The 1997 Belarusian Premier League was the seventh season of top-tier football in Belarus. It started on April 11 and ended on November 11, 1997. MPKC Mozyr were the defending champions.
Team changes from 1996 season Obuvshchik Lida and Vedrich Rechytsa, placed 15th and 16th respectively, relegated to the First League. They were replaced by two newcomers: 1996 First League winners Transmash Mogilev and runners-up Kommunalnik Slonim. Ataka-Aura Minsk shortened their name to Ataka Minsk
Overview Dinamo Minsk won their 6th champions title and qualified for the next season's Champions League. The championship runners-up Belshina Bobruisk qualified for UEFA Cup. Bronze medalists and 1997–98 Cup winners Lokomotiv-96 Vitebsk qualified for the Cup Winners' Cup. Originally Torpedo-Kadino Mogilev and Shakhtyor Soligorsk, placed 15th and 16th respectively, were supposed to be relegated to the First League. However, after Ataka Minsk withdrew from Premier League due to bad financial state and two Mogilev teams Dnepr and Transmash merged to form FC Dnepr-Transmash Mogilev, both Shakhtyor and Torpedo-Kadino were allowed to stay in the Premier League.
Teams and venues
TeamLocationVenueCapacityPosition in 1996MPKC MozyrMozyrYunost Stadium (Mozyr)6,5001Dinamo MinskMinskTraktor Stadium25,0002Belshina BobruiskBobruiskSpartak Stadium (Bobruisk)2,5003Dinamo-93 MinskMinskTraktor Stadium25,0004Lokomotiv-96 VitebskVitebskDinamo Stadium (Vitebsk)5,5005Ataka MinskMinskTraktor Stadium25,0006Naftan-Devon NovopolotskNovopolotskAtlant Stadium6,5007MolodechnoMolodechnoCity Stadium (Molodechno)5,5008Dnepr MogilevMogilevSpartak Stadium (Mogilev)11,2009Dinamo BrestBrestDinamo Stadium (Brest)2,40010Shakhtyor SoligorskSoligorskStroitel Stadium5,00011Torpedo MinskMinskTorpedo Stadium (Minsk)5,00012Neman GrodnoGrodnoNeman Stadium15,00013Torpedo-Kadino MogilevMogilevTorpedo Stadium (Mogilev)3,50014Transmash MogilevMogilevSpartak Stadium (Mogilev)11,200First league, 1Kommunalnik SlonimSlonimYunost Stadium (Slonim)1,200First league, 2
Table
Results
Belarusian clubs in European Cups RoundTeam #1Agg.Team #11st leg2nd leg1997 UEFA Intertoto CupGroup stageDinamo-93 Minsk 1–0 Heerenveen1–0Polonia Warsaw 1–4 Dinamo-93 Minsk1–4Dinamo-93 Minsk 0–1 Duisburg0–1Aalborg 2–1 Dinamo-93 Minsk2–11997–98 UEFA CupFirst qualifying roundDinamo Minsk (a) 2–2 Kolkheti-1913 Poti1–01–2Second qualifying roundDinamo Minsk 0–3 Lillestrøm0–20–1First roundMPKC Mozyr 1–2 Dinamo Tbilisi1–10–11997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' CupQualifying roundSadam Tallinn 2–5 Belshina Bobruisk1–11–4First roundBelshina Bobruisk 1–5 Lokomotiv Moscow1–20–31997–98 UEFA Champions LeagueFirst qualifying roundConstructorul Chişinău 3–4 MPKC Mozyr1–12–3Second qualifying roundOlympiacos 7–2 MPKC Mozyr5–02–2
Top scorers RankNameTeamGoals 1 Andrey Khlebosolov Belshina Bobruisk 19 2 Uladzimir Makowski Dinamo Minsk 16 3 Dzmitry Balashow Belshina Bobruisk 15 Vladimir Solodukhin Dnepr Mogilev 15 Andrey Turchinovich Dinamo-93 Minsk 15 6 Dmitry Podrez Dinamo Minsk 13 Maksim Razumaw Lokomotiv-96 Vitebsk 13 8 Raman Vasilyuk Dinamo Brest 12 Vladimir Putrash Belshina Bobruisk 12 Valery Strypeykis Naftan-Devon Novopolotsk 12
See also 1997 Belarusian First League 1996–97 Belarusian Cup 1997–98 Belarusian Cup
External links RSSSF