2008–09 Prva HNL
{'<entity_0>': '2008–09 Prva HNL', '<entity_1>': 'Prva HNL', '<entity_2>': 'Croatian Football Federation', '<entity_3>': 'association football', '<entity_4>': '2008–09 Druga HNL', '<entity_5>': '2009–10 Prva HNL', '<entity_6>': 'GNK Dinamo Zagreb', '<entity_7>': '27 July 2008', '<entity_8>': '31 May 2009', '<entity_9>': 'Croatia', '<entity_10>': '12'}
[['2008–09 Prva HNL', 'sports season of league or competition', 'Prva HNL'], ['2008–09 Prva HNL', 'followed by', '2009–10 Prva HNL'], ['2008–09 Prva HNL', 'country', 'Croatia'], ['2008–09 Prva HNL', 'number of participants', '12'], ['2008–09 Prva HNL', 'sport', 'association football'], ['2008–09 Prva HNL', 'organizer', 'Croatian Football Federation'], ['2008–09 Prva HNL', 'start time', '27 July 2008'], ['2008–09 Prva HNL', 'league level below', '2008–09 Druga HNL'], ['2008–09 Prva HNL', 'winner', 'GNK Dinamo Zagreb'], ['2008–09 Prva HNL', 'end time', '31 May 2009']]
The <entity_0> (officially known as the T-Com <entity_1> for sponsorship reasons) was the eighteenth season of the <entity_1>, the national championship for men's <entity_3> teams in <entity_9>, since its establishment in 1992. It started on <entity_7> and ended on <entity_8>. <entity_6> were the defending champions, having won their twelfth championship title the previous season, and they defended the title again, after a win against Slaven Belupo on 17 <entity_8>. Međimurje were automatically relegated to <entity_4> as they finished last in the previous season, while <entity_9> Sesvete were automatically promoted from <entity_4> after winning the 2007–08 title. In June 2007 Igor Štimac, president of Association of <entity_1> clubs, proposed a future expansion of <entity_1> from <entity_10> to 16 clubs, starting from 2008–09 season. On <entity_2> meeting in late August 2007 it was decided to postpone the decision for late 2007 or even 2008 and that the expansion would not be possible before the <entity_5>. Finally, on a regular <entity_2> meeting in February 2009 <entity_2> Secretary Zorislav Srebrić stated that club licensing would decide whether the <entity_5> would feature <entity_10> or 16 teams. Theoretically, if only 15 teams obtained <entity_1> license, league would have featured <entity_10> teams. On 8 <entity_8> <entity_2> declared that all 19 clubs that applied for the license were awarded with it and would be in possibility to enter the league in 2009–10, now expanded to 16 clubs. Also, on 26 <entity_8> <entity_2> received official confirmations from all 19 clubs in which they expressed their will to compete in next year's <entity_1>, what means that none of the clubs would withdraw from the league. However, despite their guarantee to compete in <entity_1>, Slavonac eventually withdrew although they finished fourth and earned direct access to <entity_5>. Since only 9 stadia managed to meet the requirements and obtain first-league license from the <entity_2>, it was announced in May 2008 that some of the teams (Cibalia, <entity_9> Sesvete, Zadar and NK Zagreb) would have to share stadia and temporarily play their home games at other venues. Due to the expansion of <entity_1> to 16 clubs in the <entity_5>, four clubs from <entity_4> were automatically promoted. Therefore, the 12th placed <entity_9> Sesvete played a two-legged relegation play-off against the 6th placed team of <entity_4>, Hrvatski Dragovoljac. <entity_9> Sesvete won 2–1 on aggregate and thereby earned a spot in the <entity_5>.
['sports season']