The Russian Premier League is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition. At the end of the season two teams get relegated to the Russian First Division and get replaced with the two top First Division teams. The Russian Premier League was organized in 2001 and succeeded the Top Division, the difference being that the Top Division was run by the Professional Football League of Russia, and the creation of the Premier League gave the clubs a greater degree of independence. The Top Division had existed from 1992 to 2001. FC Zenit Saint Petersburg are the current Russian Premier League champions.
Each team in the league plays each opponent twice, one home and once away, for a total of 30 matches. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. If the teams are level on points, the tie-breakers are the number of wins, then the goal difference, followed by several others. If the teams are tied for the first position, the tie-breakers are the number of wins, then head-to-head results. If the teams tied for the first place cannot be separated by these tie-breakers, the championship play-off is ordered. As of 2006, the champions qualify for the UEFA Champions League, and the runners-up for the Champions League qualification. The third-placed team qualifies for the UEFA Cup, and the fourth-placed team for the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Two bottom teams are relegated to the First Division. The league typically runs from March to November. The league consists of:-
For an overview of the clubs in more detail then go to Footiemap.com.
FC Tom Tomsk -Tomsk - Trud Stadium - 15,000 Capacity
FC Shinnik Yaroslavl - Shinnik Stadium - Capacity 26,102
FC Terek Grozny - Grozny, Chechnya - Sultan Bilimkhanov Stadium - Capacity 10,365
FC Zenit St Petersburg - St Petersburg - Petrovsky Stadium - 21,570 All Seater. Details of St Petersburg can be found by clicking here.
PFC CSKA Moscow - Moscow - Dinamo Stadium - 36,000 All Seater. Details of the clubs from Moscow can be found by clicking here.FC Dynamo Moscow - Moscow - Dinamo Stadium - 36,000 All Seater. Details of the clubs from Moscow can be found by clicking here. FC Khimki - Moscow Suburbs - Novye Khimki Stadium - 10,054 All Seater. Details of the clubs from Moscow can be found by clicking here.
Spartak Moscow - Luzhniki Stadium - 80,000 All Seater. Details of the clubs from Moscow can be found by clicking here.
FC Lokomotiv Moscow - Moscow - Lokomotiv Stadium - 28,800 Capacity.Details of the clubs from Moscow can be found by clicking here.
FC Moskva - Moscow - Eduardo Strelov Stadium - 14,274 All Seater. Details of the clubs from Moscow can be found by clicking here.
FC Saturn Moscow Oblast - Ramenskoe - 16,726 Capacity. Details of the clubs from Moscow can be found by clicking here.
Torpedo Moscow were relegated as at the end of the 2007 season but details can still be found here.
Pictures on this page courtosey of WorldStadiums.com
2008 SEASON The champions this year were the surprise team from the Tatarstan republic, FC Rubin Kazan. They won the league with a couple of games to spare from CSKA Moscow and Dynamo Moscow. Other surprises were Amkar who finished in 4th place whilst Spartak and Lokomotiv had their worst seasons for many a year, finishing in 8th and 7th respectively.
Nobody will be sad to see Luc Energiya from Vladivostock relegated, with teams facing a 10 hour flight to play the most remote team in European football. They will be replaced by Kuban from Krasnodar and Rostov in 2009.
FC Amkar Perm - Perm - Zvezda Stadium - 20,000 Capacity
FC Krylya Sovetov Samara -Samara - Metallurg Stadium - 33,220 Capacity
FC Tom Tomsk -Tomsk - Trud Stadium - 15,000 Capacity
FC Shinnik Yaroslavl - Shinnik Stadium - Capacity 26,102
FC Terek Grozny - Grozny, Chechnya - Sultan Bilimkhanov Stadium - Capacity 10,365