2002–03 Juventus F.C. season, Season review, Europe
All three North Italian clubs succeeded in Europe. Along with the two Milan clubs, Juventus were one of the three Italian sides who appeared in the semi-finals that season. Juventus eliminated the only remaining non-Italian team, Real Madrid, to set up an all-Italian final with Milan, who had beaten Inter in the other semi-final. The final, played at Old Trafford in Manchester, ended 0–0 with Milan winning on penalties. Normally reliable goalscorer David Trezeguet was among the players who missed their attempts.


2002–03 Juventus F.C. season, Season review, Europe
It was Juventus' best run in the competition since the 1997–98 season, where they had also been beaten finalists. However, the Bianconeri's run to the final actually involved a lot of tough moments. After impressing in the first group stage, topping their group (which included Feyenoord, Dynamo Kyiv and Newcastle United) and conceding just three goals in six matches (the best defence of all 32 teams competing), Juventus struggled in the second group stage.


2002–03 Juventus F.C. season, Season review, Europe
Drawn in Group D alongside Basel, Deportivo La Coruña and Manchester United, Juventus were beaten by Manchester United both at Old Trafford and at home at the Stadio delle Alpi and also lost to Basel in Switzerland. Eventually, they scraped by as group runners-up behind Manchester United.


2002–03 Juventus F.C. season, Season review, Europe
More epic games awaited them, with Barcelona next on their agenda. While struggling in their domestic league, Barcelona had impressed in both group stages, topping their group every time and establishing a new record of nine consecutive wins in the competition. The first leg of the quarter-final in Turin finished 1–1, Javier Saviola's 78th-minute goal equalising Paolo Montero's early goal. Barcelona appeared to be in a fine position heading into the second leg at the Camp Nou. There, Pavel Nedvěd scored first for Juventus, but the Catalans soon equalised through Xavi. When Edgar Davids was sent-off for repeated fouling, the Bianconeri were seemingly doomed. However, ten-man Juventus held on until extra time, and with six minutes left on the clock, substitute Marcelo Zalayeta scored a second goal to advance the club to the semi-finals.


2002–03 Juventus F.C. season, Season review, Europe
Even tougher opposition was awaiting them in the following round in Real Madrid. Madrid had won three of the previous five editions of the competition and presented a star-studded squad with players such as Iker Casillas, Roberto Carlos, Luís Figo, Raúl, Ronaldo and former Juventus playmaker Zinedine Zidane. They had imperiously seen off the challenge of Manchester United in the quarter-finals and were in search of their tenth European Cup/Champions League title.


2002–03 Juventus F.C. season, Season review, Europe
The first leg was played in Madrid on 6 May. Real Madrid scored with Ronaldo, but David Trezeguet equalised. The second half saw Roberto Carlos grab a second goal for the home side.


2002–03 Juventus F.C. season, Season review, Europe
In the return leg on 14 May, Juventus set out to attack and were rewarded for their efforts with just 12 minutes gone. A fine collective move saw Gianluca Zambrotta cross from deep for Alessandro Del Piero, who headed back into the six-yard box for David Trezeguet to smash home. Just before half-time, Del Piero beat goalkeeper Casillas at his near post with a well-placed shot. Del Piero thus maintained his tradition of scoring key goals against Real Madrid, having already done so as a 21-year-old in a 1996 quarter-final tie.


2002–03 Juventus F.C. season, Season review, Europe
Real Madrid earned a penalty after 65 minutes, but Gianluigi Buffon saved Luís Figo's effort, thus keeping his side's two-goal advantage. On 73 minutes, Pavel Nedvěd made it 3–0, but he received a yellow card for a rash challenge in the closing minutes of the match, meaning he would miss the final through suspension. On 89 minutes, Zidane, playing on the pitch which had been his home for five seasons, pulled one back for Real Madrid. The match ended 3–1 as Juventus qualified for the final.


2002–03 Juventus F.C. season, Season review, Key players
For the league title, Nedvěd was considered the key player, also winning the European Player of the Year award. With five goals scored, he was — alongside Alessandro Del Piero — the club's joint top goalscorer in the Champions League.


2002–03 Juventus F.C. season, Season review, Key players
Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram, Ciro Ferrara, Edgar Davids and Alessandro Del Piero all made key contributions to the squad, but the biggest surprise was Mauro Camoranesi. Signed from Hellas Verona in the summer of 2002, the Argentinian-born midfielder adapted with ease to his new surroundings and was one of the club's best players for the first seven months of the season. In April and May 2003, he suffered from a slight loss of form which did not change the fact that he had significantly contributed to a positive season for the club.


2002–03 Juventus F.C. season, Season review, Key players
2001–02 topscorer David Trezeguet suffered from a knee injury in pre-season practice. He recovered strongly from this setback, but his absence gave the opportunity to Marcelo Zalayeta and Marco Di Vaio to play more matches than would be expected, with Zalayeta in particular scoring some key goals.


2002–03 K.R.C. Genk season
During the 2002–03 Belgian football season, K.R.C. Genk competed in the Belgian First Division.


2002–03 K.R.C. Genk season, Season summary
Genk had a disappointing season and finished sixth, failing to qualify for any European competitions. They did accomplish the feat of making their debut in the Champions League group stages, but only picked up 4 points and finished bottom of their group.


