The 1997–98 Vyshcha Liha season was the 7th since its establishment and the 2nd since the establishment of the Professional Football League (PFL). FC Dynamo Kyiv were the defending champions.
Teams This season, the Vyshcha Liha remained at 16 teams. Promotions Metalurh Donetsk, the champion of the 1996–97 Ukrainian First League – (debut) Metalurh Mariupol, the third-place runner-up of the 1996–97 Ukrainian First League – (debut)
Relegated teams Kremin Kremenchuk – relegated after six seasons in the top flight. Nyva Vinnytsia – relegated after four seasons in the top flight.
Renamed During a winter break, Zirka-NIBAS Kirovohrad changed its name to Zirka Kirovohrad.
Location
Managers
Club Coach Replaced coach Home stadium FC Dynamo Kyiv Valery Lobanovsky Dynamo Stadium FC Shakhtar Donetsk Valery Yaremchenko Shakhtar Stadium FC Karpaty Lviv Myron Markevych Ukraina Stadium FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk Vadym Tyschenko Vyacheslav Hrozny 15 games (first half) Meteor Stadium FC Vorskla Poltava Oleksandr Dovbiy Viktor Pozhechevskyi 27 games (first half) Vorskla Stadium FC Metalurh Donetsk Volodymyr Onyschenko Avanhard Stadium (Makiivka)Donetsk Metallurgical Factory Stadium FC Nyva Ternopil Leonid Ischuk Ihor Yavorskyi 29 games City Stadium FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih Oleh Taran Metalurh Stadium FC Metalurh Zaporizhia Oleksandr Shtelin Oleksandr Tomakh 17 games Leonid Kliuchyk 1 game Metalurh Stadium FC Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk Bohdan Blavatskiy Ihor Yurchenko 15 games (first half) Rukh Stadium FC Zirka Kirovohrad Oleksandr Ischenko Oleksandr Dovbiy 27 games Serhiy Strashnenko 1 game Zirka Stadium FC Metalurh Mariupol Mykola Pavlov Volodymyr Kuzovlev 1 game Yuriy Pohrebniak 2 games Azovstal Stadium FC CSKA Kyiv Serhiy Morozov Volodymyr Bezsonov 15 games CSK ZSU Stadium SC Tavriya Simferopol Viktor Hrachov Ivan Balan 25 games Lokomotyv Stadium FC Chornomorets Odesa Volodymyr Kozerenko Leonid Buriak 22 games Black Sea Shipping Stadium FC Torpedo Zaporizhia Leonid Koltun Viktor Matvienko 18 games Vyacheslav Pershyn 4 games AvtoZAZ Stadium
Changes TeamOutgoing head coachManner of departureDate of vacancyTableIncoming head coachDate of appointmentTableSC Tavriya Simferopol Mykola Pavlovpre-season Ivan Balanpre-seasonFC CSKA Kyiv Volodymyr Lozynskypre-season Volodymyr Bezsonovpre-seasonFC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih Oleksandr Lysenkopre-season Oleh Taranpre-seasonFC Prykarpattia Ivano-Frankivsk Viktor Kolotovpre-season Ihor Yurchenkopre-season
League table
Results
Top goalscorers
RankPlayerClubGoals(Pen.) 1 Serhii Rebrov Dynamo Kyiv 22 (5) 2 Andriy Shevchenko Dynamo Kyiv 21 (1) 3 Oleksandr Palyanytsia Karpaty Lviv 17 (2) 4 Avtandil Kapanadze Nyva Ternopil 15 5 Oleksandr Haidash Tavriya Simferopol 14 6 Hennady Shchekotylin Chornomorets Odesa 13 (1) 7 Valeriy Kryventsov Shakhtar Donetsk 118 Petro Rusak Spartak Ivano-Frankivsk 9 Hennadiy Orbu Shakhtar Donetsk 9 (1)10 Valentyn Platonov Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih 9 Vitaliy Mintenko Metalurh Donetsk 9 (2) Volodymyr Haschyn Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih 9 (3)
See also 1997–98 Persha Liha 1997–98 Druha Liha 1997–98 Ukrainian Cup
External links ukrsoccerhistory.com - source of information