# 2002 Russian Premier League

2002 was the first season of the Russian Premier League. 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 and Chernomorets Novorossiysk were relegated to the 2002 Russian First Division. They were replaced by Uralan Elista and Shinnik Yaroslavl, the winners and runners up of the 2001 Russian First Division.

### Venues

| Alania | Anzhi | CSKA | Dynamo |
| Republican Spartak Stadium | Dynamo Stadium | Central Stadium | Central Stadium |
| Capacity: 32,464 | Capacity: 15,200 | Capacity: 36,540 | Capacity: 36,540 |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | Krylia Sovetov Samara |
| RZD Arena | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | Metallurg Stadium |
| Capacity: 27,084 | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | Capacity: 33,001 |
| Rostselmash | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | Rotor |
| Olimp-2 | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | Central Stadium |
| Capacity: 15,840 | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | Capacity: 32,120 |
| Saturn | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | Shinnik |
| Saturn Stadium | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | Shinnik Stadium |
| Capacity: 14,685 | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | Capacity: 22,871 |
| Sokol | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | Spartak |
| Lokomotiv Stadium | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | Luzhniki Stadium |
| Capacity: 15,000 | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | CSKA Dynamo Lokomotiv Saturn Spartak Torpedo Torpedo-ZILAlaniaAnzhiUralanKryliaRostselmashRotorShinnikSokolZenitclass=notpageimage| Locations of teams in 2002 Russian Premier League | Capacity: 81,029 |
| Torpedo | Torpedo-ZIL | Uralan | Zenit Saint Petersburg |
| Luzhniki Stadium | Eduard Streltsov Stadium | Uralan Stadium | Petrovsky Stadium |
| Capacity: 81,029 | Capacity: 13,450 | Capacity: | Capacity: 21,570 |

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Location | Head coach | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Alania | Vladikavkaz | Bakhva Tedeyev | Adidas | - |
| Anzhi | Makhachkala | Gadzhi Gadzhiyev | Nike | - |
| CSKA | Moscow | Valery Gazzaev | Umbro | - |
| Dynamo | Moscow | Viktor Prokopenko | Nike | - |
| Lokomotiv | Moscow | Yuri Semin | Nike | MZD |
| Krylia | Samara | Aleksandr Tarkhanov | Umbro | - |
| Rostselmash | Rostov-on-Don | Sergei Balakhnin (Caretaker) | Diadora | Alfa-Eko |
| Rotor | Volgograd | Vladimir Salkov | Umbro | - |
| Saturn | Ramenskoye | Vladimir Shevchuk | Nike | - |
| Shinnik | Yaroslavl | Aleksandr Pobegalov | Nike | Yaroslavl Tire Plant |
| Sokol | Saratov | Leonid Tkachenko | Umbro | - |
| Spartak | Moscow | Oleg Romantsev | Adidas | Lukoil |
| Torpedo | Moscow | Sergei Petrenko | Diadora | - |
| Torpedo-ZIL | Moscow | Vadim Nikonov | Umbro | ZiL |
| Uralan | Elista | Revaz Dzodzuashvili | Lotto | - |
| Zenit | Saint Petersburg | Boris Rappoport | Diadora | Gazprom |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
| Dynamo | Aleksandr Novikov | April 2002 | Viktor Prokopenko | April 2002 |
| Sokol | Alexander Koreshkov | April 2002 | Anatoli Aslamov (Caretaker) | April 2002 |
| Zenit | Yury Morozov | April 2002 | Mikhail Biryukov (Caretaker) | April 2002 |
| Anzhi | Leonid Tkachenko | May 2002 | Aleksandr Reshetnyak (Caretaker) | May 2002 |
| Sokol | Anatoli Aslamov (Caretaker) | May 2002 | Leonid Tkachenko | May 2002 |
| Anzhi | Aleksandr Reshetnyak (Caretaker) | June 2002 | Myron Markevych | June 2002 |
| Alania | Vladimir Muntyan | July 2002 | Bakhva Tedeyev | July 2002 |
| Torpedo | Vitaly Shevchenko | July 2002 | Sergei Petrenko | July 2002 |
| Zenit | Mikhail Biryukov (Caretaker) | July 2002 | Yury Morozov | July 2002 |
| Zenit | Yury Morozov | July 2002 | Mikhail Biryukov (Caretaker) | July 2002 |
| Anzhi | Myron Markevych | August 2002 | Aleksandr Reshetnyak (Caretaker) | August 2002 |
| Anzhi | Aleksandr Reshetnyak (Caretaker) | August 2002 | Gadzhi Gadzhiyev | August 2002 |
| Rostselmash | Anatoly Baidachny | August 2002 | Sergei Balakhnin (Caretaker) | August 2002 |
| Uralan | Sergei Pavlov | August 2002 | Yuri Shishlov (Caretaker) | August 2002 |
| Uralan | Yuri Shishlov (Caretaker) | August 2002 | Revaz Dzodzuashvili | August 2002 |
| Zenit | Mikhail Biryukov (Caretaker) | August 2002 | Boris Rappoport | August 2002 |

## Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Lokomotiv Moscow (C) | 30 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 46 | 14 | +32 | 66 | Qualification to Champions League third qualifying round |
| 2 | CSKA Moscow | 30 | 21 | 3 | 6 | 60 | 26 | +34 | 66 | Qualification to Champions League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Spartak Moscow | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 49 | 36 | +13 | 55 | Qualification to UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Torpedo Moscow | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 47 | 32 | +15 | 50 | Qualification to UEFA Cup qualifying round |
| 5 | Krylia Sovetov Samara | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 49 | |
| 6 | Saturn | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 41 | 37 | +4 | 47 | |
| 7 | Shinnik Yaroslavl | 30 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 42 | 37 | +5 | 47 | |
| 8 | Dynamo Moscow | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 38 | 33 | +5 | 42 | |
| 9 | Rotor Volgograd | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 27 | 34 | −7 | 38 | |
| 10 | Zenit St. Petersburg | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 36 | 42 | −6 | 33 | |
| 11 | Rostselmash | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 29 | 49 | −20 | 31 | |
| 12 | Alania Vladikavkaz | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 31 | 42 | −11 | 30 | |
| 13 | Uralan Elista | 30 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 32 | 42 | −10 | 29 | |
| 14 | Torpedo-ZIL Moscow | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 20 | 39 | −19 | 28 | |
| 15 | Anzhi Makhachkala (R) | 30 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 22 | 43 | −21 | 25 | Relegation to First Division |
| 16 | Sokol Saratov (R) | 30 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 24 | 45 | −21 | 23 | Relegation to First Division |
* ↑ The title was decided in a championship playoff as Lokomotiv Moscow and CSKA Moscow finished with equal points.
* ↑ Torpedo qualified for the UEFA Cup thanks to Spartak winning the Russian Cup in 2003.

### Championship play-off
## Results

| Home \ Away | ALA | ANZ | CSK | DYN | KRY | LOK | ROS | ROT | SAT | SHI | SOK | SPA | TOR | TZM | URE | ZEN |
| Alania Vladikavkaz | | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 5–2 | 2–3 | 1–0 |
| Anzhi Makhachkala | 0–1 | | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| CSKA Moscow | 1–0 | 3–1 | | 2–3 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 5–1 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 |
| Dynamo Moscow | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | | 0–1 | 1–2 | 5–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Krylia Sovetov Samara | 1–0 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Rostselmash | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 2–3 | | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 |
| Rotor Volgograd | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| Saturn | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | | 2–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 5–2 | 1–2 |
| Shinnik Yaroslavl | 2–0 | 6–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Sokol Saratov | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | | 2–2 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Spartak Moscow | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 4–3 |
| Torpedo Moscow | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 4–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Torpedo-ZIL Moscow | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | | 2–2 | 1–2 |
| Uralan Elista | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | | 3–3 |
| Zenit St. Petersburg | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | |

## Season statistics
### Top goalscorers

    As of matches played on 21 November 2002.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goal |
| 1 | Rolan Gusev | CSKA | 15 |
| 1 | Dmitri Kirichenko | CSKA | 15 |
| 3 | Aleksandr Kerzhakov | Zenit | 14 |
| 4 | Vladimir Beschastnykh | Spartak Moscow | 12 |
| 4 | Andrei Karyaka | Krylia | 12 |
| 6 | Robertas Poškus | Krylia | 11 |
| 6 | Serghei Rogaciov | Saturn | 11 |
| 6 | Igor Semshov | Torpedo | 11 |
| 9 | Aleksandr Shirko | Torpedo | 10 |
| 9 | Zurab Tsiklauri | Uralan | 10 |

## Awards

On December 10 Russian Football Union named its list of 33 top players:

### Goalkeepers

* Sergei Ovchinnikov (Lokomotiv Moscow)
* Ruslan Nigmatullin (CSKA Moscow)
* Valeri Chizhov (Saturn)