2002–03 K.R.C. Genk season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 K.R.C. Genk season, Results, UEFA Champions League, Third qualifying round
Genk 4–4 Sparta Prague on aggregate. Genk won on away goals.


2002–03 KBL season
The 2002–03 Anycall Professional Basketball season was the seventh season of the Korean Basketball League.


2002–03 KNVB Cup
The 2002–03 KNVB Cup was the 85th edition of the tournament. The competition started on 6 August 2002 and the final was played on 1 June 2003. FC Utrecht won the cup for the second time by beating Feyenoord 4–1. A total of 86 clubs participated.


2002–03 KNVB Cup, Group stage
The matches of the group stage were played between August 6 and September 4, 2002.


2002–03 KNVB Cup, Knock-out phase, First round
The matches of the first round were played on November 5 and 6, 2002. Eredivisie clubs NAC Breda and Willem II entered the tournament this round. During the group stage, they were still active in the Intertoto Cup.


2002–03 KNVB Cup, Knock-out phase, Second round
The matches of the second round were played on December 3 and 4, 2002.


2002–03 KNVB Cup, Knock-out phase, Round of 16
The matches were played on February 4 and 5, 2003. The six Eredivisie clubs that had been active in European competitions after qualification last season entered the tournament this round.


2002–03 KNVB Cup, Knock-out phase, Quarter-finals
The matches of the quarter finals were played on 4-5 March 2003.


2002–03 KNVB Cup, Knock-out phase, Semi-finals
The matches of the semi-finals were played on 15-16 April 2003.


2002–03 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team
The 2002–03 Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team represented the University of Kansas in the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, which was the Jayhawks' 105th basketball season and the 15th and final season under head coach Roy Williams. The team played its home games in Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.


2002–03 Kategoria e Dytë
The 2002–03 Kategoria e Dytë was the 56th season of a second-tier association football league in Albania.


2002–03 Kategoria e Dytë, Championship playoff
Note: Originally, first tie-breaker is goal difference, second penalty shoot-outs won; however, the Albanian Football Association was decided to have another play-off match instead.


2002–03 Kazakhstan Hockey Championship
The 2002–03 Kazakhstan Hockey Championship was the 11th season of the Kazakhstan Hockey Championship, the top level of ice hockey in Kazakhstan. Seven teams participated in the league, and Kazzinc-Torpedo won the championship.


2002–03 Kent Football League
The 2002–03 Kent Football League season was the 37th in the history of Kent Football League a football competition in England.


2002–03 Kent Football League, Clubs
The league featured 16 clubs which competed in the previous season, no new clubs joined the league this season.


2002–03 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
The 2002–03 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented University of Kentucky. The head coach was Tubby Smith, who was in his sixth season as the Wildcats head coach. For the program, it was the 100th season of Kentucky Wildcats basketball. The team was a member of the Southeast Conference and played their home games at Rupp Arena.


2002–03 Kilmarnock F.C. season
The 2002–03 season was Kilmarnock's fourth consecutive season in the Scottish Premier League, having competed in it since its inauguration in 1998–99. Kilmarnock also competed in the Scottish Cup and the League Cup.


2002–03 Kilmarnock F.C. season, Summary, Season
In their first full season under Jim Jefferies, Kilmarnock finished fourth in the Scottish Premier League with 57 points. They reached the second round of the League Cup, losing to Airdrie United, and the third round of the Scottish Cup, losing to Motherwell.


2002–03 Knoxville Ice Bears season
The 2002–03 Knoxville Ice Bears season was the franchise's first season in existence. The team was formed when the Knoxville Speed folded after the 2001–02 United Hockey League season.


2002–03 Knoxville Ice Bears season
The Ice Bears played their inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League. They finished with a 36-21-2 record, good for 2nd in the ACHL standings, behind the Orlando Seals. In the playoffs, the Ice Bears swept the St. Pete/Winston-Salem Parrots 3 Games to 0, but were swept by Orlando in the ACHL Finals.


2002–03 Knoxville Ice Bears season
After the season, head coach Tony Martino left to coach HC Varese and Tommy Benizio was not retained as general manager. In addition, the ACHL folded, and the Ice Bears moved to the newly formed South East Hockey League, along with the Fayetteville FireAntz. The Ice Bears averaged 3,643 fans a game in their inaugural season, which was first in the ACHL.


2002–03 Kuwaiti Premier League, Overview
It was contested by 8 teams, and Al Qadisiya Kuwait won the championship.


2002–03 LEB 2 season
The 2002–03 LEB 2 season was the 3rd season of the LEB Plata, second league of the Liga Española de Baloncesto and third division in Spain.


2002–03 LEB 2 season, Competition format
16 teams play during the regular season. It is a round robin tournament, where each team will play against every rival twice. After the regular season, the eight top ranked teams play in the playoffs, were the two finalists are promoted to LEB.


2002–03 LEB 2 season, Competition format
The last qualified team was relegated to Liga EBA, with the loser of the relegation playoffs, played by the 16th and the 17th qualified teams.


2002–03 LEB 2 season, Competition format
If two or more teams have got the same number of winning games, the criteria of tie-breaking are these:


2002–03 LEB season
The 2002–2003 LEB season was the 7th season of the Liga Española de Baloncesto, second tier of the Spanish basketball.


