1997 in Russian football
1997 was the sixth season Russia held its own national football competition since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Club competitions. FC Spartak Moscow won the title for the fifth time. This was the last season fourth tier of the Russian football was a professional Russian Third League. For more details, see: Cup competitions. The fifth edition of the Russian Cup, 1996–97 Russian Cup was won by FC Lokomotiv Moscow, who beat FC Dynamo Moscow in the finals with a score of 2–0. Early stages of the 1997–98 Russian Cup were played later in the year . European club competitions. 1996–97 UEFA Champions League, 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 1996–97 UEFA Cup. Russian teams were eliminated in 1996. 1997–98 UEFA Champions League. FC Spartak Moscow were eliminated in the second qualifying round and went on to the UEFA Cup. 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. FC Lokomotiv Moscow qualified for the quarterfinals stage that was played in 1998. 1997–98 UEFA Cup. FC Spartak Moscow qualified for the quarterfinals stage that was played in 1998. FC Rotor Volgograd reached the second round. FC Alania Vladikavkaz went out in the first round. The goal in the stadium was measured before  the game and turned out to be 2.46 meters high instead of regulation 2.44. The referee decided to play the game anyway. After FC Sion's protest, UEFA decided to replay the return leg. 1997 UEFA Intertoto Cup. FC Dynamo Moscow, FC Torpedo-Luzhniki Moscow and FC Lokomotiv Nizhny Novgorod all won their groups, but were knocked out in the semi-finals. National team. Russia national football team came second in their qualification group for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. They lost to Italy in the playoffs for the second-placed teams and did not qualify for the World Cup . Boris Ignatyev was the head coach, with Yuri Syomin assisting throughout and Leonid Pakhomov assisting from the third game on. The next game was officially billed as "Russia All Stars vs. FIFA World XI" and does not count as an official Russian national football team game. It was held to commemorate 100 years anniversary of football in Russia and 850 years anniversary of the founding of Moscow. Uwe Gospodarek, who played in this game, never actually played a game for Germany national football team.