2016 Latvian Higher League

The 2016 Latvian Higher League was the 25th season of top-tier football in Latvia. FK Liepāja were the defending champions. The season began on 11 March 2016 and ended on 5 November 2016; the relegation play-offs took place on 9 and 13 November 2016.

Latvian Higher League
Season2016
ChampionsSpartaks Jūrmala
1st title
RelegatedBFC Daugavpils
Champions LeagueSpartaks Jūrmala
Europa LeagueJelgava
Ventspils
Matches played112
Goals scored252 (2.25 per match)
Top goalscorerĢirts Karlsons (17 goals)
Biggest home winJelgava 4–0 Rīgas Futbola skola
(12 March 2016)[1]
Spartaks Jūrmala 5–1 Ventspils
(10 June 2016)[2]
Biggest away winBFC Daugavpils 0–5 Ventspils
(16 April 2016)[3]
Highest scoringJelgava 4–3 Ventspils
(22 June 2016)[4]
Liepāja 4–3 Spartaks Jūrmala
(24 July 2016)[5]
← 2015
2017 →

Teams

FB Gulbene were excluded from the previous season due to suspicion of match-fixing.[6] 2015 Latvian First League winners FC Caramba/Dinamo were promoted to the league and before the season changed their name to Riga FC.[7]

Skonto FC did not obtain a license to play in the 2016 Higher League.[8] Skonto appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied.[9] Since 2015 Latvian First League runners-up Valmiera Glass FK/BSS turned down the opportunity to be promoted to the Higher League, third-placed Rīgas Futbola skola (RFS) was promoted instead.[8]

Stadiums and locations
Locations of the 2016 Latvian Higher League teams
Club Location Stadium Capacity
BFC Daugavpils Daugavpils Celtnieks Stadium 1,980
FK Jelgava Jelgava Zemgales Olimpiskais Sporta Centrs 1,560
FK Liepāja Liepāja Daugava Stadium 5,000
FS Metta/LU Riga Hanzas vidusskolas futbola laukums 500
Riga FC Riga Skonto Stadium 9,500
FK RFS Riga Stadions Arkādija 500
FK Spartaks Jūrmala Jūrmala Slokas Stadium 2,500
FK Ventspils Ventspils Olimpiskais Stadium 3,200

Kits manufacturer and sponsors
Club Kit manufacturer Sponsor
BFC Daugavpils Adidas Intergaz
FK Jelgava Nike Igate
FK Liepāja Adidas Mogo
FS Metta/LU Nike
Riga FC Jako
FK RFS Nike LNK Group
FK Spartaks Jūrmala Nike Hanseatisches Fußball Kontor
FK Ventspils Adidas VK Tranzīts

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Spartaks Jūrmala (C) 28 17 4 7 46 22 +24 55 Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
2 Jelgava 28 16 3 9 37 24 +13 51[lower-alpha 1] Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[lower-alpha 2]
3 Ventspils 28 15 6 7 47 28 +19 51[lower-alpha 1]
4 Liepāja 28 12 6 10 38 31 +7 42
5 Riga 28 8 12 8 28 24 +4 36
6 FK RFS 28 9 8 11 22 31 −9 35
7 METTA/LU (O) 28 8 6 14 32 47 −15 30 Qualification for the relegation play-offs
8 BFC Daugavpils (R) 28 2 5 21 13 56 −43 11 Relegation to the Latvian First League
Source: Virslĩga (in Latvian), UEFA, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Fairplay ranking; 7) Play-off.[10][11]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. Head-to-head record; Ventspils–Jelgava 1–0, Jelgava–Ventspils 4–3, Jelgava–Ventspils 2–0, Ventspils–Jelgava 1–2.
  2. Since the winner of the 2016–17 Latvian Football Cup (Ventspils) qualified for European competition based on their league position, the spot awarded to the Cup winner (Europa League first qualifying round) was passed to the next best-placed team (in this case, to the fourth-placed team).

Relegation play-offs

The 7th-placed side, FS METTA/LU, faced AFA Olaine, runners-up of the 2016 Latvian First League in a two-legged play-off, with the winner being awarded a spot in the 2017 Higher League competition.

First leg
AFA Olaine1–1METTA/LU
Asgarov 85' Report Uldriķis 52'
Olaines pilsētas stadions, Olaine
Attendance: 150
Referee: Mareks Ķere

Second leg
METTA/LU1–0AFA Olaine
Šibass 10' Report
Hanzas vidusskolas futbola laukums, Riga
Attendance: 250
Referee: Aleksandrs Anufrijevs

METTA/LU won 2–1 on aggregate and retained their place in the 2017 Higher League.

Results

Season statistics

Top scorers
As of 29 October 2016
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Latvia Ģirts Karlsons Ventspils 17
2 Belarus Dzmitry Platonaw Spartaks 11
3 Latvia Jevgēņijs Kazačoks Spartaks 10
4 Latvia Eduards Tīdenbergs Ventspils 8
5 Latvia Edgars Gauračs Liepāja/Spartaks 7
Latvia Gļebs Kļuškins Jelgava
7 Latvia Andrejs Kovaļovs Jelgava 6
Latvia Oskars Kļava Liepāja
Latvia Roberts Uldriķis FS Metta/LU
Latvia Raivis Jurkovskis FK RFS
Russia Yevgeni Kozlov Spartaks

Updated to match(es) played on 29 October 2016.
Source:UEFA

References
  1. "JELGAVA VS. RĪGAS FS 4 - 0". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  2. "SPARTAKS JŪRMALA VS. VENTSPILS 5 - 1". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  3. "BFC DAUGAVPILS VS. VENTSPILS 0 - 5". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  4. "JELGAVA VS. VENTSPILS 4 - 3". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  5. "LIEPĀJA VS. SPARTAKS JŪRMALA 4 - 3". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  6. 'Gulbenes' dublieru komanda varēs turpināt piedalīties Latvijas dublieru čempionātā, Delfi, 4 June 2015, accessed 22 February 2015
  7. ""Caramba/Dinamo" pārmaiņas: jauns treneris, cits nosaukums un stadions". sportacentrs.com (in Latvian). 22 December 2015.
  8. "LFF Klubu licencēšanas komisijas 29. janvāra lēmums". lff.lv (in Latvian). 29 January 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  9. "Apelāciju komisija atstāj negrozītu Klubu licencēšanas komisijas lēmumu par LFF-A licences nepiešķiršanu "Skonto" FC". lff.lv (in Latvian). 11 February 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  10. "2016. GADA LATVIJAS VIRSLĪGAS FUTBOLA ČEMPIONĀTA REGLAMENTS" (PDF) (in Latvian). Latvian Football Federation. 29 January 2016. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  11. "Virsliga 2016 - Season rules". Scoresway. Archived from the original on 15 January 2017. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  12. "LFF DK 7. NOVEMBRA SĒDES LĒMUMI" (in Latvian). LFF. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
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