2002–03 LEB season, LEB Oro Playoffs
The two winners of the semifinals are promoted to Liga ACB.


2002–03 LEB season, Relegation playoffs
CB Ciudad de Huelva and Ulla Oil Rosalía, relegated to LEB-2.


2002–03 LEN Champions League
The 2002–03 LEN Champions League was the 40th edition of LEN's premier competition for men's water polo clubs. It ran from 16 October 2002 to 17 May 2003, and it was contested by 29 teams. The Final Four (semifinals, final, and third place game) took place on May 16 and May 17 in Genoa.


2002–03 LEN Cup Winners' Cup
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Phikia (talk | contribs) at 03:03, 21 January 2020 (→External links:  {{International-waterpolo-competition-stub}}). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


2002–03 LEN Cup Winners' Cup
The 2002–03 LEN Cup Winners' Cup is the ongoing 29th edition of LEN's second-tier competition for men's water polo clubs.


2002–03 La Liga
The 2002–03 La Liga season, the 72nd since its establishment, started on 31 August 2002 and finished on 22 June 2003.


2002–03 La Liga, Teams
Twenty teams competed in the league – the top seventeen teams from the previous season and the three teams promoted from the Segunda División. The promoted teams were Atlético Madrid, Racing Santander and Recreativo, returning to the top flight after an absence of two, one and twenty three years respectively. They replaced Las Palmas, Tenerife and Zaragoza after spending time in the top flight for two, one and twenty four years respectively.


2002–03 La Liga, Awards, Pichichi Trophy
The Pichichi Trophy is awarded to the player who scores the most goals in a season.


2002–03 La Liga, Awards, Fair Play award
Real Madrid was the winner of the Fair-play award, with 76 points; second was Real Sociedad; and third was Deportivo La Coruña.


2002–03 Latvian Hockey League season
The 2002-03 Latvian Hockey League season was the 12th season of the Latvian Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Latvia. Six teams participated in the league, and HK Liepājas Metalurgs won the championship.


2002–03 League of Ireland First Division
The 2002–03 League of Ireland First Division season was the 18th season of the League of Ireland First Division. The First Division was contested by 12 teams. Waterford United won the title while Finn Harps won the First Division Cup, a one-off tournament staged this season.


2002–03 League of Ireland First Division, Overview, First Division Cup
Between July and August the 12 teams competed in the First Division Cup. The teams were divided into two regionalised groups and played a single round of games. The two group winners then qualified for the final. On 6 July 2002 Kildare County, the First Division's newest members, made their competitive debut against Limerick at Station Road. Philip Gorman and Shey Zellor scored for County as they won 2–0. County went on to win their regional group and qualify for the final but lost 4–0 on aggregate to Finn Harps.


2002–03 League of Ireland First Division, Overview, Regular season
The regular season began in August  and concluded in January. It used a round-robin format which saw each team play 22 games. Under manager Jimmy McGeough and with a team that included Dan Connor, Waterford United won the title and were automatically promoted to the 2003 Premier Division.


2002–03 League of Ireland First Division, Overview, Promotion/Relegation Play-off
The promotion/relegation play-off format was changed this season. It now featured four teams, the second, third and fourth placed teams from the First Division plus Drogheda United, the ninth placed team from the 2002–03 League of Ireland Premier Division.


2002–03 League of Ireland First Division, Overview, Promotion/Relegation Play-off, Final
Drogheda United win 3–2 on aggregate and retain their place in the Premier Division.


2002–03 League of Ireland Premier Division
The 2002–03 League of Ireland Premier Division was the 18th season of the League of Ireland Premier Division. The division was made up of 10 teams. Bohemians were declared champions.


2002–03 League of Ireland Premier Division, Regular season
The 2003 season would see the League of Ireland Premier Division change from a winter league to a summer league. To facilitate this change, the 2002–03 season was a shortened season. This saw each team play three rounds of games, totalling 27 games each.


2002–03 League of Ireland Premier Division, Promotion/Relegation Play-off
The promotion/relegation play-off format was changed this season. It now featured four teams, the second, third and fourth placed teams from the 2002–03 League of Ireland First Division plus the ninth placed team from the Premier Division.


2002–03 League of Ireland Premier Division, Promotion/Relegation Play-off, Final
Drogheda United win 3–2 on aggregate and retain their place in the Premier Division.


2002–03 Leeds United A.F.C. season
The 2002–03 season saw Leeds United compete in the Premier League (known as the Barclaycard Premiership for sponsorship reasons).


2002–03 Leeds United A.F.C. season, Season summary
When Terry Venables was appointed as manager, much was expected at Leeds as Venables had previously brought success to Tottenham and Barcelona before taking England to the semi finals of Euro 96. But the looming debt Leeds were now facing meant they couldn't keep star defender Rio Ferdinand, who was sold to Manchester Utd for $30 million. After the season began, striker Robbie Keane was also sold to Tottenham. Despite the rough start, Leeds began well, as back to back wins over Newcastle and Manchester Utd put Leeds top after 6 games.


