# 2013–14 Russian Premier League

The 2013–14 Russian Premier League was the 22nd season of the Russian football championship since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and 12th under the current Russian Premier League name. The season started on 13 July 2013 and concluded on 17 May 2014, with a winter break between the weekends around 6 December 2013 and 6 March 2014.
CSKA Moscow were the defending champions.

## Teams

After previous season Mordovia Saransk and Alania Vladikavkaz were relegated to National Football League. They were replaced with Ural, FNL champions, and Tom Tomsk, FNL runners-up. Tom Tomsk returned to Premier League at first attempt, while Ural was absent from the top level for 16 seasons.

### Personnel and sponsorship

| Team | Location | Head coach | Captain | Kitmaker | Shirt sponsor |
| Amkar | Perm | Konstantin Paramonov (caretaker) | Dmitri Belorukov | Puma | Bank of Moscow |
| Anzhi | Makhachkala | Gadzhi Gadzhiyev | Alexandru Epureanu | Nike | Energy Standard Group |
| CSKA | Moscow | Leonid Slutsky | Igor Akinfeev | adidas | Russian Grids |
| Dynamo | Moscow | Stanislav Cherchesov | Vladimir Granat | adidas | VTB |
| Krasnodar | Krasnodar | Aleh Konanaw | Alyaksandr Martynovich | Kappa | Westa |
| Krylia Sovetov | Samara | Vladimir Kukhlevskiy (caretaker) | Ivan Taranov | Nike | Samara Oblast |
| Kuban | Krasnodar | Viktor Goncharenko | Aleksandr Belenov | adidas | RGMK |
| Lokomotiv | Moscow | Leonid Kuchuk | Guilherme | Puma | RZD |
| Rostov | Rostov-on-Don | Miodrag Božović | Stipe Pletikosa | Joma | TNS Energo |
| Rubin | Kazan | Vladimir Maminov | Oleg Kuzmin | Puma | TAIF |
| Spartak | Moscow | Dmitri Gunko | Dmitri Kombarov | Nike | Lukoil |
| Terek | Grozny | Rashid Rakhimov | Rizvan Utsiyev | adidas | AK |
| Tom | Tomsk | Vasili Baskakov | Sergey Omelyanchuk | Nike | Rosneft |
| Ural | Yekaterinburg | Aleksandr Tarkhanov | Denis Tumasyan | adidas | TMK |
| Volga | Nizhny Novgorod | Andrei Talalayev | Andrei Karyaka | adidas | Sberbank |
| Zenit | St. Petersburg | André Villas-Boas | Konstantin Zyryanov | Nike | Gazprom |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing | Manner | Date | Table | Incoming | Date | Table |
| Terek Grozny | Stanislav Cherchesov | Contract expired | 26 May 2013 | Pre-season | Yuri Krasnozhan | 26 May 2013 | Pre-season |
| Tom Tomsk | Sergei Perednya | Contract expired | 1 June 2013 | Pre-season | Anatoli Davydov | 25 June 2013 | Pre-season |
| Kuban Krasnodar | Leonid Kuchuk | Contract expired | 10 June 2013 | Pre-season | Igor Osinkin (caretaker) | 10 June 2013 | Pre-season |
| Amkar Perm | Rustem Khuzin | Contract expired | 17 June 2013 | Pre-season | Stanislav Cherchesov | 20 June 2013 | Pre-season |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | Slaven Bilić | Mutual agreement | 17 June 2013 | Pre-season | Leonid Kuchuk | 18 June 2013 | Pre-season |
