2020–21 Ukrainian First League
The 2020–21 Ukrainian First League is the 30th since its establishment. The league competition consists of 16 teams according to the decision of the PFL Council of Leagues.[1] The season commenced on 5 September 2020.[2] The final composition and regulations of the Professional Football League of Ukraine both leagues were adopted at the PFL Conference on 21 August 2020.[3]
Season | 2020–21 |
---|---|
Dates | 5 September 2020 – 11 June 2021 winter break 1 December 2020 – 18 March 2021 |
Matches played | 115 |
Goals scored | 299 (2.6 per match) |
Top goalscorer | 8 – Ruslan Chernenko (Ahrobiznes) |
Biggest home win | 6 – Mykolaiv 6–0 Krystal (Round 16) |
Biggest away win | 4 – VPK-Ahro 0–4 Mykolaiv (Round 12) Krystal 0–4 Chornomorets (Round 12) |
Highest scoring | 7 – Mykolaiv 6–1 Hirnyk-Sport (Round 6) |
Longest winning run | 7 – Ahrobiznes (Round 10–16) |
Longest unbeaten run | 8 – Chornomorets (Round 1–8) |
Longest winless run | 7 – Krystal (Round 1–8) |
Longest losing run | 7 – Krystal (Round 1–8) |
Highest attendance | 2,512 – Metalist 1925 1–0 Ahrobiznes (Round 3) |
Lowest attendance | 0 – 94 games |
Total attendance | 18644 |
Average attendance | 888[lower-alpha 1] |
← 2019–20 2021–22 →
All statistics correct as of 1 December 2020
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Summary
In this season, the bottom two teams of the First League are to be relegated to the Second League. The top two teams from each group of the Second League will gain promotion to the First League for the next season.[4]
Promotion and/or relegation play-off games that were in place since 2011 (with exclusion in 2013) were discontinued altogether for the season.
This league's season was expected to have number of team increased to eighteen,[1] however due to financial situation with both FC Karpaty Lviv and FC Balkany Zorya the PFL reinstated the sixteen team competition as per last season(see "Teams" section).
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic attendance restriction in the league is still in effect, but was partially eased. The postponed games[5][6][7][8][9][10] that the PFL was not able to reschedule for the later dates of fall half of the season, on 30 November 2020 were rescheduled for the spring half of 2021.[11]
Due to an issue with free interpretation of regulations last season by FC Inhulets Petrove, the 2020–21 season's regulations were amended with an extra note to avoid disambiguation and/or reinterpretation.
Teams
This season, Ukrainian First League consist of 16 teams, which includes top two teams from the both groups of 2019–20 Ukrainian Second League and two relegation/promotion play-offs winners.
Promoted teams
The following teams have been promoted from the 2019–20 Ukrainian Second League:
- Nyva Ternopil – first place in Group A (returning after 5 seasons, last competed in the 2015–16 season)
- Polissia Zhytomyr – second place in Group A (debut, however another club named as Polissia Zhytomyr last competed in the 2004–05 season)
- Veres Rivne – play-off winner (returning after 3 seasons)
- VPK-Ahro Shevchenkivka – first place in Group B (debut)
- Krystal Kherson – second place in Group B (returning after 28 seasons, last competed in the 1992 league's inaugural season)
- Alians Lypova Dolyna – play-off winner (debut)
Relegated teams
- None – Karpaty Lviv that placed 12th in the 2019–20 Ukrainian Premier League, were excluded from the league for repeated absence from scheduled games.[12] A possibility was declared at first that the club might be admitted to the First League nonetheless,[13] but later it was announced that Karpaty will be admitted the Second League instead.[14][15] About a month later on 14 August 2020, Tribuna.ua informed that Karpaty never applied for certification for the next season in first or second leagues.[16]
Legal and other issues
- FC Hirnyk-Sport Horishni Plavni was approved by the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) to play, after the UAF Chamber of Dispute Resolution order the club to pay compensation to its former player and the club completely ignored it.[17]
- FC Balkany Zorya announced that it considers to withdrew from the league as it is too expensive for the club.[18][19]
Renamed teams
- FC Obolon-Brovar Kyiv changed its name to FC Obolon Kyiv before the start of the season.[20]
- FC Veres Rivne changed its name to RNK Veres Rivne before the start of the season.[4]
- MFC Kremin Kremenchuk changed its name to FC Kremin Kremenchuk before the start of the season.[4]
Location map
The following displays the location of teams.
