1996–97 Saudi Premier League
| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Al-Ittihad (2nd title) |
| Relegated | Al-Ansar Al-Qadsiah |
| Asian Club Championship | Al-Ittihad |
| Top goalscorer | Ahmed Bahja (21 goals) |
← 1995–96 1997–98 → | |
Statistics of the 1996–97 Saudi Premier League.
Al-Ittihad won the championship, their second title after 1982.
Clubs
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Foreign players
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Player 5 | Player 6 | Former players |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli |  Ali Marwi
|
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| Al-Ansar | |||||||
| Al-Ettifaq |  Kenneth Malitoli
|
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| Al-Hilal |  John Jairo Tréllez
|
 Salaheddine Bassir
|
 Ricky Owubokiri
|
Samson Siasia
|
 Carlos Flores
|
Elijah Litana
|
|
| Al-Ittihad |  Toninho
|
Abdeljalil Hadda
|
Ahmed Bahja
|
Alfonso Yáñez
|
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| Al-Najma | |||||||
| Al-Nassr |  Hysen Zmijani
|
 Ohene Kennedy
|
 Sam Abouo
|
Youssouf Fofana
| |||
| Al-Qadsiah | |||||||
| Al-Riyadh |  Amer Abdul-Wahab Abdul-Hussein
|
Abdeljalil El Hajji
|
Hussein Ammouta
|
.svg.png){kind=small} Mohannad Al Boushi
|
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| Al-Shabab | |||||||
| Al-Tai | |||||||
| Al-Wehda |  Adel Abdel Rahman
|
Effat Nssar
|
Saïd Rokbi
|
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al-Ittihad | 22 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 54 | 24 | +30 | 44 |
| 2 | Al-Nassr | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 37 | 31 | +6 | 39 |
| 3 | Al-Hilal | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 23 | 19 | +4 | 36 |
| 4 | Al-Shabab | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 31 | 23 | +8 | 35 |
| 5 | Al-Ahli | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 30 |
| 6 | Al-Riyadh | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 33 | 30 | +3 | 29 |
| 7 | Al-Ettifaq | 22 | 9 | 2 | 11 | 35 | 36 | −1 | 29 |
| 8 | Al-Wehda | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 37 | 49 | −12 | 28 |
| 9 | Al-Najma | 22 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 28 | 30 | −2 | 26 |
| 10 | Al-Tai | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 34 | −7 | 26 |
| 11 | Al-Ansar | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 23 | 34 | −11 | 25 |
| 12 | Al-Qadsiah | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 26 | 44 | −18 | 19 |
Source:
Promoted from First Division: Al-Shoulla and Al-Taawoun.
Playoffs
Semifinals
| 22 May 1997 | Al-Shabab | 2–4 | Al-Ittihad | King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh |
Salem Suroor  40'Fuad Anwar 41' |
15' Ahmed Bahja 25' (pen.) Ahmed Bahja 36' Ahmed Bahja 86' (pen.) Ahmed Bahja |
Referee: Ibrahim Al-Omar |
| 23 May 1997 | Al-Hilal | 2–2 | Al-Nassr | King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh |
| 25' Mansour Al-Muwain 46' Mansour Al-Muwain |
Ohene Kennedy 60' Ohene Kennedy 67' |
Referee: Omer Al Mehannah |
| 29 May 1997 | Al-Ittihad | 2–2 | Al-Shabab | Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, Jeddah |
| Khamis Al-Zahrani 42' Meshal Al-Turki 73' |
30' Fahad Al-Mehallel 63' Abdullah Al-Shihan |
Referee: Abdul Rahman Al-Zaid |
| 30 May 1997 | Al-Nassr | 1–3 | Al-Hilal | King Fahd Stadium, Riyadh |
| 81' Ang Victor |
Abdullah Al-Sharida 30' Khamis Al-Owairan 44' Sami Al-Jaber 86' |
Referee: Abdulaziz Al-Dakhil |
Third place match
| 4 June 1996 | Al-Nassr | 1–0 | Al-Shabab | Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh |
| Khaled Al-Dhaidh 88' |
Referee: Abdulaziz Al-Sulaiman |
Final
| 6 June 1997 | Al-Ittihad | 2–0 | Al-Hilal | Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium, Jeddah |
| 13' Jabar Al-Shamrani 90' Jari Al-Qarni |
Referee: Omer Al Mehannah |
| Saudi Premier League 1996-97 winners |
|---|
| Al-Ittihad 2nd title |