2002 was the first season of the

Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League (RPL; russian: Российская премьер-лига; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 ...

. While the structure of the competition did not change, the top level clubs gained independence from the Professional Football League. Spartak's six-year dominance in the league was broken by Lokomotiv.

Teams

As in the previous season, 16 teams are playing in the 2002 season, with the name of the league changing from the 'Top Division' to the 'Premier League'. After the 2001 season,

Fakel Voronezh FC Fakel Voronezh (russian: Футбольный клуб "Факел" Воронеж) is a Soviet and Russian professional football club based in Voronezh. Founded in 1947, the club has played in the Soviet Top League and the Russian Premier Le ...

and Chernomorets Novorossiysk were relegated to the 2002 Russian First Division. They were replaced by Uralan Elista and

Shinnik Yaroslavl FC Shinnik Yaroslavl (russian: Футбольный клуб «Шинник» Ярославль) is a Russian football club, based in Yaroslavl. From 1957 to 1960 the team was called Khimik (russian: Химик - "the chemist"). In the USSR ...

, the winners and runners up of the 2001 Russian First Division.

Venues

Personnel and kits

Managerial changes

Standings

As CSKA and Lokomotiv finished at the top of the table with equal points, the title was decided in a championship play-off.

Torpedo qualified for the UEFA Cup thanks to Spartak winning the Russian Cup in 2003.

Results

Season statistics

Top goalscorers

Awards

On December 10

Russian Football Union The Russian Football Union (russian: Российский Футбольный Союз, ''Rossiyskiy Futbolnyy Soyuz'' or RFS) is the official governing body of association football in the Russian Federation. With headquarters in Moscow, it org ...

named its list of 33 top players:

;Goalkeepers # Sergei Ovchinnikov (Lokomotiv Moscow) #

Ruslan Nigmatullin Ruslan Karimovich Nigmatullin ( rus, Русла́н Кари́мович Нигмату́ллин, p=rʊˈslan kɐˈrʲiməvʲɪtɕ nʲɪɡmɐˈtulʲɪn, tt-Cyrl, Руслан Кәрим улы Нигъмәтуллин; born 7 October 1974 in K ...

(CSKA Moscow) #

Valeri Chizhov Valeri Nikolayevich Chizhov (russian: Валерий Николаевич Чижов; born 14 April 1975) is a Russian football coach and a former goalkeeper. He works as a goalkeeping coach with FC Shakhtyor Soligorsk in Belarus. Honours * Rus ...

(Saturn) ;Sweeper #

Sergei Ignashevich Sergei Nikolayevich Ignashevich ( rus, link=no, Сергей Николаевич Игнашевич, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ɪɡnɐˈʂɛvʲɪtɕ; born 14 July 1979) is a Russian professional football coach and a former play ...

(Lokomotiv Moscow) #

Sargis Hovsepyan Sargis Hovsepyan ( hy, Սարգիս Հովսեփյան; born on 2 November 1972) is an Armenian former professional footballer who played as a right-back. Hovsepyan was the long-time captain of the Armenia national team. He participated in 133 ...

(Zenit) # Bohdan Shershun (CSKA Moscow) ;Right backs #

Vadim Evseev Vadim Valentinovich Evseev ( rus, Вади́м Валенти́нович Евсе́ев, p=vɐˈdʲim vəlʲɪnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ jɪfˈsʲeɪf; born 8 January 1976) is a Russian football coach and a former player who is a former Russian inter ...

(Lokomotiv Moscow) #

Dmytro Parfenov Dmytro Parfyonov ( uk, Дмитро Володимирович Парфьонов), Dmitry Parfenov (russian: Дмитрий Владимирович Парфёнов; born 11 September 1974) is a Ukrainian football manager and a former defende ...

(Spartak Moscow) #

Dmitri Sennikov Dmitri Aleksandrovich Sennikov (russian: Дмитрий Александрович Сенников; born 24 June 1976) is a former Russian international association football defender best known for his performances for Lokomotiv Moscow, wher ...