2002–03 Leeds United A.F.C. season, Season summary
But a 1–4 loss to Arsenal, and later 0–1 to Liverpool, saw Leeds' form begin to drop. Utd were then embarrassingly knocked out the league cup by Sheffield Utd, and despite wins in the UEFA Cup Leeds' spiralling debts meant manager Terry Venables was forced to sell more top players. Lee Bowyer and mid fielder Olivier Dacourt soon left the club, and over time defenders Danny Mills and Jonathan Woodagte, as well as striker Robbie Fowler, were all sold. In the league, Leeds was losing consecutive games to Bolton, Charlton and Fulham.


2002–03 Leeds United A.F.C. season, Season summary
They were now out of the UEFA Cup and were slipping towards the relegation zone. Pressure was mounting on Venables, but was eased at times when Leeds won vital victories, with 16 year old James Milner scoring in consecutive games to secure those victories. Defender Matthew Kilgalion and mid fielder Frazier Richardson were also given debuts, despite reaching the quarter final of the FA cup where Leeds were again knocked out by Sheffield Utd.


2002–03 Leeds United A.F.C. season, Season summary
Venables, frustrated at the continued selling of key players, quit the club, and former Manchester City and Sunderland boss Peter Reid was appointed with 8 games left. With a 2–0 win over Fulham, and then later 3–2 over Arsenal, Mark Viduka in fantastic form saved Leeds from relegation. Utd finished in 15th place. However, only days after the season ended star striker Harry Kewell also left the club. With these accumulated departures, and finances still not under control, the worst was yet to come for Leeds.


2002–03 Leeds United A.F.C. season, Kit
Nike remained as Leeds United's kit sponsors, and introduced a new home kit for the season.


2002–03 Leeds United A.F.C. season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Leeds United A.F.C. season, First-team squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Leeds United A.F.C. season, Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Lega Basket Serie A
The 2002–03 Lega Basket Serie A, known as the Foxy Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 81st season of the Lega Basket Serie A, the highest professional basketball league in Italy.


2002–03 Lega Basket Serie A
The regular season ran from 22 September 2002 to 3 May 2003, the playoffs ran from 7 May 2003 to 17 June 2003.


2002–03 Lega Basket Serie A
Benetton Treviso won their 4th title after beating Skipper Bologna 3–1 in the finals series.


2002–03 Lega Basket Serie A, Playoffs
Bye: Benetton Treviso, Lottomatica Roma, Oregon Scientific Cantù, Montepaschi Siena


2002–03 Leicester City F.C. season
During the 2002–03 English football season, Leicester City F.C. competed in the Football League First Division after being relegated from the FA Premier League the previous season. Despite being placed into administration, Leicester managed to regain promotion to the Premier League.


2002–03 Leicester City F.C. season, Season summary
In October 2002, Leicester went into administration with debts of £30 million. Some of the reasons were the loss of TV money (ITV Digital, itself in administration, had promised money to First Division clubs for TV rights), the large wage bill, lower fees for players transferred to other clubs than expected and the £37 million cost of the new stadium. Manager Micky Adams was banned from the transfer market for most of the season, until the club was rescued by a takeover by a consortium led by former Leicester striker Gary Lineker. Adams guided Leicester to runners-up spot in Division One and automatic promotion back to the Premiership with 92 points. After several First Division clubs complained to the Football League, the Football League introduced a ruling that any club placed in administration would be deducted ten points.


2002–03 Leicester City F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Leicester City F.C. season, Squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Libyan Premier League
The 2002–03 Libyan Premier League was the 35th edition of the competition organised by the Libyan Football Federation, since the competition's inception in 1963. 14 sides competed in this season's competition, shown below. Al Ittihad won their second title in a row, their 10th overall. They were awarded the Libyan Star, and the golden star upon their badge signifies this.


2002–03 Liechtenstein Cup
The 2002–03 Liechtenstein Cup was the fifty-eighth season of Liechtenstein's annual cup competition. Seven clubs competed with a total of sixteen teams for one spot in the qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. Defending champions were FC Vaduz, who have won the cup continuously since 1998.


2002–03 Liga Alef
The 2002–2003 Liga Alef season saw Hapoel Herzliya (champions of the North Division) and Hapoel Tira (champions of the South Division) winning the title and promotion to 2003–04. During the summer, Beitar Avraham Be'er Sheva folded, and Hapoel Marmorek was promoted to 2003–04 as well.


2002–03 Liga Alef
At the bottom, Hapoel Hadera, Hapoel Tayibe (from North division) were all automatically relegated to Liga Bet, whilst Beitar Kiryat Gat and A.S. Ramat Eliyahu (from South division) were reprieved from relegation, after Beitar Avraham Be'er Sheva and Hapoel Dimona folded.


2002–03 Liga Artzit
The 2002–03 Liga Artzit season saw Hakoah Ramat Gan win the title and promotion to Liga Leumit alongside runners-up Ironi Kiryat Shmona. Hapoel Kafr Sumei and Hapoel Bat Yam were relegated to Liga Alef.


2002–03 Liga Bet
The 2002–03 Liga Bet season saw Hapoel Makr, Hapoel Reineh, F.C. Kafr Qasim and Beitar Giv'at Ze'ev win their regional divisions and promoted to Liga Alef.