| Anzhi Makhachkala | Guus Hiddink | Resigned | 22 July 2013 | 12th | Rene Meulensteen | 22 July 2013 | 12th |
| Kuban Krasnodar | Igor Osinkin (caretaker) | Caretaker spell over | 31 July 2013 | 5th | Dorinel Munteanu | 31 July 2013 | 5th |
| Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast | Pavel Gusev | Resigned | 1 August 2013 | 15th | Oleg Vasilenko | 1 August 2013 | 15th |
| Krylia Sovetov Samara | Gadzhi Gadzhiyev | Resigned | 8 August 2013 | 14th | Aleksandr Tsygankov (caretaker, since 29 August 2013 manager) | 8 August 2013 | 14th |
| Anzhi Makhachkala | Rene Meulensteen | Sacked | 8 August 2013 | 13th | Gadzhi Gadzhiyev | 8 August 2013 | 13th |
| Krasnodar | Slavoljub Muslin | Mutual consent | 9 August 2013 | 11th | Aleh Konanaw | 11 August 2013 | 11th |
| Tom | Anatoli Davydov | Sacked | 15 September 2013 | 16th | Vasili Baskakov | 15 September 2013 | 16th |
| Kuban Krasnodar | Dorinel Munteanu | Sacked | 12 October 2013 | 10th | Viktor Goncharenko | 12 October 2013 | 10th |
| Terek Grozny | Yuri Krasnozhan | Resigned | 28 October 2013 | 14th | Vait Talgayev (caretaker) | 29 October 2013 | 14th |
| Terek Grozny | Vait Talgayev (caretaker) | Caretaker spell over | 7 November 2013 | 15th | Rashid Rakhimov | 7 November 2013 | 15th |
| Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast | Oleg Vasilenko | Mutual agreement | 27 November 2013 | 14th | Aleksandr Tarkhanov | 27 November 2013 | 14th |
| Rubin Kazan | Kurban Berdyev | Sacked | 20 December 2013 | 11th | Vladimir Maminov | 10 January 2014 | 11th |
| Zenit St. Petersburg | Luciano Spalletti | Sacked | 11 March 2014 | 2nd | Sergei Semak (caretaker) | 11 March 2014 | 2nd |
| Spartak Moscow | Valeri Karpin | Mutual agreement | 18 March 2014 | 3rd | Dmitri Gunko (caretaker, since 2 April 2014 manager) | 18 March 2014 | 3rd |
| Zenit St. Petersburg | Sergei Semak (caretaker) | Caretaker spell over | 20 March 2014 | 2nd | André Villas-Boas | 20 March 2014 | 2nd |
| Volga Nizhny Novgorod | Yuriy Kalitvintsev | Resigned | 28 March 2014 | 14th | Andrei Talalayev | 29 March 2014 | 14th |
| Dynamo Moscow | Dan Petrescu | Mutual agreement | 8 April 2014 | 4th | Nikolai Kovardayev (caretaker) | 8 April 2014 | 4th |
| Amkar Perm | Stanislav Cherchesov | Mutual agreement | 8 April 2014 | 7th | Konstantin Paramonov (caretaker) | 8 April 2014 | 7th |
| Dynamo Moscow | Nikolai Kovardayev (caretaker) | Caretaker spell over | 10 April 2014 | 4th | Stanislav Cherchesov | 10 April 2014 | 4th |
| Krylia Sovetov Samara | Aleksandr Tsygankov | Resigned | 5 May 2014 | 14th | Vladimir Kukhlevsky (caretaker) | 5 May 2014 | 14th |
Last updated: 5 May 2014

