No "big" domestic club has ever been relegated. But what once was unthinkable is beginning to look more like an inevitability, given that for the fourth consecutive season one of the top flight's leading lights is again fighting to avoid the drop.
In 2009, Sharjah flirted with a finish in the bottom two. Not until the final day did they secure safety, with a draw away to Al Dhafra as Al Shaab lost at Al Ain and finished four points back.
In 2010, Al Nasr were at risk until the 20th round, when they finally secured 10th place, ahead of Emirates.
A year ago, Al Ain, the country's most-decorated side, suffered through a nightmare season. As late as April they were 11th, behind little Kalba. When they lost 4-3 away to Kalba on an 89th-minute goal in Round 20, their lead was down to two points, and the nine-time champions had a game against Al Jazira coming up while Kalba were away to the less-imposing Dubai.
Al Ain, however, pulled themselves together and handed Jazira their only defeat of the season, and were safe when Kalba lost on the same day.
This season, Sharjah are in trouble again. They pulled out of the relegation zone this week thanks to some work in a boardroom, where a forfeit defeat to Dubai (by dint of an ineligible player) was overturned on appeal and a 1-1 draw reinstated, moving them from the drop zone to 10th, three points above Dubai.
For decades, the record for big clubs staying up was in large part a question of numbers. In a 12-team table only eight clubs qualified as "big" - four in Dubai (Al Ahli, Nasr, Al Shabab and Al Wasl), three in Abu Dhabi (Al Ain, Jazira and Al Wahda), and Sharjah.
The emergence two years ago of Baniyas as a major player in the Pro League reduced the margin of error for the big clubs. And with Dubai Club harbouring aspirations of making the same jump, the number of little fish in the pool is down to two, the promoted sides Ajman and Emirates.
Some of Sharjah's troubles are external. Few observers expected Ajman to amount to much, but the men in orange have been a menace; in various competitions this season they have victories over Ahli, Nasr and, yes, Sharjah. Twice. Including a 3-1 win in the league last week.
Some of Sharjah's troubles are internal. Three men have led the side since August. Carlos Azenha was the first but left just days before the season began because his wife in Portugal was ill. He was replaced by Valeriu Tita, a Romanian thought to have been the club's first choice. As they began to struggle, however, continuous rumours that Tita would be replaced did the side no favours. After weeks of denials that Tita would be axed, he was dismissed in mid-December and replaced by Jorvan Vieira.
On the pitch, Sharjah have been particularly porous. The Brazilian defender Vandinho was in the team, and then out of it (as the Serb Igor Duric replaced him), and now is back in.
Sharjah have two skilled scorers in the Brazilians Marcelo Oliveira and Edinho, and they have not leaked as many goals since Gassem Mohammed took over as the goalkeeper.
Dubai's struggles have helped, too. That club have employed five coaches in as many months, and their only league victory on the pitch was against Wasl last week.
Some of the world's biggest clubs have spent time in the humbler surroundings of a lower division. It hasn't happened here. Yet.
What is clear, however, is that the country's elite clubs no longer can assume relegation is impossible. A few poor personnel decisions, some coaching upheaval, a bad break or two, and someone big will go down. It is a matter of when, not if.