2002–03 Liga Bet
At the bottom, Maccabi Bnei Yarka, Hapoel Kisra (from North A division), Hapoel Nahliel (from North B division), Shimshon Bnei Tayibe (from South A division), Hapoel Rahat and Hapoel Sde Uzziah (from South B division) were all automatically relegated to Liga Gimel.


2002–03 Liga Leumit
The 2002–03 Liga Leumit season saw Maccabi Ahi Nazareth and Bnei Sakhnin promoted to the Israeli Premier League, the first time that two Arab clubs would appear in the top division (at the end of the season, the first Arab club to play in the top division, Hapoel Tayibe, folded).


2002–03 Liga Leumit
Maccabi Kafr Kanna and Beitar Avraham Be'er Sheva were relegated to Liga Artzit.


2002–03 Liga Leumit
Hapoel Ramat Gan qualified for the UEFA Cup after becoming the first club from outside the top division to win the State Cup. They remain the only club not in the top flight to play in Europe.


2002–03 Liga Nacional de Hockey Hielo season
The 2002–03 Superliga Espanola de Hockey Hielo season was the 29th season of the Superliga Espanola de Hockey Hielo, the top level of ice hockey in Spain. Six teams participated in the league, and CH Jaca won the championship.


2002–03 Ligat Nashim
The 2002–03 Ligat Nashim was the fifth season of women's league football under the Israeli Football Association.


2002–03 Ligat Nashim
League play was interrupted as the clubs went on strike in protest over discrimination in budget allocation and financial difficulties. The matter was discussed in the Knesset's Committee on the Status of Women, resulting in an agreement which allowed the completion of the 2002–03 Israeli Women's Cup and the league.


2002–03 Ligat Nashim
The league was won by Maccabi Holon, who had beaten Maccabi Haifa 2–1 in a play-off match.


2002–03 Ligat Nashim, Format changes
For this season the league was split into two regional divisions with 6 teams in each division, playing a double round-robin schedule, after which the two top teams are to meet in a play-off series. Eventually, the two top teams met for a single match to decide the championship.


2002–03 Ligat Nashim, Play-off match
Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Holon met in a single play-off match to determine the winner, Maccabi Holon winning 2–1.


2002–03 Ligue 1
For the 2002–03 season, the French Division 1 was renamed as Ligue 1 and was expanded to contain 20 clubs, which played 38 matches against each other, rather than the 34 matches in previous seasons. Lyon won the 2002–03 Ligue 1 season of the French Association Football League with 68 points.


2002–03 Ligue 1, Final table
Promoted from Ligue 2, who will play in 2003–04 Ligue 1


2002–03 Ligue 2
The Ligue 2 season 2002–03, organised by the LFP was won by Toulouse FC and saw the promotions of Toulouse FC, Le Mans UC72 and FC Metz, whereas AS Beauvais, ES Wasquehal and Stade de Reims were relegated to National.


2002–03 Lithuanian Hockey League season
The 2002–03 Lithuanian Hockey League season was the 12th season of the Lithuanian Hockey League, the top level of ice hockey in Lithuania. 13 teams participated in the league, and SC Energija won the championship. SC Energija received a bye until the finals, as they played in the Eastern European Hockey League.


2002–03 Lithuanian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Lithuania in December 2002 and January 2003. In the first round on 22 December 2002, Valdas Adamkus held a large lead over Rolandas Paksas of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). However, Paksas defeated Adamkus in the second round held on 5 January 2003.


2002–03 Lithuanian presidential election
Seventeen candidates contested in these elections, making it the largest field of presidential candidates in presidential elections up to date.


2002–03 Liverpool F.C. season
During the 2002–03 English football season, Liverpool F.C. competed in the FA Premier League.


2002–03 Liverpool F.C. season, Season summary
Having finished second the previous season, Liverpool had high hopes to win their first league title since 1990. Indeed, they topped the Premier League table after their first 12 games (including a seven-game winning streak), picking up 30 points out of a possible 36, a run which saw them four points clear at the top from reigning champions Arsenal. However, on 9 November 2002, they suffered a surprise 1–0 away defeat at the hands of high-fliers Middlesbrough.


2002–03 Liverpool F.C. season, Season summary
This wasn't completely disastrous; it did see their lead cut to one point but three days later, they completed a miserable week after they bowed out of the Champions League after failure to beat Basel. That week's two results started a freefall of 13 matches without victory (including 11 league games) and a dismal run of only two wins in 16 league matches (both away at Southampton and West Ham United) which ended such title hopes. They were, in fact, out of the top 4 altogether never to return after a shock 2–1 defeat at struggling Sunderland.


2002–03 Liverpool F.C. season, Season summary
However, their first home league win in four months came in a 2–0 win over Bolton Wanderers on 8 March 2003, starting a more promising run of seven wins in eight league games which almost took the club to Champions League qualification anyway, but defeats at the hands of Manchester City and Chelsea in the final two games of the season buried those hopes. A League Cup win following a 2–0 victory over arch-rivals Manchester United was the sole glorious moment of a disappointing season.


2002–03 Liverpool F.C. season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Liverpool F.C. season, First-team squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Livingston F.C. season
Season 2002-03 saw Livingston compete in the Scottish Premier League. They also competed in the UEFA Cup, League Cup and the Scottish Cup.