Stadiums
The following stadiums were used as home grounds for the teams in the competition. The minimum capacity for stadiums of the First League clubs is set at 1,500 spectators.[21]
- Notes
- Metalurh Stadium is not among UAF approved stadiums on the list that was published in summer of 2020[23]
- Polissia Zhytomyr played their Round 8 home match at Spartak-Arena in their home city
- Before the season's start it was announced in news media that Polissia Zhytomyr may start to play their home games in Zhytomyr at Tsentralnyi Stadion,[25] but in reality plays most of their home matches at Bannikov Stadium in Kyiv
- Polissia Zhytomyr played their Round 6 home match at Yuvileynyi Stadium in Bucha, Kyiv Oblast
- Bohdan Markevych Stadium in Vynnyky, Lviv Oblast was used as home game for Ahrobiznes Volochysk in Round 10 & 12
- MFC Mykolaiv have played all their home games thus far in the season at the Upper Field of the Central City Stadium
Personnel and sponsorship
Managerial changes
Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment | Table |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Polissya Zhytomyr | Anatoliy Bezsmertnyi | Resigned | 4 July 2020[28] | Pre-season | Serhiy Shyshchenko | 7 July 2020[29] | Pre-season |
Kremin Kremenchuk | Serhiy Svystun | Undisclosed | 14 August 2020[30] | Oleksandr Holovko | 14 August 2020[31] | ||
Volyn Lutsk | Andriy Tlumak | End of contract | 14 August 2020[32] | Vasyl Sachko | 19 August 2020[33] | ||
Avanhard Kramatorsk | Oleksiy Horodov (interim) | Made permanent | 17 August 2020[34] | Oleksiy Horodov | 17 August 2020[34] | ||
Obolon Kyiv | Valeriy Ivashchenko (interim) | Made permanent | 18 August 2020[35] | Valeriy Ivashchenko | 18 August 2020[35] | ||
Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | Vyacheslav Khruslov (interim) | End of interim | 21 August 2020 | Valeriy Kriventsov | 21 August 2020[36] | ||
Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk | Volodymyr Kovalyuk | Mutual consent | 2 September 2020[37] | Ruslan Mostovyi | 4 September 2020[38] | ||
Krystal Kherson | Eduard Khavrov | Resigned | 28 September 2020[39][40] | 16th | Serhiy Valyayev | 1 October 2020[41] | 16th |
Nyva Ternopil | Vasyl Malyk | Resigned | 10 October 2020[42] | 11th | Ihor Bilan (interim) | 10 October 2020[42] | 11th |
Obolon Kyiv | Valeriy Ivashchenko | Changed to assistant | 17 October 2020[43] | 15th | Pavlo Yakovenko | 18 October 2020[43] | 15th |
Krystal Kherson | Serhiy Valyayev | Resigned | 20 November 2020[44][45] | 16th | Serhiy Shevtsov (interim) | 21 November 2020[46][47] | 16th |
Kremin Kremenchuk | Oleksandr Holovko | Mutual consent | 11 December 2020[48] | 12th | Oleksiy Hodin | 6 January 2021[49] | 12th |
Krystal Kherson | Serhiy Shevtsov (interim) | Resigned | 8 January 2021[50] | 16th | TBA |
Notes:
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ahrobiznes Volochysk | 15 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 29 | 13 | +16 | 31 | Promotion to Ukrainian Premier League[51][4] |
2 | Veres Rivne | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 22 | 8 | +14 | 30 | |
3 | Chornomorets Odesa | 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 10 | +12 | 28 | |
4 | Hirnyk-Sport Horishni Plavni | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 26 | |
5 | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 25[lower-alpha 1] | |
6 | Mykolaiv | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 26 | 12 | +14 | 25[lower-alpha 1] | |
7 | Volyn Lutsk | 13 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 24 | |
8 | Alians Lypova Dolyna | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 13 | +4 | 23 | |
9 | Obolon Kyiv | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 14 | +10 | 22 | |
10 | Polissia Zhytomyr | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 14 | +1 | 19 | |
11 | Nyva Ternopil | 16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 25 | −7 | 18 | |
12 | Kremin Kremenchuk | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 23 | −8 | 18 | |
13 | VPK-Ahro Shevchenkivka | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 14 | 28 | −14 | 13 | |
14 | Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 19 | −10 | 12 | |
15 | Avanhard Kramatorsk | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 27 | −18 | 8 | Relegation to Ukrainian Second League[4] |
16 | Krystal Kherson | 16 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 11 | 35 | −24 | 4 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference in all games; 6) Goals scored in all games (Note: calculation by criteria indicated in rules 2, 3, 4 is conducted with consideration of all teams that have equal amount of tournament points at the moment of calculation and not only among those which after preliminary criteria have appeared more successful).[21]
Notes:
- Head-to-head points: Metalist 1925 3, Mykolaiv 0
Results
Note:Top goalscorers
As of 30 November 2020[52]
|
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Awards
Monthly awards
The award is being selected on initiative of the PFL media partner UA-Football.
