2016–17 Qatar Stars League

Qatar Stars League
Season	2016–17
Champions	Lekhwiya (5th title)
Relegated	Muaither; Al-Wakrah
AFC Champions League	Lekhwiya; Al-Sadd
Matches played	168
Goals scored	525 (3.13 per match)
Top goalscorer	Youssef El-Arabi ; (24 goals)
Biggest home win	Lekhwiya 10–0 Al-Shahania ; (21 December 2016)
Biggest away win	Al-Rayyan 0–5 Al-Sadd ; (7 December 2016)
Highest scoring	Al-Sailiya 4–6 El-Jaish; (2 November 2016); Lekhwiya 10–0 Al-Shahania; (21 December 2016)
Longest winning run	9 matches; Lekhwiya
Longest unbeaten run	20 matches; Lekhwiya
Longest winless run	18 matches; Al-Shahania
Longest losing run	8 matches; Muaither
Highest attendance	7,703; Al-Sadd 4–1 Al-Rayyan; (2 April 2017)
Average attendance	672
	← 2015–16 2017–18 → All statistics correct as of 2 April 2017.

The 2016–17 Qatari League, also known as Qatari Stars League, is the 44th edition of top level football championship in Qatar. The season began on 15 September 2016 and concluded on 27 April 2017.

Al-Rayyan are the defending champions having won their eighth championship and Lekhwiya won the league title.^[1] Al-Muaither and Al-Shahania have entered as the two promoted teams from the 2015–16 Qatargas League and they both got relegated this season.

Teams edit

Stadia and locations edit

Club	City/Town	Stadium	Coach
Al-Ahli	Doha	Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium	Yousuf Adam Mahmoud
Al-Arabi	Doha	Grand Hamad Stadium	Oswaldo de Oliveira
Al-Gharafa	Al Rayyan	Thani bin Jassim Stadium	Pedro Caixinha
El-Jaish	Doha	Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium	Sabri Lamouchi
Al-Kharaitiyat	Al Khor	Al-Khor SC Stadium	Ahmad Al-Ajlani
Al-Khor	Al Khor	Al-Khor SC Stadium	Jean Fernandez
Al-Rayan	Al Rayyan	Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium	Michael Laudrup
Al-Sadd	Doha	Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium	Jesualdo Ferreira
Al-Sailiya	Al Rayyan	Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium	Sami Trabelsi
Al-Shahania	Al-Shahaniya	Grand Hamad Stadium	Igor Štimac
Al-Wakrah	Al Wakrah	Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium	Kais Yaakoubi
Lekhwiya	Doha	Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium	Djamel Belmadi
Muaither	Muaither	Thani bin Jassim Stadium	Phillippe Burle
Umm Salal	Doha	Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium	Mahmoud Jaber

Managerial changes edit

Team	Outgoing manager	Date of vacancy	Manner of departure	Pos.	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Al-Ahli	Yousuf Adam Mahmoud	11 May 2016^[2]	Mutual consent	Pre-season	Luka Bonačić	11 May 2016^[3]
Al-Shahania	Luka Bonačić	11 May 2016	Mutual consent		Fathi Al-Jabal	17 June 2016^[4]
Al-Arabi	Gianfranco Zola	28 June 2016	Sacked		Gerardo Pelusso	28 June 2016
Al-Rayyan	Jorge Fossati	26 September 2016	Signed with Qatar	4th	Michael Laudrup	3 October 2016
Al-Ahli	Luka Bonačić	28 October 2016	Sacked	7th	Yousuf Adam Mahmoud	30 October 2016
Al-Wakrah	Mauricio Larriera	29 November 2016	Sacked	13th	Kais Yaakoubi	30 November 2016
Umm Salal	Bülent Uygun	14 December 2016	Sacked	7th
Al-Shahania	Fathi Al-Jabal	25 December 2016	Sacked	12th	Igor Štimac	28 December 2016