### Sweeper

* Sergei Ignashevich (Lokomotiv Moscow)
* Sargis Hovsepyan (Zenit)
* Bohdan Shershun (CSKA Moscow)

### Defensive midfielders

* Elvir Rahimić (CSKA Moscow)
* Yevgeni Aldonin (Rotor)
* Igor Semshov (Torpedo Moscow)

## Medal squads

* 1. FC Lokomotiv Moscow
* Goalkeepers: Sergei I. Ovchinnikov (31).
* Defenders: Sergei Ignashevich (29 / 1), Gennadiy Nizhegorodov (29), Vadim Evseev (24 / 7), Dmitri Sennikov (24 / 1), Oleg Pashinin (24), Jacob Lekgetho (23 / 2), Yuri Drozdov (18), Milan Obradović (17).
* Midfielders: Dmitri Loskov (30 / 7), Vladimir Maminov (29 / 4), Narvik Sirkhayev (15 / 4), Marat Izmailov (14 / 2), Bennett Mnguni (4).
* Forwards: James Obiorah (23 / 5), Maksim Buznikin (23 / 2), Ruslan Pimenov (19 / 7), Júlio César (11 / 3), Nemanja Vučićević (9), Baba Adamu (8 / 1), Giorgi Demetradze (6), Sergei V. Ovchinnikov (1). (league appearances and goals listed in brackets)
* One own goal scored by Dmytro Semochko (FC Uralan Elista).
* Manager: Yuri Syomin.
* Transferred out during the season: Giorgi Demetradze (to FC Alania Vladikavkaz).
* 2. PFC CSKA Moscow
* Goalkeepers: Ruslan Nigmatullin (15), Veniamin Mandrykin (13), Dmitriy Kramarenko (3).
* Defenders: Denis Yevsikov (29), Deividas Šemberas (28), Andrei Solomatin (26 / 3), Vyacheslav Dayev (22 / 1), Bohdan Shershun (18 / 1), Aleksei Berezutski (16), Aleksandr Berketov (8), Yevgeni Varlamov (2), Vasili Berezutski (2).
* Midfielders: Rolan Gusev (30 / 15), Elvir Rahimić (30 / 2), Igor Yanovsky (29 / 4), Juris Laizāns (27 / 3), Sergei Semak (24 / 6), Aleksei Triputen (9), Artur Tlisov (3).
* Forwards: Denis Popov (28 / 7), Dmitri Kirichenko (26 / 15), Spartak Gogniyev (21 / 2), Roman Monaryov (12), Igor Piyuk (1).
* One own goal scored by Martin Hyský (FC Dynamo Moscow).
* Manager: Valery Gazzaev.
* Transferred out during the season: Igor Piyuk (to FC Torpedo-ZIL Moscow).
* 3. FC Spartak Moscow
* Goalkeepers: Maksym Levytskyi (19), Stanislav Cherchesov (7), Dmitri Goncharov (6).
* Defenders: Igor Mitreski (27), Ibra Kébé (24 / 3), Moisés (23 / 1), Dmitri Ananko (21), Dmytro Parfenov (16 / 2), Yuri Kovtun (16 / 1), Jerry-Christian Tchuissé (12), Valeri Abramidze (6), Dmitri Khlestov (6), Andrei Streltsov (4), Samuel Ogunsania (1).
* Midfielders: Vasili Baranov (24 / 1), Dmitri Kudryashov (22 / 5), Yegor Titov (20 / 4), Eduard Tsykhmeystruk (20 / 2), Maksym Kalynychenko (11 / 1), Artyom Bezrodny (6 / 1), Aleksandr Pavlenko (5), Dmitri Torbinski (3), Marcelo Silva (2), Pyotr Nemov (2), Aleksandr Sheshukov (2), Aleksei Rebko (1), Aleksandr Samedov (1), Robert Scarlett (1).
* Forwards: Vladimir Beschastnykh (30 / 12), Aleksandr Danishevsky (21 / 4), Dmitri Sychev (18 / 9), Okon Flo Essien (9 / 1), Aleksandr Sonin (8 / 2), Pavel Pogrebnyak (2), Raman Vasilyuk (1).
* Manager: Oleg Romantsev.
* Transferred out during the season: Dmitri Ananko (to AC Ajaccio), Eduard Tsykhmeystruk (to FC Metalurh Donetsk), Dmitri Sychev (to Marseille), Dmitri Goncharov (to FC Alania Vladikavkaz), Raman Vasilyuk (to FC Dinamo Minsk).