## Tournament format and regulations
### Basic

The 16 teams played a round-robin tournament whereby each team played each one of the other teams twice, once at home and once away. Thus, a total of 240 matches were played, with 30 matches played by each team.

### Promotion and relegation

The teams that finished 15th and 16th were relegated to the FNL, while the top two FNL teams were promoted to the Premier League for the 2014–15 season.
The 13th and 14th Premier League teams played the 4th and 3rd FNL teams, respectively, in two playoff games, with the winner securing a Premier League spot for 2014–15 season.

## Season events

On 11 May 2014, the match between Zenit and Dynamo was interrupted in the 86th minute, with Dynamo leading 4–2, when Zenit fans ran out of the stands. At first they stood behind the goal line; when the referee decided to take the teams off the field into the dressing rooms and teams began to leave, one of Zenit's fans punched Dynamo player Vladimir Granat. It was originally reported that Zenit player Salomón Rondón was also attacked. Later, it was clarified that Rondón had a conflict with Dynamo player Marko Lomić, but that incident was not registered by the referee or the game inspector. The game was abandoned. Granat was diagnosed with concussion and missed Dynamo's last game of the season against Spartak Moscow. The punishment was decided on 14 May 2014 by the Control-Disciplinary Committee of the Russian Football Union. Dynamo was awarded a 3–0 win, and Zenit was fined 700,000 rubles; they were required to play their next two home games (in the 2014–15 season) in an empty stadium, and for an additional three home games the fan stands were empty. The Zenit fan who punched Granat, 45-year-old Aleksei Nesterov known as Gulliver, was not immediately arrested, and went into hiding for several days. Eventually, he gave himself up to the police and was charged with assault. The criminal charges against Nesterov were dropped in court after he reached a settlement with Granat, and he was then released.

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | CSKA Moscow (C) | 30 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 49 | 26 | +23 | 64 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Zenit St. Petersburg | 30 | 19 | 6 | 5 | 63 | 32 | +31 | 63 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 3 | Lokomotiv Moscow | 30 | 17 | 8 | 5 | 51 | 23 | +28 | 59 | Qualification for the Europa League play-off round |
| 4 | Dynamo Moscow | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 54 | 37 | +17 | 52 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round |
| 5 | Krasnodar | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 46 | 39 | +7 | 50 | Qualification for the Europa League second qualifying round |
| 6 | Spartak Moscow | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 46 | 36 | +10 | 50 | |
| 7 | Rostov | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 39 | Qualification for the Europa League play-off round |
| 8 | Kuban Krasnodar | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 40 | 42 | −2 | 38 | |
| 9 | Rubin Kazan | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 36 | 30 | +6 | 38 | |
| 10 | Amkar Perm | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 36 | 37 | −1 | 38 | |
| 11 | Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 28 | 46 | −18 | 34 | |
| 12 | Terek Grozny | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 27 | 33 | −6 | 33 | |
| 13 | Tom Tomsk (R) | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 23 | 39 | −16 | 31 | Qualification for the Relegation play-offs |
| 14 | Krylia Sovetov Samara (R) | 30 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 27 | 46 | −19 | 29 | Qualification for the Relegation play-offs |
| 15 | Volga Nizhny Novgorod (R) | 30 | 6 | 3 | 21 | 22 | 65 | −43 | 21 | Relegation to Football National League |
| 16 | Anzhi Makhachkala (R) | 30 | 3 | 11 | 16 | 25 | 42 | −17 | 20 | Relegation to Football National League |
* ↑ ELPO
* 1 2 Krasnodar ahead of Spartak Moscow on head-to-head points; Krasnodar–Spartak Moscow 4–0, Spartak Moscow–Krasnodar 3–2.
* ↑ ELPO
* ↑ Rostov won the 2013–14 Russian Cup, therefore qualifying for the play-off round of the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League. However, it did not pass the Russian Football Union European licensing and thus its spot was given to Spartak. However, that RFU decision was then overturned by the CAS and Rostov was returned to the Europa League.
* 1 2 Rubin Kazan ahead of Amkar Perm on head-to-head points; Rubin Kazan–Amkar Perm 3–0, Amkar Perm–Rubin Kazan 0–0.

## Relegation play-offs
### Second leg

Ufa won 6–4 on aggregate score and was promoted to the 2014–15 Russian Premier League.
Torpedo Moscow won 2–0 on aggregate score and was promoted to the 2014–15 Russian Premier League.