League table edit

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Lekhwiya (C)	26	19	6	1	79	33	+46	63	2018 AFC Champions League Group Stage
2	Al-Sadd	26	18	7	1	77	23	+54	61	2018 AFC Champions League Group Stage
3	Al-Rayyan	26	15	6	5	53	27	+26	51	Qualification to the 2018 AFC Champions League Qualifying play-off
4	El-Jaish^[a]	26	13	6	7	45	40	+5	45
5	Al-Gharafa	26	12	4	10	42	43	−1	40	Qualification to the 2018 AFC Champions League Qualifying play-off
6	Umm Salal	26	9	10	7	32	35	−3	37
7	Al-Kharaitiyat	26	10	4	12	27	32	−5	34
8	Al-Sailiya	26	8	7	11	32	45	−13	31
9	Al-Arabi	26	8	4	14	39	56	−17	28
10	Al-Ahli	26	7	6	13	33	45	−12	27
11	Al-Khor	26	6	7	13	25	38	−13	25
12	Al-Shahania	26	3	13	10	30	53	−23	22
13	Muaither (R)	26	5	5	16	23	46	−23	20	Relegation to the 2017–18 Qatargas League
14	Al-Wakrah (R)	26	2	9	15	29	50	−21	15	Relegation to the 2017–18 Qatargas League

Updated to match(es) played on 15 April 2017. Source: RSSSF and Qatar Stars League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:

^ El Jaish were merged into Lekhwiya to form Al-Duhail after the 2016–17 season.^[5] As a result, Al-Gharafa, the league 5th place, entered the qualifying play-off.

Statistics edit

Top scorers edit

As of 15 April 2017^[6]

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	Youssef El-Arabi	Lekhwiya	24
2	Baghdad Bounedjah	Al-Sadd	23
3	Rodrigo Tabata	Al-Rayyan	20
4	Yannick Sagbo	Umm-Salal	15
5	Romarinho	El-Jaish	14
	Nam Tae-hee	Lekhwiya
	Sardor Rashidov	El-Jaish
8	Mohsine Moutouali	Al-Wakrah	11
8	Sergio García	Al-Rayyan	11
10	Vladimír Weiss	Al-Gharrafa	10
	Luis Jiménez	Al-Arabi
	Meshal Abdullah	Al-Ahli
	Xavi	Al-Sadd

Clean sheets edit

As of 15 April 2017^[7]

Rank	Player	Club	Clean sheets
1	Saad Al Sheeb	Al-Sadd	11
2	Omar Bari	Al-Rayyan	9
3	Baba Malick	Umm Salal	6
	Yousef Hassan	Al-Gharafa
	Grégory Gomis	Al-Sailiya
	Ahmed Soufiane	Al-Kharaitiyat
7	Saoud Al Khater	El-Jaish	5
7	Amine Lecomte	Lekhwiya	5

References edit

^ "Al Rayyan win QSL". qna. 25 March 2016. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
^ "QSL | Bonačić set for Al Ahli". Archived from the original on 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
^ "QSL | Bonačić set for Al Ahli". Archived from the original on 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
^ http://www.qsl.com.qa/en/News/view/11540/al-jabal-signs-with-shahania^{[permanent dead link]}.
^ "Lekhwiya, Al Jaish Clubs to Merge into One Club under the Name of Al Duhail Sports Club". www.qna.org.qa. Archived from the original on 2017-04-12. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
^ "Top Goalscorers". soccerway.com. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
^ "Top clean sheets". mundial. Retrieved 21 December 2016.

External links edit

Official website (in Arabic and English)

[table_note_JAI0.1109520574617-6] El Jaish were merged into Lekhwiya to form Al-Duhail after the 2016–17 season.^[5] As a result, Al-Gharafa, the league 5th place, entered the qualifying play-off.

[1] "Al Rayyan win QSL". qna. 25 March 2016. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.

[2] "QSL | Bonačić set for Al Ahli". Archived from the original on 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2016-07-18.

[3] "QSL | Bonačić set for Al Ahli". Archived from the original on 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2016-07-18.

[4] ttp://www.qsl.com.qa/en/News/view/11540/al-jabal-signs-with-shahania^{[permanent dead link]}.

[5] "Lekhwiya, Al Jaish Clubs to Merge into One Club under the Name of Al Duhail Sports Club". www.qna.org.qa. Archived from the original on 2017-04-12. Retrieved 11 April 2017.

[7] "Top Goalscorers". soccerway.com. Retrieved 21 December 2016.

[8] "Top clean sheets". mundial. Retrieved 21 December 2016.

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