The season saw the introduction of a new way of awarding points when a league match ends in a draw. Two points were still being awarded for a win, while in case of a draw at the end of the ninety minutes — penalty kicks were taken and the
shootout winner was awarded one point while the loser got nothing. The 1988–89 season was the very first to feature this tie-break method, and the Yugoslav FA's decision to implement it caused a lot of criticism and controversy. The biggest proponent of the new rule was the Yugoslav FA (FSJ) president
Slavko Šajber and it was often derisively referred to in the media as 'Šajber's penalties'. ==League table==