Month | Player of the Month | ||
---|---|---|---|
Player | Club | Reference | |
September 2020 | Bohdan Kohut | Veres Rivne | [53] |
October 2020 | Robert Hehedosh | Veres Rivne | [54] |
November 2020 | Oleksiy Maidanevych | Obolon Kyiv | [55] |
April 2021 | |||
May 2021 |
Round awards
Notes:
Number of teams by region
See also
References
- The council of leagues adopted its decision to finish season in the First League in originally adopted format (Совет лиг принял решение доиграть сезон Первой лиги в привычном формате). Sport Arena. 5 June 2020
- Official. The UAF Executive Committee approved calendar of the 2020–21 season (Офіційно. Виконком УАФ затвердив план-календар сезону-2020/2021). Ukrainian Association of Football. 12 August 2020
- The 28th PFL Conference agenda (Порядок денний XХVІІІ Конференції ПФЛ). PFL. 20 August 2020
- The statement of the 28th PFL Conference (ПОСТАНОВА ЧЕРГОВОЇ ХХVІІІ КОНФЕРЕНЦІЇ ПРОФЕСІОНАЛЬНОЇ ФУТБОЛЬНОЇ ЛІГИ). Professional Football League. 21 August 2020.
- Artur Malkin. (У Першій та Другій лізі через захворювання на COVID-19 перенесені одразу три матчі). Footboom. 2 October 2020
- Aleksandr Oleinik. The PFL postponed the game Alians and Polissia (ПФЛ перенесла матч Альянса и Полесья). Sport Arena. 12 October 2020
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/match-alyansa-i-metallista-1925-budet-perenesen-iz-za/
- Vlad Vlasenko. The postponed due to coronavirus among Lutsk players game Volyn – Nyva will take place on 1 October (Перенесенный из-за коронавируса у лучан матч Волынь — Нива состоится 1 октября). Sport Arena. 25 September 2020
- https://www.footboom.com/ukrainian/first/1602079456-match-vpk-ahro-veres-perenesenyi-cherez-koronavirus.html
- The First League: three games of starting round were postponed (Перша ліга: три матчі стартового туру перенесені). Professional Football League. 2 September 2020
- The 2021 season calendar for the First League. PFL.
