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 champions for the third time, finishing on 72 points, two points ahead of nearest competitors Erbil.
Having only managed a seventh-place finish in the previous season, Al-Shorta's results improved significantly under the presidency of Ayad Bunyan and they were able to outperform favourites Erbil, Duhok, Al-Zawraa and Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.FIFA.com
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. It was the club's first league title since the 1997–98 season.
SWAT incident On 23 June 2013, after a match with Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, seven football players of Karbala 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. Several teams refused to play their matches in round 25 as a result of the incident.
League table
Results
Season statistics
Top scorers RankPlayerClubGoals1 Amjad RadhiErbil252 Alaa Abdul-ZahraDuhok203 Mustafa KarimAl-Quwa Al-Jawiya184 Luay SalahErbil155 Mustafa JawdaAl-Kahrabaa11 Haidar SabahAl-Zawraa
Hat-tricks
Player For Against Result Date Jean Michel N'Lend Al-Shorta Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 4–1 Nasser Tallaa4 Al-Minaa Sulaymaniya 5–2 Amjad Radhi Erbil Kirkuk 6–0 Amjad Radhi Erbil Al-Najaf 4–1 Hassan Hamoud Al-Minaa Al-Sinaa 6–0 Alaa Abdul-Zahra Duhok Kirkuk 4–0 Emad Mohammed Al-Zawraa Kirkuk 7–0 Mustafa Jawda Al-Kahrabaa Erbil 3–5 Younis Shakor Zakho Al-Kahrabaa 6–2 Firas Ismail Zakho Al-Kahrabaa 6–2
Notes 4 Player scored 4 goals
Media coverage Iraqi Elite League Media Coverage Country Television Channel MatchesAl-Iraqiya Sports Channel 3 matches per round
See also 2012–13 Iraqi First Division League 2012–13 Iraq FA Cup 2013 Baghdad Cup
References
External links Iraq Football Association