1990 Baltic League (russian: Чемпионат Прибалтики по футболу 1990) was an international football competition organized in 1990 between three

Baltic states The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...

with the ongoing

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

. The league consisting of 18 clubs from the

Lithuania SSR The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; lt, Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika; russian: Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика, Litovskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialistiche ...

Estonian SSR The Estonian SSR,, russian: Эстонская ССР officially the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic,, russian: Эстонская Советская Социалистическая Республика was an ethnically based adminis ...

, the

Latvian SSR The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Latvian SSR), also known as Soviet Latvia or simply Latvia, was a federated republic within the Soviet Union, and formally one of its 16 (later 15) constituent republics. The Latvian Soviet Socialist Rep ...

and a special invitee FC Progress Cherniakhovsk from

Kaliningrad Oblast Kaliningrad Oblast (russian: Калинингра́дская о́бласть, translit=Kaliningradskaya oblast') is the westernmost federal subject of Russia. It is a semi-exclave situated on the Baltic Sea. The largest city and administr ...

. For Lithuanian teams the league also served as a preliminary (first stage) tournament for the first post-Soviet Lithuanian football championship. With the ongoing

revolutions of 1989 The Revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, was a revolutionary wave that resulted in the end of most communist states in the world. Sometimes this revolutionary wave is also called the Fall of Nations or the Autumn of Natio ...

, in 1990 the Baltic republics declared reinstatement of their independence and exit out of the Soviet Union. Lithuania declared its independence on March 11, on March 30 the

Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic The Estonian SSR,, russian: Эстонская ССР officially the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic,, russian: Эстонская Советская Социалистическая Республика was an ethnically based adminis ...

announced that its existence is not legal by recognizing itself as a territory under the Soviet occupation since 1940, Latvia simply repeated the feat of Lithuania on

May 4 Events Pre-1600 * 1256 – The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV issues a papal bull ''Licet ecclesiae catholicae''. * 1415 – Religious reformers John Wycliffe and Jan Hus are ...

. The Lithuanian club Žalgiris, a member of the

Soviet Top League The Soviet Top League, known after 1970 as the Higher League (russian: Чемпионат СССР по футболу: Высшая лига), served as the top division of Soviet Union football from 1936 until 1991. The professional top level ...

after losing its first game in

Odesa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative ...

0–1 to

Chernomorets Odessa FC Chornomorets Odesa ( ) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Odesa. The club's home ground is the 34,164 capacity Chornomorets Stadium opened in 1935 and rebuilt in 2011. According to the club's website, it was formed in 1936 as ...

, withdrew from the

1990 Soviet Top League The 1990 Soviet Top League season was the 53rd since its establishment. Spartak Moscow were the defending 12-times champions. The league was shortened and a total of fourteen teams participated. By the start of the season both Georgian teams had w ...

and joined the Baltic League. The club that in previous season qualified for the

1990–91 UEFA Cup The 1990–91 UEFA Cup was won by Internazionale on aggregate over Roma. This tournament also marked the return of English clubs after a five-year ban resulting from the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985 The year 1985 was designated as the ...

was denied entrance to the European competitions.

History

The four best Lithuanian teams from Baltic League and the 1 Lyga qualified for the National Championship play-off. Also all Lithuanian clubs from the Baltic League qualified for the next season of

A Lyga The A Lyga is the top division of professional football in Lithuania. The A Lyga is an abbreviation of Aukščiausia lyga meaning Highest League. It is organized by Lithuanian Football Federation LFF ( lt, Lietuvos Futbolo Federacija). The Aukš� ...

. Most of Latvian clubs also joined the championship of Latvia (Latvian SSR), while some continued their participation in the Soviet championship. The Soviet Estonian clubs after the

fall of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

were dissolved, while Progress Chernyakhovsk continued to participate in lower leagues of the Russian championship. Note that Pardaugava also this season competed in the

1990 Soviet Second League The Second League was restructured reducing number of zones from 9 to 3 due to withdrawals by clubs from Estonia, Georgia (country), Georgia, Latvia (except Pardaugava Riga, a majority-Russian club) and Lithuania as they declared independence from ...

(as Daugava Riga), while Zalgiris just pulled out of the Soviet competitions after playing the first game of the

, losing it away in Odessa. Also both Chernyakovsk and Yelgava clubs competed in the

1990 Soviet Second League B 1990 Soviet Lower Second League was the second season of the Soviet Second League B since its reestablishing in 1990. As in the last season it was divided into 10 zones (groups). Final standings I Zone (Ukraine) II Zone (Armenia) III Zone (Aze ...

, Zone 6.

Teams

All-Union competition

Football championship of the Lithuanian SSR

Football championship of the Latvian SSR

''Notes:'' * RAF Jelgava was the second team of RAF Jelgava that was playing in the

(Group 6). * Daugava-LGIFK Riga was a reserve team of

FC Daugava Riga FC Daugava Riga is a former Soviet and Latvian football club from Riga. It participated in the Soviet championships. In different years the club represented various Riga factories VEF, railcar building, electro-mechanical. Name * 1946–47 Daug ...

that played in the

1990 Soviet First League 1990 Soviet First League was part of the Soviet football competition in the second league division. With the ongoing fall of the Soviet Union some clubs left the Soviet competitions and the league was reduced. Teams Promoted teams *Dinamo Sukhumi ...

. LGIFK stands for the Latvian State Institute of Physical Culture. * RShVSM stands for the Republican School of Higher Sports Mastery.

Football championship of the Estonian SSR

''Notes:'' * Last season Fosforit Tallinn was known as Zvezda Tallinn representing the Soviet Army sports club

Football championship of the Russian SFSR (among KFK)

Withdrew

* Atlantas Klaipeda

Soviet Second League The Soviet Second League (russian: Чемпионат СССР по футболу (вторая лига), Soviet football championship (Second League)) was the third highest division of Soviet football, below the Soviet First League. The leagu ...

, 8th place

Baltic League

* ASK Fosforit Tallinn quit the competition after 14 games

Top scorers

* 18 V.Baranauskas (Sakalas Šiauliai) * 16 A.Narbekovas (Zalgiris Vilnius) * 14 V.Ivanauskas (Zalgiris Vilnius) * 14 K.Dranginis (Inkaras Kaunas)

References

united Baltic League

External links

www.sports.ru. * ttps://betsafepribaltika.com/futbol/baltiyskaya-liga-v-futbole-za-i-protiv/ БАЛТИЙСКАЯ ЛИГА В ФУТБОЛЕ. ЗА И ПРОТИВ betsafepribaltika.com. 1 October 2021 {{1989–90 in European football (UEFA) 1990 in Lithuanian football 1990 in Latvian football 1990 in Estonian football 1990 in Russian football Baltic League 1989–90 in European association football leagues 1990–91 in European association football leagues