent 29 December 2008 Eduard Eranosyan 30 December 2008 AEK Christos Kassianos Resigned 15 January 2009 Savvas Constantinou 15 January 2009 AEL Andreas Michaelides Mutual consent 26 January 2009 Mihai Stoichiţă 27 January 2009 Enosis Eduard Eranosyan Resigned 28 January 2009 Adamos Adamou & Antonis Kleftis 29 January 2009 Omonia Nedim Tutić Sacked 16 March 2009 Takis Lemonis 17 March 2009 APEP Tasos Kyriacou Sacked 5 April 2009 Willy Scheepers 5 April 2009 Anorthosis Temuri Ketsbaia Resigned 13 April 2009 Michalis Pamboris 13 April 2009
First round
League table
Results
Second round
Group A
Table
Results
Group B
Table
Results
Group C
Table
Results
Top goalscorers Source: soccerway.com (First round, Second round)
RankPlayerClubGoals1 SerjãoDoxa242 Gastón SangoyApollon223 Ferydoon ZandiAlki124 Yiasoumis YiasoumiEthnikos11 Marcin ŻewłakowAPOEL6 Demetris ChristofiOmonia10 GelsonAPEP Łukasz SosinAnorthosis Bernardo VasconcelosAPOP10 Haruna BabangidaApollon9 Fangio BuyseAPOP Kyriacos ChailisAEP Ioannis OkkasOmonia
Season statistics
Scoring First goal of the season: Peter Ofori-Quaye for AEL against Apollon, 2nd minute (30 August 2008) Fastest goal in a match: 47 seconds – Demetris Christofi for Omonia against Alki (29 December 2008) Goal scored at the latest point in a match: 90+3 minutes Klodian Duro for Omonia against APOP (14 December 2008) Chrysis Michael for APOEL against AEL (22 March 2009) Goal scored at the latest point in a match: 90+2 minutes Francisco Aguirre for Omonia against Atromitos (27 September 2008) Nikolaos Frousos for Anorthosis against APOP (31 October 2008) Tinga for AEP against Alki (21 December 2008) Widest winning margin: 6 goals – Omonia 7–1 Enosis (22 December 2008) 6 goals – Apollon 7–1 Alki (25 January 2009) Most goals in a match: 9 goals – Atromitos 3–6 Apollon (8 February 2009) Most goals in one half: 5 goals – APOEL 3–2 Doxa (31 August 2008) First own goal of the season: Mahamadou Sidibè (Ethnikos) for AEL, 50 minutes (2 November 2008) First hat-trick of the season: Ioannis Okkas (Omonia) against AEK (6 December 2008) Fastest hat trick of the season: 14 minutes – Klodian Duro (Omonia) against APOP (14 December 2008)
Discipline First yellow card of the season: Levan Maghradze for Apollon against AEL, 11th minute (30 August 2008) First red card of the season: Levan Maghradze for Apollon against AEL, 78th minute (30 August 2008) Most yellow cards in a single match: 9 – Apollon 1–3 AEL – 4 for Apollon (Levan Maghradze (2), Christos Marangos & Gastón Sangoy) and 5 for AEL (Panos Constantinou, Dušan Kerkez, Peter Ofori-Quaye, Laurent Fassotte & Silvio Augusto González) (30 August 2008) Most red cards in a single match: 3 – AEP 2–3 Omonia – 2 for AEP (Almir Tanjič & Jefisley André Caldeira) and 1 for Omonia (Aleksandar Pantić) Card given at latest point in a game: Aleksandar Pantić (red) at 90+2' for Omonia against AEP (30 November 2008)
See also 2008–09 Cypriot Cup 2008–09 Cypriot Second Division List of Cypriot football transfers summer 2008
Sources
References