2020–21 Ukrainian First League
Football league season
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The 2020–21 Ukrainian First League was 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]
Season2020–21
Dates5 September 2020 – 11 June 2021
winter break 1 December 2020 – 18 March 2021
winter break 1 December 2020 – 18 March 2021
ChampionsVeres Rivne
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 5 September 2020 – 11 June 2021 winter break 1 December 2020 – 18 March 2021 |
| Champions | Veres Rivne |
| Promoted | Veres Rivne, Chornomorets Odesa, Metalist 1925 Kharkiv |
| Relegated | MFC Mykolaiv, Krystal Kherson |
| Matches | 115 |
| Goals | 299 (2.6 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | 15 – 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 | 13,134 – Metalist 1925 0–1 Chornomorets (Round 28) |
| Lowest attendance | 0 – 94 games |
| Total attendance | 18644 |
| Average attendance | 888[a] |
← 2019–20 2021–22 →
All statistics correct as of 1 December 2020
| |
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.[clarification needed] 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]
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 was considering withdrawing 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]
- FC Avanhard Kramatorsk changed its name to Avanhard-SK Kramatorsk at the during the latter (May 30) part of the season.[21]
Location map
The following displays the location of teams.
Home venues of teams in the 2020–21 Ukrainian First League.
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.[22]
- Notes
- 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,[27] 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polissya Zhytomyr |  Anatoliy Bezsmertnyi |
Resigned | 4 July 2020[31] | Pre-season | Serhiy Shyshchenko |
7 July 2020[32] |
| Kremin Kremenchuk | Serhiy Svystun |
Undisclosed | 14 August 2020[33] | Oleksandr Holovko |
14 August 2020[34] | |
| Volyn Lutsk | Andriy Tlumak |
End of contract | 14 August 2020[35] | Vasyl Sachko |
19 August 2020[36] | |
| Avanhard Kramatorsk | Oleksiy Horodov (interim) |
Made permanent | 17 August 2020[37] | Oleksiy Horodov |
17 August 2020[37] | |
| Obolon Kyiv | Valeriy Ivashchenko (interim) |
Made permanent | 18 August 2020[38] | Valeriy Ivashchenko |
18 August 2020[38] | |
| Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | Vyacheslav Khruslov (interim) |
End of interim | 21 August 2020 | Valeriy Kriventsov |
21 August 2020[39] | |
| Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk | Volodymyr Kovalyuk |
Mutual consent | 2 September 2020[40] | Ruslan Mostovyi |
4 September 2020[41] | |
| Krystal Kherson | Eduard Khavrov |
Resigned | 28 September 2020[42][43] | 16th | Serhiy Valyayev |
1 October 2020[44] |
| Nyva Ternopil | Vasyl Malyk |
Resigned | 10 October 2020[45] | 11th | Ihor Bilan |
10 October 2020[45] |
| Obolon Kyiv | Valeriy Ivashchenko |
Changed to assistant | 17 October 2020[46] | 15th | Pavlo Yakovenko |
18 October 2020[46] |
| Krystal Kherson | Serhiy Valyayev |
Resigned | 20 November 2020[47][48] | 16th | Serhiy Shevtsov (interim) |
21 November 2020[49][50] |
| Kremin Kremenchuk | Oleksandr Holovko |
Mutual consent | 11 December 2020[51] | 12th | Oleksiy Hodin |
6 January 2021[52] |
| Krystal Kherson | Serhiy Shevtsov (interim) |
Resigned | 8 January 2021[53] | 16th | Vadym Yevtushenko |
23 February 2021[54] |
| Chornomorets Odesa | Serhiy Kovalets |
Mutual consent | 17 February 2021[55] | 3rd | Oleksiy Antonov |
18 February 2021[55] |
| Nyva Ternopil | Ihor Bilan |
Mutual consent | 12 April 2021[56] | 13th | Ihor Klymovskyi |
13 April 2021[57] |
| Kremin Kremenchuk | Oleksiy Hodin |
Resigned | 30 April 2021[58] | 14th | Serhiy Svystun (interim) |
30 April 2021[58] |
| Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk | Ruslan Mostovyi |
Sacked | 1 May 2021[59] | 15th | Oleh Rypan (interim) |
1 May 2021[59] |
| Obolon Kyiv | Pavlo Yakovenko |
Mutual consent | 5 May 2021[60] | 8th | Valeriy Ivashchenko (interim) |
5 May 2021[60] |
Notes:
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veres Rivne (P, C) | 30 | 21 | 5 | 4 | 56 | 21 | +35 | 68 | Promotion to Ukrainian Premier League[61][4] |
| 2 | Chornomorets Odesa (P) | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 45 | 23 | +22 | 61 | |
| 3 | Metalist 1925 Kharkiv (P) | 30 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 36 | 22 | +14 | 56 | |
| 4 | Mykolaiv (R) | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 49 | 23 | +26 | 53 | Relegation to Ukrainian Second League[4] |
| 5 | Ahrobiznes Volochysk | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 46 | 27 | +19 | 52 | |
| 6 | Alians Lypova Dolyna | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 46 | 31 | +15 | 51 | |
| 7 | Volyn Lutsk | 30 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 39 | 28 | +11 | 46 | |
| 8 | Obolon Kyiv | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 44 | 35 | +9 | 43 | |
| 9 | Hirnyk-Sport Horishni Plavni | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 43 | 45 | −2 | 38 | |
| 10 | VPK-Ahro Shevchenkivka | 30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 30 | 48 | −18 | 37 | |
| 11 | Polissia Zhytomyr | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 32 | 37 | −5 | 35 | |
| 12 | Avanhard Kramatorsk | 30 | 9 | 5 | 16 | 32 | 51 | −19 | 32 | |
| 13 | Nyva Ternopil | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 30 | 50 | −20 | 31 | |
| 14 | Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 25 | 45 | −20 | 30 | |
| 15 | Kremin Kremenchuk | 30 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 23 | 50 | −27 | 24 | |
| 16 | Krystal Kherson (R) | 30 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 21 | 61 | −40 | 13 | Relegation to Ukrainian Second League[4] |
Updated to match(es) played on 12 June 2021. Source: PFL.ua
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 an equal number of tournament points at the moment of calculation and not only among those which after preliminary criteria have appeared more successful).[22]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
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 an equal number of tournament points at the moment of calculation and not only among those which after preliminary criteria have appeared more successful).[22]
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Results
Top goalscorers
As of 12 June 2021[update][65]
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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 | [66] |
| October 2020 | Robert Hehedosh |
Veres Rivne | [67] |
| November 2020 | Oleksiy Maydanevych |
Obolon Kyiv | [68] |
| April 2021 | Dmytro Kryskiv |
Metalist 1925 Kharkiv | [69] |
| May 2021 | Mykola Ahapov |
Alians Lypova Dolyna | [70] |
| June 2021 | Vitaliy Dakhnovskyi |
Veres Rivne | [71] |
Round awards
Notes:
- Being diagnosed with the COVID-19 and quarantined, the club's manager Serhiy Solovyov was temporarily spotted by the club's director in position of head coach[78]