2002–03 Livingston F.C. season, Summary
Livingston competed in Europe for the first time in their history during season 2002–03 reaching the first round of the Uefa Cup. They finished 9th in the Scottish Premier League, reached the Quarter finals of the Scottish Cup and were knocked out by Dunfermline in the third round of the Co-operative Insurance Cup after a replay.


2002–03 Logan Cup
The 2002–03 Logan Cup was a first-class cricket competition held in Zimbabwe from 11 October 2002 – 28 April 2003. It was won by Mashonaland, who won four of their six matches to top the table with 92 points.


2002–03 Los Angeles Clippers season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the Clippers' 33rd season in the National Basketball Association, and their 19th season in Los Angeles. The Clippers had the eighth pick in the 2002 NBA draft, and selected Chris Wilcox from the University of Maryland. During the offseason, the team acquired Andre Miller from the Cleveland Cavaliers. After a 12–16 start to the season, the Clippers lost six straight games, then posted an eight-game losing streak between February and March. Head coach Alvin Gentry was fired after a 19–39 start, and was replaced with former Boston Celtics legend Dennis Johnson. With players like Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, Lamar Odom, Michael Olowokandi, and Quentin Richardson all missing large parts of the season due to injuries, the team fell apart and sank back to the bottom of the Pacific Division with a 27–55 record.


2002–03 Los Angeles Clippers season
Brand led the team with 18.5 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, while Maggette provided the team with 16.8 points per game. Following the season, Johnson was fired as coach, Odom signed as a free agent with the Miami Heat, Miller signed with the Denver Nuggets, Olowokandi signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and longtime three-point specialist Eric Piatkowski signed with the Houston Rockets.


2002–03 Los Angeles Clippers season, Transactions
The Clippers have been involved in the following transactions during the 2002-03 season.


2002–03 Los Angeles Kings season
The 2002–03 Los Angeles Kings season was the Kings' 36th season in the National Hockey League.


2002–03 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season
The Kings tied the Detroit Red Wings, New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals for the fewest short-handed goals allowed, with just four.


2002–03 Los Angeles Kings season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.


2002–03 Los Angeles Kings season, Playoffs
The Kings failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1999, ending a three season playoff streak.


2002–03 Los Angeles Kings season, Transactions
The Kings were involved in the following transactions during the 2002–03 season.


2002–03 Los Angeles Kings season, Draft picks
Los Angeles's draft picks at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.


2002–03 Los Angeles Lakers season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the Lakers' 55th season in the National Basketball Association, and 43rd in the city of Los Angeles. The Lakers entered the season as the three-time defending champions, having defeated the New Jersey Nets in four straight games in the 2002 NBA Finals, winning their fourteenth NBA championship. With All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal sidelined after an off-season foot-surgery, the Lakers started 3–9. After he returned, the team only improved slowly, having an 11–19 record thirty games into the season, their worst start in ten years.


2002–03 Los Angeles Lakers season
However, the Lakers won 11 of their final 13 games ending the season with a 50–32 record, finishing fifth in the Western Conference. The season saw co-captain Kobe Bryant play all 82 games for the first time in his career. He and Shaq were selected to play in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta. Kobe finished in third place in MVP voting with 8 first-place votes. Shaq finished in fifth place in MVP voting with 3 first-place votes.


2002–03 Los Angeles Lakers season
Facing an uphill battle without home-court advantage, the Lakers managed to beat the 4th-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the playoffs, but fell to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs in the conference semifinals. Following the season, Robert Horry signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs, Mark Madsen signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Samaki Walker signed with the Miami Heat, and Brian Shaw retired.


2002–03 Los Angeles Lakers season
The season was overshadowed by the death of longtime Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn, who died after a fall in the summer of 2002, and to pay tribute, the Lakers donned an alternate white uniform, which can be only worn on Christmas and Sunday home games. The uniforms made its debut in a home loss against the Sacramento Kings on Christmas Day. They were designed by late owner Jerry Buss' daughter, who is now the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jeanie.


