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 2009–10 Cypriot Second Division was the 55th season of the Cypriot second-level football league. It started in September 2009 and finished in May 2010. Alki Larnaca won their 4th title. Team Changes from 2008–09 Teams promoted to 2009� ...

. 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 The 2009–10 UEFA Champions League was the 55th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 18th under the current UEFA Champions League format. The final was played on 22 May 2010, at the Santiago Bernabéu St ...

and the runners-up and the third team in the

2009–10 UEFA Europa League The 2009–10 UEFA Europa League was the first season of the UEFA Europa League, Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA. The competition was previously known as the UEFA Cup, which had been in existence for 38 years. Spain ...

Point system

Teams received three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss.

Stadia and locations

Promotion and relegation

Teams promoted from 2007-08 Cypriot Second Division: * Champions: AE Paphos * Runners-up:

APEP Apep, also spelled Apepi or Aapep, ( Ancient Egyptian: ; Coptic: Erman, Adolf, and Hermann Grapow, eds. 1926–1953. ''Wörterbuch der aegyptischen Sprache im Auftrage der deutschen Akademien''. 6 vols. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs'schen Buch ...

* 3rd placed team:

Atromitos Atromitos (Greek: Ατρόμητος, "fearless") may refer to: * Atromitos F.C., a football team based in Peristeri, Athens, Greece * Atromitos Piraeus, a football team based in Piraeus, Athens, Greece * Atromitos Yeroskipou, a football team curr ...

Teams relegated to

2008–09 Cypriot Second Division The 2008–09 Cypriot Second Division was the 54th season of the Cypriot second-level football league. Ermis won their 3rd title. Format Fourteen teams participated in the 2008–09 Cypriot Second Division. All teams played against each other tw ...

: * Aris Limassol * Nea Salamina * Olympiakos Nicosia

Overview

Managerial changes

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 roundSecond round
''

Season statistics

Scoring

*First goal of the season:

Peter Ofori-Quaye Peter Ofori-Quaye (born 21 March 1980) is a Ghanaian former footballer who played as a striker. Ofori-Quaye spent most of his career in the Greek division and amassed 33 goals in his 10 seasons in the league. During a 1997–98 UEFA Champions ...

for AEL against

Apollon Apollon may refer to: * Apollo, ancient Greek god of light, healing and poetry * Apollon (Formula One), Formula One constructor * Apollon Kalamarias, Greek football club * Apollon Athens, a Greek football club from Athens * Apollon Limassol B.C., ...

, 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 Chrysis Michael ( el, Χρύσης Μιχαήλ) (born May 26, 1977 in Nicosia, Cyprus) is a Cypriot retired footballer. Club career Chrysis Michael started his career from AEL Limassol in 1997 and stayed there until 2003, playing 139 league mat ...

for APOEL against AEL (22 March 2009) *Goal scored at the latest point in a match: 90+2 minutes **

Francisco Aguirre Francisco Aguirre (born 1 September 1977 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentina, Argentine Football (soccer), footballer, who currently plays for FC Naters in Switzerland. Career He started his career at Club Atlético Banfield, Banfield of Primera D ...

for Omonia against

(27 September 2008) **

Nikolaos Frousos Nikolaos Frousos (Greek: Νικόλαος Φρούσος; born 29 April 1974) is a former Greek footballer who played for Cyprus giants Anorthosis Famagusta. Career Frousos' career began when he signed a professional contract with Ionikos, mak ...

for Anorthosis against APOP (31 October 2008) ** Tinga for AEP against Alki (21 December 2008) *Widest winning margin: **6 goals – Omonia 7–1

Enosis ''Enosis'' ( el, Ένωσις, , "union") is the movement of various Greek communities that live outside Greece for incorporation of the regions that they inhabit into the Greek state. The idea is related to the Megali Idea, an irredentist conc ...

(22 December 2008) **6 goals –

7–1 Alki (25 January 2009) *Most goals in a match: 9 goals –

3–6

(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 Mahamadou is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Mahamadou Baradji (born 1984), French basketball player *Mahamadou Danda (born 1951), Nigerien who was appointed as Prime Minister of Niger on 23 February 2010 *Mahamadou Diarra (bor ...

( 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

against AEL, 11th minute (30 August 2008) *First red card of the season: Levan Maghradze for

against AEL, 78th minute (30 August 2008) *Most yellow cards in a single match: 9 –

1–3 AEL – 4 for Apollon ( Levan Maghradze (2),

Christos Marangos Christos Marangos (Greek language, Greek: Χρίστος Μαραγκός; born May 9, 1983) is a Cypriot retired professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. Career He began his career in 2000, playing for Apollon L ...

Gastón Sangoy Gastón Sangoy (born 5 October 1984) is a former professional Argentine footballer who last played as a striker for Atlètico Paraná. Career A product of the Boca Juniors youth system in Argentina, he has been loaned out for most of his you ...

) and 5 for AEL (

Panos Constantinou 'Panos Constantinou'' ( el, Πάνος Κωνσταντίνου; born November 1, 1985) is a retired Cypriot goalkeeper. Career AEL Limassol Panos is a product of AEL's youth academies. He became a regular member of AEL in the 2007-2008 season ...

, Dušan Kerkez,

Laurent Fassotte Laurent Fassotte (born 31 December 1977 in Verviers) is a Belgian football coach and former professional association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), defender in both Belgium and Cyprus. He is the current hea ...

Silvio Augusto González Silvio () is an Italian male name, the male equivalent of Silvia. Sílvio is a variant of the name in Portuguese. It is derived from the Latin "Silvius", meaning "spirit of the wood," and may refer to: People * Silvio Berlusconi (born 1936), Itali ...

) (30 August 2008) *Most red cards in a single match: 3 – AEP 2–3 Omonia – 2 for AEP (

Almir Tanjič Almir Tanjič (born 16 January 1979) is a retired Slovenian football midfielder. International career Tanjič has made three appearances for the senior Slovenia national football team. Clubs *1998–2005: NK Primorje *2005–2008: Enosis Neon P ...

& 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)

Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2008-09 Cypriot First Division Cypriot First Division seasons Cyprus 1

Format

Point system

Stadia and locations

Promotion and relegation

Overview

Managerial changes

First round

League table

Results

Second round

Group A

Table

Results

Group B

Table

Results

Group C

Table

Results

Top goalscorers

Season statistics

Scoring

Discipline

See also

Sources

References