- Premier League. Standings after the decision of the UAF CDC on FC Karpaty Lviv. Ukrainian Association of Football. 23 July 2020
- Karpaty can start the next season in the First League (Карпати можуть почати наступний сезон у Першій лізі). Sport Arena. 9 July 2020
- Karpaty will live! Smaliychuk announced the return to UPL (Карпаты будут жить! Смалийчук проанонсировал возвращение в УПЛ). Sport.ua. 31 July 2020
- Karpaty will be able to play in the First League only if regulations are broken (Карпати зможуть грати в Першій лізі лише за умови порушень регламенту). Football 24. 10 July 2020
- Mass media: Karpaty never applied for certification for the next season (СМИ: Карпаты не подавали заявку на аттестацию на следующий сезон). UA-Football. 14 August 2020
- Yuriy Samotkan. Aleksei Pinchuk: In UEFA we will find out, based on what the UAF issued its certification to "Hirnyk-Sport" (Алексей Пинчук: "В УЕФА узнаем, на каком основании УАФ выдала аттестат "Горняку-Спорт"). Footboom. 19 August 2020
- Artur Malkin. "Balkany" is ready to withdraw from the First League and enter the Second ("Балканы" готовы сняться с первой лиги и заявиться во вторую). Footboom. 18 August 2020
- Artur Malkin. Andrei Parkhomenko: Financial situation of "Balkany" does not allow to compete in the First League (Андрей Пархоменко: "Финансовое положение "Балкан" не позволяет продолжить выступление в первой лиге"). Footboom. 19 August 2020
- FC Obolon-Brovar renamed to FC Obolon (ФК «Оболонь Бровар» перейменовано ФК «Оболонь»!). FC Obolon Kyiv. 21 August 2020
- "РЕГЛАМЕНТ Всеукраїнських змагань з футболу серед команд клубів Професіональної футбольної ліги сезону 2020/21" (PDF) (in Ukrainian). 28 August 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-09-07. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- https://artemrada.gov.ua/news/21223
- https://www.footboom.com/ukrainian/high/1595616478-spysok-stadioniv-yaki-vidpovidaiut-strukturnym-kryteriiam-chotyrokh-katehorii-uaf.html
- "У м.Житомирі відкрито реконструйований стадіон "Спартак-Арена" (The opening of the reconstructed stadium "Spartak-Arena" in Zhytomyr)". Житомирська обласна державна адміністрація (Zhytomyr Oblast Administration (in Ukrainian). 23 August 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
...змонтовано нову глядацьку трибуну на 2500 місць з накриттям;... (...built a new covered grandstand for 2,500 spectators...)
- Polissia may start its season in the First League at the Zhytomyr central stadium (Полесье может начать сезон в Первой лиге на центральном стадионе Житомира). Sport Arena. 23 July 2020
- https://irp.te.ua/stadion-vy-shnivets-koyi-ob-yednanoyi-sely-shhnoyi-gromady/
- Vadim Samoilov. The Agro-barons are on the move: a breakthrough of agricultural football (Агробароны идут: прорыв сельскохозяйственного футбола). Terrikon. 24 September 2019
- Head coach of Polissia Bezsmertnyi left the club (Главный тренер Полесья Бессмертный покинул клуб). Sport Arena. 4 July 2020
- Sergei Oleksiuk. Polissia appointed Shyshchenko as a new head coach (Полесье назначило Шищенко новым главным тренером). Sport Arena. 7 July 2020
- Serhiy Svystun talks about restart of the championship and the final match as Kremin head coach (Сергій Свистун про рестарт чемпіонату та останній матч на посаді головного тренера «Кременя»). FC Kremin Kremenchuk. 14 August 2020
- Sergei Oleksiuk. Oleksandr Holovko is the new head coach of Kremin («Будемо грати в той футбол, який вважається сьогодні сучасним»: новий тренер «Кременя» Олександр Головко). FC Kremin Kremenchuk. 14 August 2020
- Yuriy Samotkan. Andriy Tlumak is leaving the post of head coach of "Volyn" (Андрей Тлумак покидает пост главного тренера "Волыни"). Footboom. 14 August 2020
- Vasyl Sachko is the head coach of FC Volyn (Василь Сачко – головний тренер ФК «Волинь»). FC Volyn Lutsk. 19 August 2020
- Oleksiy Horodov is the head coach of Avanhard (Олексій Городов - головний тренер Авангарду!). FC Avanhard Kramatorsk. 17 August 2020
- Valeriy Ivashchenko is the head coach of FC Obolon-Brovar Kyiv(Валерій Іващенко – головний тренер ФК «Оболонь Бровар»). FC Obolon-Brovar Kyiv. 18 August 2020
- Valeriy Ivashchenko is the head coach of FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv(Валерій Кривенцов - головний тренер ФК "Металіст 1925"). FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv. 21 August 2020
- Volodymyr Kovalyuk leaves the position of head coach (Офіційно: Володимир Ковалюк залишає посаду головного тренера). FC Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk. 2 September 2020
