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. Standings. <onlyinclude></onlyinclude> 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. Awards. On December 10 Russian Football Union named its list of 33 top players: See also. 2002 in Russian football