The 2002 Belarusian Premier League was the 12th season of top-tier football in Belarus. It started on April 12 and ended on November 8, 2002. Belshina Bobruisk were the defending champions.
Team changes from 2001 season Teams finished on the last two places in 2001 – Naftan Novopolotsk and Vedrich-97 Rechytsa relegated to the First League. They were replaced by 2001 First League winners Torpedo Zhodino and the newcomers, First League runners-up Zvezda-VA-BGU Minsk. Neman-Belcard Grodno changed their name back to Neman Grodno.
Overview BATE Borisov and Neman Grodno finished the season with equal number of points and advanced to the Championship Play-Off. BATE won the play-off game and became the champions for the 2nd time. They qualified for the next season's Champions League. Neman Grodno and 2002–03 Cup winners Dinamo Minsk qualified for UEFA Cup. Due to Premiere League expansion from 14 to 16 teams starting with next season, only one lowest placed team (Lokomotiv-96 Vitebsk) have relegated.
Teams and venues
TeamLocationVenueCapacityPosition in 2001BelshinaBobruiskSpartak Stadium (Bobruisk)5,8001Dinamo MinskMinskDinamo Stadium (Minsk)40,0002BATEBorisovCity Stadium (Borisov)5,5003NemanGrodnoNeman Stadium14,0004ShakhtyorSoligorskStroitel Stadium5,0005GomelGomelLuch Stadium5,0006SlaviaMozyrYunost Stadium5,2507Torpedo-MAZMinskTorpedo Stadium (Minsk)5,2008Dnepr-TransmashMogilevSpartak Stadion (Mogilev)5,7009Molodechno-2000MolodechnoCity Stadium (Molodechno)5,65010Dinamo BrestBrestOSK Brestskiy3,00011Lokomotiv-96VitebskDinamo Stadium (Vitebsk)8,25012TorpedoZhodinoTorpedo Stadium (Zhodino)5,000First league, 1Zvezda-VA-BGUMinskTraktor Stadium17,000First league, 2
Table
Championship play-off
Results
Belarusian clubs in European Cups RoundTeam #1Agg.Team #21st leg2nd leg2002 UEFA Intertoto CupFirst roundBATE Borisov 3–0 Akademisk Boldklub1–02–0Second round1860 München 0–5 BATE Borisov0–10–4Third roundBologna 2–0 BATE Borisov2–00–02002–03 UEFA CupQualifying roundDinamo Minsk 1–5 CSKA Sofia1–40–1Gomel 5–0 HJK Helsinki1–04–0First roundGomel 1–8 Schalke 041–40–42002–03 UEFA Champions LeagueFirst qualifying roundPortadown 2–3 Belshina Bobruisk0–02–3Second qualifying roundMaccabi Haifa 5–0 Belshina Bobruisk4–01–0
Top scorers RankNameTeamGoals 1 Valery Strypeykis Belshina Bobruisk 18 2 Yury Markhel Torpedo Zhodino 17 3 Sergey Nikiforenko Shakhtyor Soligorsk 12 4 Viktor Borel Gomel 11 Gennadi Bliznyuk Gomel 11 Vadzim Boyka Dinamo Brest 11 Ihor Chumachenko BATE Borisov 11 Denis Karolik Belshina Bobruisk 11 Dzmitry Kavalyonak Neman Grodno 11 Maksim Tsyhalka Dinamo Minsk 11
See also 2002 Belarusian First League 2001–02 Belarusian Cup 2002–03 Belarusian Cup
External links RSSSF