- Ruslan Mostovyi is a head coach of Prykarpattia (Офіційно: Руслан Мостовий - новий головний тренер «Прикарпаття»). FC Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk. 4 September 2020
- Artur Malkin. Eduard Khavrov left "Krystal" (Едуард Хавров залишив "Кристал"). Footboom. 28 September 2020
- Eduard Khavrov left the position of head coach of MFC Krystal (Едуард Хавров покинув посаду головного тренера МФК Кристал). FC Krystal Kherson. 28 September 2020
- Serhiy Valyayev is the head coach of MFC Krystal (Сергій Валяєв – головний тренер МФК Кристал!). FC Krystal Kherson. 1 October 2020
- Our gratitude to Vasyl Ivanovych (Дякуємо за все, Василь Іванович!). FC Nyva Ternopil. 10 October 2020
- Pavlo Yakovenko is a head coach of FC Obolon (Павло Яковенко – головний тренер ФК «Оболонь»). FC Obolon Kyiv. 18 October 2020
- Valiaev left post of the Krystal's head coach (Валяев покинул должность главного тренера Кристалла). Sport Arena. 20 November 2020
- Krystal – VPK-Ahro game report. PFL.ua. 20 November 2020
- MFC Krystal terminated cooperation with Serhiy Valyayev (МФК Кристал припинив співпрацю з Сергієм Валяєвим). FC Krystal Kherson. 21 November 2020
- Aleksandr Oleinik. Krystal confirmed the Valiaev's departure from the post of head coach (Кристалл подтвердил уход Валяева с поста главного тренера). Sport Arena. 21 November 2020
- Kremin ended the partnership with head coach Oleksandr Holovko («Кремінь» припинив співпрацю з головним тренером Олександром Головком). FC Kremin Kremenchuk. 11 December 2020
- Young coaches duo to lead Kremin («Кремінь» очолив дует молодих тренерів). FC Kremin Kremenchuk. 6 January 2021
- Ex-director of Krystal told about his resignation and situation of affairs in the club (Екс-директор Кристала розповів про свою відставку і стан справ у клубі). UA-Football. 8 January 2021
- Three teams enter, one leaves, UAF approved a system of exchange between leagues upon results of season (3 команды заходят, 1 вылетает - УАФ утвердила систему обмена между лигами по итогам сезона). UA-Football. 26 July 2019
- http://pfl.ua/standings/league/1
- https://www.ua-football.com/ukrainian/first/1601796304-51-uspehov-veresa-bogdan-kogut-luchshiy-igrok-sentyabrya-v-pervoy-lige.html
- https://web.archive.org/web/20201109000133/http://pfl.ua/news/details/11882
- https://www.ua-football.com/ukrainian/first/1606989146-igrok-mesyaca-v-pervoy-lige-4-kievskoy-oboloni.html
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-1-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-golovko-ermolov/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-2-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-kriventsov/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-3-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-kovalets-dahnovskij/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-4-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-zhabchenko-sorokin/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-5-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-virt-vorobchak-zbun/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-6-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-blyznyuk-volohatyj/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/gegedosh-bugaj-yavorskij-top-dzhoker-i-vsya-sbornaya/
- https://sportarena.com/uk/footboll/ukraina-pervaya-liga/osobistosti-ta-tsifri-8-go-turu-pershoyi-ligi/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-i-tsifry-9-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-zhabchenko/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-i-tsifry-10-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-yakovenko/
- https://sportarena.com/uk/footboll/ukraina-pervaya-liga/osobistosti-ta-tsifri-11-go-turu-pershoyi-ligi-sachko/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-i-tsifry-12-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-chizhevskij/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-i-tsifry-13-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-kovalets/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-i-tsifry-14-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-bliznyuk/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-i-tsifry-15-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-chizhevskij/
- https://sportarena.com/football/ukraina-pervaya-liga/lichnosti-i-tsifry-16-go-tura-pervoj-ligi-virt-holod/