1997 Latvian Higher League
Latvian football league season for the highest division
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The 1997 season in the Latvian Higher League, named Virslīga, was the seventh domestic competition since the Baltic nation gained independence from the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991. Ninth teams competed in this edition, with Skonto FC claiming the title.
| Season | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Skonto FC |
| UEFA Champions League | Skonto FC |
| UEFA Cup | Torpedo Riga |
| Cup Winners' Cup | FK Liepajas Metalurgs |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | Dinaburg FC |
| Top goalscorer |  David Chaladze (25 goals) |
← 1996 1998 → | |
Final table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skonto (C) | 24 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 89 | 8 | +81 | 64 | Qualification for Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Daugava Rīga | 24 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 35 | 27 | +8 | 43 | Qualification for UEFA Cup first qualifying round |
| 3 | Dinaburg | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 37 | 19 | +18 | 42 | Qualification for Intertoto Cup first round |
| 4 | Ventspils | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 32 | 21 | +11 | 42 | |
| 5 | Liepājas Metalurgs | 24 | 9 | 4 | 11 | 27 | 32 | −5 | 31 | Qualification for Cup Winners' Cup qualifying round |
| 6 | Universitāte (R) | 24 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 25 | 42 | −17 | 29 | Dissolved after the season |
| 7 | Valmiera | 24 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 29 | 43 | −14 | 28 | |
| 8 | Lokomotīve (R) | 24 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 29 | 52 | −23 | 17 | Dissolved after the season |
| 9 | Rēzekne | 24 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 10 | 69 | −59 | 8 | Spared from relegation |
Match table
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Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Chaladze (GEO) | Skonto FC | 25 |
| 2 |  Mihails Miholaps (LAT) | Skonto FC | 14 |
| 3 |  Sergey Solovjov (RUS) | Skonto FC | 11 |
| 4 | Juris Karašausks (LAT) | Dinaburg FC | 10 |
| 5 | Andrejs Štolcers (LAT) | Skonto FC | 9 |
| Artūrs Zakreševskis (LAT) | Daugava Rīga |
Awards
| Best | Name | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Aleksandrs Koliņko (LAT) | Skonto FC |
| Defender | Igors Stepanovs (LAT) | Skonto FC |
| Midfielder | Vladimirs Babičevs (LAT) | Skonto FC |
| Forward | Mihails Miholaps (RUS) | Skonto FC |
Skonto FC 1997
| Pos | Name | Birthdate | P |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MF | Vitālijs Astafjevs | 03.04.1971 | 14 | 1 | 1 | - |
| MF | Vladimirs Babičevs | 22.04.1968 | 16 | - | 3 | - |
| DF | Oļegs Blagonadeždins | 16.05.1973 | 18 | 1 | 1 | - |
| MF | Imants Bleidelis | 16.08.1975 | 20 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| FW | David Chaladze | 22.01.1976 | 20 | 25 | 2 | - |
| MF | Valērijs Ivanovs | 23.02.1970 | 17 | - | - | - |
| MF | Vladimirs Koļesņičenko | 04.05.1980 | 12 | 3 | - | - |
| GK | Aleksandrs Koļiņko | 18.06.1975 | 12 | 0 | 1 | - |
| MF | Juris Laizāns | 06.01.1979 | 2 | - | - | - |
| GK | Raimonds Laizāns | 05.08.1964 | 12 | 0 | 7 | - |
| - | Vsevolods Līdaks | 22.10.1977 | 4 | - | - | - |
| FW | Mihails Miholaps | 24.08.1974 | 17 | 14 | - | - |
| FW | Marians Pahars | 05.08.1976 | 22 | 5 | - | - |
| - |  Aleksandr Pindejev | 03.03.1971 | 9 | - | - | - |
| MF | Alexander Rekhviashvili | 06.08.1974 | 13 | 2 | 2 | - |
| DF | Levan Silagadze | 04.08.1976 | 19 | - | 1 | 1 |
| FW | Igors Sļesarčuks | 31.03.1976 | 1 | - | - | - |
| - | Sergey Solovjov | 03.04.1978 | 20 | 11 | 3 | - |
| DF | Igors Stepanovs | 21.01.1976 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| DF | Jurijs Ševļakovs | 24.01.1959 | 19 | - | 1 | - |
| FW | Andrejs Štolcers | 08.07.1974 | 23 | 9 | 1 | - |
| DF | Mihails Zemļinskis | 21.12.1969 | 21 | 6 | 4 | - |
| Manager: Aleksandrs Starkovs | ||||||