2002–03 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
The 2002–03 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville in the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Rick Pitino and the team finished the season with an overall record of 25–7.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season
The 2002–03 season was the 117th season in the history of Luton Town Football Club. The club's promotion from the Third Division in the previous season meant they competed back in the Second Division, their 82nd consecutive year in the Football League. Luton finished in ninth place, though a poor late run of games prevented the club from reaching the play-offs.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season
After almost three seasons of financial security, the first signs of a new wave of problematic cracks began to appear in the club's infrastructure during the season, triggering a series of events which would eventually result in disastrous consequences. John Gurney's highly controversial takeover of the club in May and subsequent sacking of popular managerial duo Joe Kinnear and Mick Harford led to the establishment of a Supporters' Trust to protect the future of the club. A bizarre and farcical phone-vote poll organised by Gurney proved to be the method of picking a new manager to replace Kinnear, with ex-Hartlepool United boss and former Luton player Mike Newell allegedly winning the most votes on 23 June.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season
This article covers the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Background
Joe Kinnear, appointed manager on 8 February 2001, had revived Luton's fortunes the previous season. A series of transfers had seen a complete turnaround in playing staff, making the squad unrecognisable from the one relegated from the Second Division two seasons previously. The team comfortably won promotion from the Third Division at the first attempt with the squad Kinnear had built, finishing as runners-up with 97 points and also ending the season as top scorers in the division. A key component of the squad, left winger Matthew Taylor, had been sold to Portsmouth for £400,000 at the end of the season.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Background
In June 2002 Kinnear signed Tony Thorpe, who had scored 55 goals for Luton in a previous seven-year stint spanning 1992 to 1999, on a free transfer from Bristol City, whilst Northern Ireland international midfielder Steve Robinson was bought from Preston North End for £50,000.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, Pre-Season
Very few transfer dealings were completed during pre-season, with key players having already signed contract extensions at the end of the previous season. Stuart Douglas, Richard Dryden, Adam Locke, Daryl Murphy and Scott Ward were all released, while four youth team players were given three-year scholar contracts, including Leon Barnett and Dean Brill. Jean-Louis Valois, a key player in the previous season, refused the offer of a new contract and left the club on 2 August to join Scottish Premier League club Hearts. Defender Alan Kimble, released from Wimbledon in the summer, signed a one-year contract with the club one week before the season started and, on 10 August, striker Robbie Winters signed a short-term deal from Scottish club Aberdeen.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, August and September
The opening games saw Luton fall to four losses and a draw, conceding 13 goals, before claiming a first victory in a 3–0 win over Chesterfield, though this still left the club near the bottom of the table. Robbie Winters left the club after just one game – a 3–2 loss to Peterborough United. Left-back Sol Davis was signed from Swindon Town for a fee of £60,000 on 16 August, and goalkeeper Ben Roberts, who had previously had a loan spell at Luton in 2000, signed on a one-month loan from Charlton Athletic a week later.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, August and September
September yielded an improvement in form as Luton finished the month two points above the relegation zone with eleven games played. Steve Howard continued his form from the previous season, netting seven goals in that time. On 10 September, Luton faced arch-rivals Watford in the League Cup – the first meeting between the two clubs in four years. In a game marred by violence between both sets of fans, Luton ran out 2–1 winners over the Hornets with goals from Matthew Spring, who scored a 25-yard strike that would later win Luton's Goal of the Season award, and Steve Howard. Luton were drawn to face Premier League side Aston Villa in the Second Round.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, October and November
A goalkeeping injury crisis saw the arrival of Frenchman Cédric Berthelin on a two-month contract from Ligue 1 side Lens on 2 October. Berthelin was named in the squad on the same day as the League Cup game at Aston Villa, which Luton lost 3–0. He played in nine league games throughout October and November as Luton recorded five victories and three draws, with a single loss coming against Northampton Town. This left the Hatters just outside the play-off positions on goal difference.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, October and November
Luton eased past Guiseley 4–0 in the FA Cup and recorded victories over Woking and Stevenage Borough in the Football League Trophy to reach the quarter-finals. The club were drawn against Cambridge United in the quarter-final of the Trophy, while Wigan Athletic were to be Luton's opponents in the Second Round of the FA Cup.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December and January
Goalkeeper Cédric Berthelin was offered a contract until the end of the season in late November. However, Joe Kinnear was later informed that, unless he trimmed his squad down, there would be no funds available to sign Berthelin or any other players. Kinnear admitted he was shocked at the sudden lack of money, which was partly due to the collapse of former Football League broadcaster ITV Digital, but made it clear that no players would be sold. This promise was affirmed later that day, with top scorer Steve Howard signing a two-year contract extension. Berthelin signed for First Division side Crystal Palace later that month.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December and January
A severely depleted Luton side was knocked out of the FA Cup on 7 December by Wigan and then, three days later, Cambridge United beat Luton 2–1 in extra time in the Football League Trophy. In the league, Luton recorded a loss, a draw and two wins to end December in sixth place in the table.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December and January
A loss to Chesterfield on New Year's Day turned out to be Luton's last game for almost three weeks due to poor weather. On 17 January, Kinnear revealed he had turned down the offer of an interview for the job of Irish national team manager. The next day, Luton beat Barnsley 3–2, despite being a goal down and having goalkeeper Carl Emberson sent off in the first half. A victory over Wycombe Wanderers a week later left Luton just outside the play-offs, though with games in hand over the teams above them.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December and January
Defender Chris Willmott, who started his career at Luton, joined the club on an initial month's loan from Wimbledon to ease a defensive injury crisis.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December and January
Meanwhile, developments off the pitch regarding a new stadium continued. Chairman Mike Watson-Challis revealed that he had bought a 55-acre (220,000 m2) piece of land off of Junction 10 of the M1 motorway close to Luton Airport. He estimated the cost of building a 15,000 seater stadium and complex to be £15 million, though admitted there "may be other costs".


