Latvian Higher League 1939-40 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 1939-40 football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

season was the 13th season of the Latvia

Latvia

Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...

n Virsliga

Virsliga

-Past Virslīga winners:-Top scorers:-Riga football league winners:* 1910 Union Riga* 1911 British FC Riga* 1912 Union Riga* 1913 British FC Riga* 1914 British FC Riga* 1915 British FC Riga-Champions of Latvia before Virslīga:* 1922 Ķeizarmežs...

. It was also the last season of football in independent Latvia before its annexation by the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

(the last matches of the season were played with Latvia already being part of the USSR).

Competition modus

Every team played two games against each other team, one at home and one away. Teams received two points for a win and one point for a draw.

Team changes to 1938-39

16.JAPSK were relegated to Zemgale league after losing additional matches for the 6-8th places in the previous Virsliga

Virsliga

season against US and Hakoah Riga. They were replaced by the winner of the promotion battles VEF Riga

FK VEF Riga

VEF Rīga was a football club in Latvia, one of the strongest teams in the Latvian league between 1945 and 1994.-Team history:...

who beat out Venstpils Spars in the decisive match for a Virsliga berth.

Season overview

The battle for the title was mostly between the defending champions Olimpija Liepāja

Olimpija Liepaja

Olimpija Liepāja was Latvian football club that in the 1920-1930s was one of the strongest in Latvia and with which played many Latvia national football team footballers. It was from the city of Liepāja.-History:...

and the former champions RFK

Rigas FK

Riga FK was a Latvian football club which was founded December 14, 1923. It was the strongest and most popular Latvian football club in 1920s and 1930s, it was also the base team for Latvia national football team in its early years...

. Until midseason Hakoah Riga also kept up in the race but it fell back later in the season. Olimpija squad suffered a serious loss when five of its footballers were disqualified because of problems with discipline by the club for a longer period. Those included leading players like Roberts Heiblihs

Roberts Heiblihs

Roberts Heiblihs was a Latvian footballer, one of the most notable footballers in Liepāja of the 1940s.-Biography:Heiblihs was born in Liepāja in 1918. In 1936 he joined Olimpija Liepāja, the city's top football club which had lost six of its main players...

, Pēteris Jurčenko

Peteris Jurcenko

Pēteris Jurčenko was a Latvian footballer and football manager, notable for playing with one of the leading clubs in Latvian pre-war football - Olimpija Liepāja....

and Fricis Laumanis

Fricis Laumanis

Fricis Laumanis was a Latvian football defender the most capped footballer from Liepāja for the Latvia national football team before World War II next to Rūdolfs Kronlaks and Harijs Lazdiņš.-Biography:...

. Eventually the disqualification of Laumanis was shortened but both Jurčenko and Heiblihs missed out nearly the entire season. In their absence the young forward from Kuldīga

Kuldiga

Kuldīga is a town in western Latvia. It is the center of Kuldīga municipality with a population of approximately 13,500.Kuldīga was first mentioned in 1242. It joined the Hanseatic League in 1368...

Bērziņš became the clubs leading goalscorer.

Final classification

Team	Pts	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	+/-
1.	Rīgas FK Rigas FK Riga FK was a Latvian football club which was founded December 14, 1923. It was the strongest and most popular Latvian football club in 1920s and 1930s, it was also the base team for Latvia national football team in its early years... (C)	23	14	10	3	1	40	11	+29
2.	Olimpija Liepāja Olimpija Liepaja Olimpija Liepāja was Latvian football club that in the 1920-1930s was one of the strongest in Latvia and with which played many Latvia national football team footballers. It was from the city of Liepāja.-History:...	21	14	9	3	2	42	21	+21
3.	ASK FK ASK FK ASK Riga was a Latvian football club of the Latvian army, founded in 1923. In the 1920s and 1930s it was one of the leading clubs in Latvia. In 1940s it was disbanded, a new football club of the Soviet army was created in Riga under the name FK AVN, later AVN was renamed to ASK...	16	14	6	4	4	40	26	+14
4.	Hakoah Riga	15	14	7	1	6	21	25	-4
5.	Rīgas Vilki	12	14	5	2	7	29	26	+3
6.	VEF FK VEF Riga VEF Rīga was a football club in Latvia, one of the strongest teams in the Latvian league between 1945 and 1994.-Team history:...	10	14	3	4	7	26	39	-13
7.	US	8	14	2	4	8	20	38	-18
8.	RKSB	7	14	2	3	9	17	49	-32

Top goalscorers

15 goals Fricis Kaņeps

Fricis Kaneps

Fricis Kaņeps was a Latvian footballer. He was one of the most powerful Latvian forwards of the 1930s who didn't have a very good technique but compensated it mostly by his physical strength...

