1998 Russian First Division
Introduction The '''Russian First Division 1998''' was the seventh edition of the Russian First Division. The competition was renamed from Russian First League to Russian First Division this year.
Overview  Team Head coach FC Saturn Ramenskoye Sergei Pavlov FC Lokomotiv Nizhny Novgorod Valeri Ovchinnikov FC Sokol Saratov Anatoli Radenko  (until May)Anatoli Aslamov (caretaker, May–June)Vladimir Fedotov (from June) FC Kristall Smolensk Valeri Nenenko FC Arsenal Tula Yevhen Kucherevskyi  FC Lada-Grad Dimitrovgrad Vladimir Yevsyukov FC Rubin Kazan Igor Volchok (until May)Miodrag Radanović  (caretaker, May)Aleksandr Irkhin (from June) FC Dynamo Stavropol Boris Stukalov FC Gazovik-Gazprom Izhevsk Vyacheslav Melnikov (until April)Aleksandr Salnov (caretaker, April–August)Viktor Slesarev (from August) FC Fakel Voronezh Sergei Savchenkov FC Lokomotiv Chita Aleksandr Kovalyov FC Anzhi Makhachkala Eduard Malofeyev  (until June)Aleksandr Reshetnyak (caretaker, June–August)Pyotr Shubin (September)Aleksandr Reshetnyak (caretaker, from September) FC Metallurg Lipetsk Vladimir Fedotov (until June)Yuri Shishlov (caretaker, June)Valeri Tretyakov (from June) FC Tom Tomsk Vladimir Yurin PFC Spartak Nalchik Viktor Kumykov (until July)Viktor Zernov (July to October)Aslanbek Khantsev (from October) FC Lokomotiv St. Petersburg Givi Nodia  FC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk Gennadi Sarychev (until June)Vladimir Morozov (caretaker, June)Boris Sinitsyn (from June) FC Druzhba Maykop Vitali Aksyonov (until July)Soferbi Yeshugov (from July) FC Lada-Togliatti-VAZ Togliatti Vladimir Dergach (until October)Igor Golubtsov (October)Aleksandr Garmashov (from November) FC Kuban Krasnodar Valeri Sinau (until May)Adolf Poskotin (from May) FC Irtysh Omsk Aleksandr Ivchenko (until July)Gennadi Kostylev (from July) FC KAMAZ-Chally Naberezhnye Chelny Ivan Butaliy
Standings
Top goalscorers ;27 goals* Andradina  (FC Arsenal Tula);19 goals* Igor Gavrilin (FC Saturn Ramenskoye);18 goals* Vladyslav Zubkov  (FC Lokomotiv Nizhny Novgorod);17 goals* Gurban Gurbanov  (FC Dynamo Stavropol)* Valeri Shushlyakov (FC Kristall Smolensk);16 goals* Aleksei Chernov (FC Lada-Grad Dimitrovgrad);15 goals* Oleg Garin (FC Lokomotiv Nizhny Novgorod)* Ibragim Gasanbekov  (FC Anzhi Makhachkala)* Aleksandr Kuzmichyov (FC Rubin Kazan)* Vladimir Lebed (FC Sokol Saratov)
Promotion play-offs FC Torpedo-ZIL Moscow promoted to the Russian First Division for 1999 on aggregate, FC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk relegated to the Russian Second Division.
See also *Russian Top Division 1998*Russian Second Division 1998