(Lokomotiv Moscow) ;Stopper #

Gennadiy Nizhegorodov Gennady Aleksandrovich Nizhegorodov (russian: Геннадий Александрович Нижегородов; born 7 June 1977) is a Russian football manager and a former player. Club career Nizhegorodov began his career at FC Volgar-Gaz ...

(Lokomotiv Moscow) # Oleg Pashinin (Lokomotiv Moscow) # Omari Tetradze (Alania) ;Left backs # Jacob Lekgetho (Lokomotiv Moscow) # Ibra Kébé (Spartak Moscow) # Denis Yevsikov (CSKA Moscow) ;Defensive midfielders #

Elvir Rahimić Elvir Rahimić (born 4 April 1976) is a Bosnian football coach and former professional player who spent the majority of his career playing for Russian Premier League club CSKA Moscow. He is currently a coach for the Bosnia and Herzegovina nation ...

(CSKA Moscow) # Yevgeni Aldonin (Rotor) # Igor Semshov (Torpedo Moscow) ;Right wingers # Rolan Gusev (CSKA Moscow) #

Andrei Arshavin Andrey Sergeyevich Arshavin (russian: Андрей Сергеевич Аршавин ; born 29 May 1981) is a Russian former professional footballer who played as a winger or midfielder. Arshavin began his career at Zenit Saint Petersburg in ...

(Zenit) #

Ognjen Koroman Ognjen Koroman (, ; born 19 September 1978) is a Serbian football manager and former professional player. As a player, he represented Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Club career After coming through the youth systems Željez ...

(Dynamo Moscow) ;Central midfielders #

Dmitri Loskov Dmitri Vyacheslavovich Loskov (russian: Дмитрий Вячеславович Лоськов; born 12 February 1974) is a Russian football coach and a former player. A former midfielder, he was often considered Russia's best playmaker in the ...

(Lokomotiv Moscow) # Vladimir Maminov (Lokomotiv Moscow) #

Yegor Titov Yegor Ilyich Titov (; born 29 May 1976) is a Russian football coach and a former player who played as a midfielder. He was a goal scoring midfielder who usually played in "the hole" between the midfield and attack, as an attacking midfielder. ...

(Spartak Moscow) ;Left wingers #

Andrei Karyaka Andrei Konstantinovich Karyaka (russian: Андрей Константинович Каряка; born 1 April 1978) is a Russian football coach and a former player who played as a midfielder. Club career Early career Growing up in Dnipropetro ...

(Krylia Sovetov) # Andrei Solomatin (CSKA Moscow) #

Igor Yanovsky Igor Sergeyevich Yanovsky (russian: Игорь Сергеевич Яновский; born 3 August 1974) is a Russian retired association football player. He played for a few clubs, including Alania Vladikavkaz, Paris Saint-Germain (France), ...

(CSKA Moscow) ;Right forwards #

Sergei Semak Sergei Bogdanovich Semak (russian: Серге́й Богда́нович Сема́к ; uk, Сергій Богданович Семак; born 27 February 1976) is a Russian football manager and a former international midfielder who currently ...

(CSKA Moscow) # James Obiorah (Lokomotiv Moscow) #

Dmitri Kirichenko Dmitri Sergeyevich Kirichenko (russian: Дмитрий Сергеевич Кириченко; born 17 January 1977) is an association football coach and a former player – a striker, he is a former Russian international. He is an assistant co ...

(CSKA Moscow) ;Left forwards # Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Zenit) #

Ruslan Pimenov Ruslan Valeryevich Pimenov (russian: Руслан Валерьевич Пименов; born 25 November 1981) is a Russian former football player. Career He played mostly for Lokomotiv Moscow and then briefly for Alania Vladikavkaz. In 2005� ...

(Lokomotiv Moscow) # Denis Popov (CSKA Moscow)

Medal squads

References

External links

RSSSF
{{2002–03 in European football (UEFA)

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...