(RFK
Rigas FK
Riga FK was a Latvian football club which was founded December 14, 1923. It was the strongest and most popular Latvian football club in 1920s and 1930s, it was also the base team for Latvia national football team in its early years...

) Aleksandrs Vanags

Aleksandrs Vanags

Aleksandrs Vanags , aka Alexandre Vanags, was a Latvian football and basketball player. At a young age he debuted in the Latvia national football team, after World War II he played football in France.-Biography:...

Vaclavs Borduško

Vaclavs Borduško was a Latvian international footballer, a two-time champion of Latvia.-Biography:...

(ASK
FK ASK
FK ASK Riga was a Latvian football club of the Latvian army, founded in 1923. In the 1920s and 1930s it was one of the leading clubs in Latvia. In 1940s it was disbanded, a new football club of the Soviet army was created in Riga under the name FK AVN, later AVN was renamed to ASK...

)

12 goals J.Bērziņš (Olimpija Liepāja
Olimpija Liepaja
Olimpija Liepāja was Latvian football club that in the 1920-1930s was one of the strongest in Latvia and with which played many Latvia national football team footballers. It was from the city of Liepāja.-History:...

)

10 goals Edgars Klāvs (US) Ēriks Raisters

Eriks Raisters

Ēriks Raisters was a Latvian right-wing football forward who played 27 international matches for Latvia between 1934 and 1940.-Club playing career:...

Janis Rozitis

Jānis Rozītis was a Latvian football forward, a two time champion of Latvia and a Latvia national football team regular in mid 1930s.-Biography:...

(VEF
FK VEF Riga
VEF Rīga was a football club in Latvia, one of the strongest teams in the Latvian league between 1945 and 1994.-Team history:...

) Voldemārs Apsēns (Olimpija Liepāja
Olimpija Liepaja
Olimpija Liepāja was Latvian football club that in the 1920-1930s was one of the strongest in Latvia and with which played many Latvia national football team footballers. It was from the city of Liepāja.-History:...

)

7 goals Ernests Ziņģis (Olimpija Liepāja
Olimpija Liepaja
Olimpija Liepāja was Latvian football club that in the 1920-1930s was one of the strongest in Latvia and with which played many Latvia national football team footballers. It was from the city of Liepāja.-History:...

)

Champion Squad

1.	RFK
\|- bgcolor="#E8E8E8" align="left"\| Goalkeepers: Herberts Briedis (12); Voldemārs Liepiņš (2). Field players: Pēteris Lauks Peteris Lauks Pēteris Lauks was a Latvian football defender, one of the most capped footballers for Latvia national football team before World War II.-Biography:... (14); Ēriks Raisters Eriks Raisters Ēriks Raisters was a Latvian right-wing football forward who played 27 international matches for Latvia between 1934 and 1940.-Club playing career:... (14 / 10); Fricis Kaņeps Fricis Kaneps Fricis Kaņeps was a Latvian footballer. He was one of the most powerful Latvian forwards of the 1930s who didn't have a very good technique but compensated it mostly by his physical strength... (14 / 15); Jānis Lidmanis Janis Lidmanis Jānis Lidmanis was a Latvian footballer and basketballer. In 1930s he was the captain of Latvia national football team for which he made 55 appearances and scored 2 goals.... (13); Francis Krupšs (12 / 3); Leons Freimanis (11 / 2); Ernests Volgasts (11 / 1); Sergejs Maģers Sergejs Magers Sergejs Maģers was a Latvian footballer who played for Latvia national football team in late 1930s.Maģers as a footballer was found by Rīgas FK in Rēzekne and soon he was invited to play in the Latvian national team... (8); Kārlis Upenieks (7 / 5); Vadims Ulbergs Vadims Ulbergs Vadims Ulbergs was a Latvian football player and manager, one of the most respected veterans of Latvian football.-Biography:... (7); Aleksandrs Rehtšprehers (6 / 2); Jānis Dobelis (6 / 1); Roberts Prūsis (6); Oskars Rusmanis (6); Ēriks Pētersons Eriks Petersons Ēriks Pētersons was Latvian footballer and hockey player. In time between 1929–1939 he played 63 international matches and scored 21 goal for Latvia national team. He also played in Latvian national ice hockey team, where he appeared in 8 matches... (4); Alfrēds Blūms (1). (league appearances and goals listed in brackets)

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