The 2017–18 UAE Pro League was the 43rd season of top-level football in the United Arab Emirates. Al-Jazira are the defending champions after winning their second title last season.
Ajman and Dubai both got promoted on 22 April 2017 after beating Fujairah 3–2 and Ras Al Khaimah 2–0. On 3 May 2017, Baniyas were the first team to get relegated from 2016–17 season after drawing 4–4 against Emirates. Ittihad Kalba were the last team to get relegated after losing to Al-Ain 2–1 and both Emirates and Dibba Al-Fujairah didn't lose in the same week. In July 2017, Al Ahli, Al Shabab and Dubai merged to form Shabab Al Ahli Dubai.
On 20 April 2018, Hatta lost to Al Wasl 2–0 and were the first team to get relegated. On 21 April 2018, Al Ain were crowned champions for the 13th time after destroying Al Nasr 4–0. On the final day, Emirates were relegated after drawing against Al Nasr 2–2. In May 2012, it was decided that since the league needs 14 teams for next season, the bottom two teams of this season would have to face 3rd and 4th-placed team of the 2nd division to see who will secure spots for next season.
Stadia and locations
Note: Table lists clubs in alphabetical order. Club Home city Stadium Capacity Ajman Ajman Ajman Stadium Al-Ain Al-Ain Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium Al-Dhafra Madinat Zayed Al Dhafra Stadium Al-Jazira Abu Dhabi Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium Al-Nasr Dubai Al-Maktoum Stadium Al-Wahda Abu Dhabi Al Nahyan Stadium Al-Wasl Dubai Zabeel Stadium Dibba Al-Fujairah Fujairah Fujairah Club Stadium Emirates Ras Al-Khaimah Emirates Club Stadium Hatta Hatta Hamdan Bin Rashid Stadium Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Dubai Club Stadium Sharjah Sharjah Sharjah Stadium
Number of teams by Emirates RankEmirateNumber of teamsTeams1 Dubai4Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, Al Nasr, Al Wasl, Hatta1 Abu Dhabi4Al Ain, Al Dhafra, Al Jazira, Al Wahda 2 Sharjah 1Sharjah 2 Ajman1Ajman2 Ras al-Khaimah1Emirates2 Fujairah 1Dibba Al Fujairah
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Team Head coach Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Ajman Ayman Elramady Abdullah Malallah Uhlsport Ajman Bank Al-Ain Zoran Mamić Omar Abdulrahman Nike First Gulf Bank Al-Dhafra Gjoko Hadžievski Issam El Adoua Adidas Adnoc Al-Jazira Henk ten Cate Ali Khasif Adidas IPIC Al-Nasr Ivan Jovanović Tareq Ahmed Nike Emirates NBDDubai Silicon Oasis Al-Wahda Laurențiu Reghecampf Ismail Matar Adidas Al-Wahda Mall Al-Wasl Rodolfo Arruabarrena Waheed Ismail Macron Saif Belhasa Holding Dibba Al-Fujairah Paulo Comelli Abdullah Nasser Uhlsport Uhlsport Emirates Nizar Mahrous Sebastián Sáez Uhlsport Al Naeem City Center Hatta Abdelmajeed Alzarooni Mahmoud Hassan Macron Macron Shabab Al-Ahli Mahdi Ali Majed Naser Nike Skydive Dubai Sharjah Abdulaziz Mohamed Eisa Ahmed Macron
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing managerDate of vacancyManner of departureIncoming managerDate of appointment Al-Nasr Dan Petrescu 26 May 2017End of contractPre-season Cesare Prandelli 26 May 2017 Al-Wahda Javier Aguirre 31 May 2017 Laurențiu Reghecampf 2 June 2017 Hatta Gjoko Hadžievski 6 October 2017 Sacked 11th Nizar Mahrous 6 October 2017 Sharjah José Peseiro 15 October 2017 11th Abdulaziz Mohamed 15 October 2017 Emirates Ivan Hašek 31 October 2017 10th Noureddine Abidi (caretaker) 1 November 2017 Shabab Al-Ahli Cosmin Olăroiu 2 December 2017 End of contract 4th Mahdi Ali 2 December 2017 Emirates Noureddine Abidi (caretaker) 5 January 2018 End of caretaker spell 11th Nour Al Obaidi 5 January 2018 Al-Dhafra Mohammad Kwid 13 January 2018Sacked 12th Gjoko Hadžievski 13 January 2018 Al-Nasr Cesare Prandelli 19 January 2018 4th Ivan Jovanović 19 January 2018 Hatta Nizar Mahrous 20 April 2018 Signed by Emirates 12th Abdelmajeed Alzarooni 20 April 2018 Emirates Nour Al Obaidi 20 April 2018 Sacked 11th Nizar Mahrous 20 April 2018
Foreign players Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to four per team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries. A team could use four foreign players on the field during each game including at least one player from the AFC country.
Players name in bold indicates the player was registered during the mid-season transfer window. Players name in italic indicates the player was de-registered or left their respectively clubs during the mid-season transfer window.
Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 AFC Player Former players Al-Ain Caio Lucas Hussein El Shahat Marcus Berg Tsukasa Shiotani Douglas Al-Dhafra Aílton Fernando Viana Issam El Adoua Igor Sergeev Mohannad Abdul-Raheem Adil Hermach Al-Jazira Romarinho Mbark Boussoufa Harib Al-Saadi Mohammed Al-Musalami Lassana Diarra Sardor Rashidov Al-Nasr Marcelo Cirino Wanderley Abdelaziz Barrada Joan Oumari Mauro Zárate Al-Wahda Sebastián Tagliabúe Balázs Dzsudzsák Mourad Batna Rim Chang-woo Al-Wasl Caio Canedo Fábio Lima Ronaldo Mendes Anthony Caceres Ajman Adeílson Bakare Kone Modibo Maïga Azizbek Haydarov Dibba Al-Fujairah Diogo Acosta Rodolfo Driss Fettouhi Yaseen Al-Bakhit Ciel Alassane Diallo Emirates Sebastián Sáez Abdelghani Mouaoui Park Jong-woo Youssef Kalfa Sebastián Leto Hatta Fernando Gabriel Samuel Adrian Ropotan Omar Midani Shabab Al-Ahli Ante Erceg Henrique Luvannor Makhete Diop Moon Chang-jin Tomás De Vincenti Moussa Sow Sharjah Lulinha Vander Vieira Welliton Otabek Shukurov Ryan McGowan César Pinares
League table <onlyinclude>
Results
Relegation play-offs Because the League 2018–2019 season needs 14 teams, the bottom two teams of year and the 3rd and 4th place team of the 2nd division will have to face each other to see who will secure the final two spots this year.
First leg
Second leg
Fujairah won 3–1 on aggregate.
Emirates won 1–0 on aggregate.
References