CSKA Moscow was one of the founding members of the newly formed Russian Top Division after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In the first six seasons, the team occupied the places in the middle of the table. In the 1998 season, the club was runner-up and in the next season finished third. In the following two seasons, CSKA Moscow again occupied places in the middle of the table. In the 2002 season, the team trained by Valery Gazzaev took second place again, winning the Russian Cup. In 2003, the team won its first championship in the history of the Russian Premier League. After that, the head coach Valery Gassayev was sacked surprisingly and the Portuguese coach Artur Jorge was signed as his successor. Under the new coach, the team could not build on the performances from the previous season. After falling to fifth place in July 2004, Arthur Jorge was sacked after only eight months at the helm of the club. After the return of Valery Gassaev, CSKA was able to save the season and become vice-champion.