## Results

| Home \ Away | AMK | ANZ | CSK | DYN | KRA | KRY | KUB | LOK | ROS | RUB | SPA | TER | TOM | URA | VNN | ZEN |
| Amkar Perm | | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 5–1 | 1–2 |
| Anzhi Makhachkala | 2–2 | | 0–3 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| CSKA Moscow | 2–1 | 0–0 | | 0–2 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 |
| Dynamo Moscow | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 | | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Krasnodar | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 |
| Krylia Sovetov Samara | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–4 |
| Kuban Krasnodar | 0–3 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 4–0 | 1–4 |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 4–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | | 5–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 |
| Rostov | 3–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–4 |
| Rubin Kazan | 3–0 | 5–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 |
| Spartak Moscow | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 0–0 | | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 6–1 | 4–2 |
| Terek Grozny | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Tom Tomsk | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–4 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | | 1–2 | 1–2 |
| Volga Nizhny Novgorod | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–5 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | | 1–3 |
| Zenit St. Petersburg | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 6–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | |

### Round by round

The following table represents the teams position after each round in the competition.
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| CSKA Moscow | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Zenit St. Petersburg | 4 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 8 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Dynamo Moscow | 7 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Krasnodar | 13 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Spartak Moscow | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Rostov | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
| Kuban Krasnodar | 11 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Rubin Kazan | 12 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Amkar Perm | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast | 9 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
| Terek Grozny | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
| Tom Tomsk | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Krylia Sovetov Samara | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Volga Nizhny Novgorod | 10 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Anzhi Makhachkala | 5 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |

## Statistics
### Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Goals | Team |
| 1 | Seydou Doumbia | 18 (4) | CSKA |
| 2 | Hulk | 17 (3) | Zenit |
| 2 | Artyom Dzyuba | 17 (4) | Rostov |
| 4 | Yura Movsisyan | 16 (2) | Spartak |
| 5 | Danny | 13 | Zenit |
| 5 | Dame N'Doye | 13 | Lokomotiv |
| 5 | Salomón Rondón | 13 | Rubin/Zenit |
| 8 | Georgi Peev | 12 (8) | Amkar |
| 9 | Zoran Tošić | 11 | CSKA |
| 10 | Aleksandr Kokorin | 10 | Dynamo |

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Artyom Dzyuba | Rostov | Tom | 3–0 | 27 July 2013 |
| Danny | Zenit | Volga | 3–1 | 3 August 2013 |
| Salomón Rondón | Rubin | Ural | 3–0 | 1 September 2013 |
| Andriy Voronin | Dynamo | Ural | 4–1 | 16 September 2013 |
| Zoran Tošić | CSKA | Krasnodar | 5–1 | 27 October 2013 |
| Yura Movsisyan | Spartak | Zenit | 4–2 | 10 November 2013 |
| Ari | Krasnodar | Spartak | 4–0 | 22 March 2014 |
| Salomón Rondón | Zenit | Rubin | 6–2 | 6 April 2014 |
| Hulk | Zenit | Krasnodar | 4–1 | 12 April 2014 |
Last updated: 15 May 2014

## Awards
### Monthly awards

| Month | Premier League Manager of the Month | Premier League Manager of the Month | Premier League Player of the Month | Premier League Player of the Month | Reference |
| Month | Manager | Club | Player | Club | Reference |
| July | Valeri Karpin | Spartak | Artyom Dzyuba | Rostov | |
| August | Leonid Kuchuk | Lokomotiv | Danny | Zenit | |
| September | Stanislav Cherchesov | Amkar | Hulk | Zenit | |
| October | Luciano Spalletti | Zenit | Roman Shirokov | Zenit |
| November | Leonid Kuchuk | Lokomotiv | Seydou Doumbia | CSKA |

### Top 33

On 7 June 2014 Russian Football Union named its list of 33 top players:
On the same day, the RFU also announced the individual awards.
Player of the year: Seydou Doumbia (CSKA).
"Hope of the year" (under-21 players): Aleksei Miranchuk (Lokomotiv).
Manager of the year: Leonid Slutsky (CSKA).
Referee of the year: Aleksei Nikolaev.
Team of the year: PFC CSKA Moscow.
For the contribution to the development of football: Sergey Galitsky (owner of FC Krasnodar).