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, December and January
The meeting where Watson-Challis revealed these details also referenced potential hindrances to the developments – the removal of electricity pylons sitting on the land, the plans to widen the M1 at the same location as the stadium was to be built, and the vital fact that the development was yet to receive support from either Luton Borough Council or the Highways Agency.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, February, March and April
On 7 February, striker Andrew Fotiadis, who had played for Luton all his career, was given a free transfer to Peterborough United. This freed up the funds to allow Kinnear to add to the squad; however, the player he wanted to sign, Australian striker Danny Allsopp, was injured on 8 February. Canadian international goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld joined Luton on a one-month loan on 21 February from Tottenham Hotspur. He was an unused substitute as Luton lost their sixth home game of the season to Brentford a day later, severely denting their play-off hopes. One week later, with regular right-back Emmerson Boyce requiring surgery, Luton secured defender Duncan Jupp on a free transfer from Notts County on a contract until the end of the season. Only one win in six games followed in March, making automatic promotion almost impossible.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, February, March and April
Chris Willmott's loan was extended to the end of the season in order to cover for various injuries on 13 March. Three days later, Kinnear released three youth players – Joe Deeney, Rob Gillman and James Osborn. Midfielder Lee Mansell, who had been a regular player in the team during Luton's relegation season two years previously, joined Football Conference club Nuneaton Borough on loan until the end of the season on 23 March. Later on the same day, Luton signed Reading midfielder Sammy Igoe on loan for the rest of the season. Luton picked up just three points from four matches in the first half of April, mathematically ruling them out of a play-off position and ensuring only a mid-table finish was possible.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, February, March and April
On 21 April, the club's deputy chairman Eric Hood released a statement signalling the board's intention to have the new stadium, which was still yet to receive planning permission, built for the start of the 2005–06 season.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, February, March and April
Luton's next game saw them emphatically beat Colchester United 5–0 away from home, Steve Howard scoring a hat-trick. The game saw youth team goalkeeper Rob Beckwith make his second appearance for the club. Kinnear admitted that the lack of available funds would likely see "seven or eight" players leaving the club in May, though stressed his desire to sign Willmott and Igoe on permanent contracts.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, February, March and April
A 1–1 draw with Stockport County on 26 April left Luton in a mid-table position with one game left to play.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May
The season ended with a defeat to Swindon Town on 3 May, leaving Luton in ninth place in the table and fourteen points behind the play-offs. Young midfielder Michael Leary signed a two-year contract extension on 5 May.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May
A summer of turmoil at the club began on 20 May with chairman Mike Watson-Challis, who owned the land that the club was intending to build a new stadium on, retiring and an unknown consortium taking over the ownership of the club. Three days later the club announced that both Joe Kinnear and assistant manager Mick Harford had left the club, with no immediate reason given for their departures. An outpouring of confusion and anger from supporters forced a press conference from the new owners to reveal their identities.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May
However, the proposed new chairman Roger Terrell and vice-chairman Lee Power admitted they had nothing to do with the investors nor the takeover process, confusing the situation further. They both confessed that, after seeing the reaction from the supporters of Luton, they were considering resigning after only one week. It was also during this press conference that some of Luton's financial difficulties were exposed, with a cut to the wage bill and other parts of the club necessary to fund the new stadium venture. To compound this, it was announced that Luton would not be renewing the contracts of six players – goalkeepers Carl Emberson and Mark Ovendale, defenders Duncan Jupp, Alan Kimble and Aaron Skelton, and striker Carl Griffiths were all released.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, May
The new owners, still yet to be revealed, announced on 30 May that the process of finding a new manager would be handled through a phone-vote process, with supporters choosing their preferred candidate from a shortlist – a first of its kind in sport.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, June
On 1 June, Roger Terrell and Lee Power released a statement which specified that they were severing any association with Luton Town, and wanted no involvement with the consortium. Two days later, the club revealed that a man named Peter Miller had been responsible for the removal of Joe Kinnear and Mick Harford from their jobs. It would later come to light that this was the same Peter Miller who was under employment at nearby club Northampton Town, breaching Football Association rules that state no single person can have an interest in more than one club. Stranger still, it was disclosed that Luton had entered into negotiations to re-hire Joe Kinnear and Mick Harford. Meanwhile, the FA commenced an investigation into Miller's actions.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, June
With the situation at the club becoming more outlandish by the day, media reports highlighted businessman and property developer John Gurney as the man behind the takeover bid. It was later picked up that Gurney had previous history with leaving sports teams in dire financial situations, including non-League football clubs Farnborough Town and Southall, and rugby union club Bedford Blues, which alerted Luton supporters to the fact that their club could be inflicted with a similar fate. Gurney made his ownership public on 8 June and released two documents outlining his plans for the club.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, June
Within them, he defined his vision to build a Formula One track around a 50,000-seater stadium with a removable pitch that was supported over the top of the M1 motorway on concrete rafters, claimed the club could be making up to £100 million profit per year, and that it should change its name to 'London-Luton Football Club' to tie in with the local airport and make it more accessible to "customers" living in London. Gurney ended the documents with a plea for investors.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, June
Trust in Luton chairman Liam Day would later state that "if [the situation] wasn't so serious, it would have been hilarious." Gurney also raised the possibility of Luton merging with Wimbledon, a club over 40 miles away who were themselves in a poor financial state, in order to secure a position in the league above.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, June
This uncertainty and the distinct possibility of liquidation for Luton Town, which was revealed to be losing £500,000 per month, in addition to the proposed destruction of the club's history, led to a group of supporters establishing a supporters' trust – Trust in Luton – to protect the future of the club and to give fans a unified voice to protest against the takeover.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, June
The Trust successfully convinced many supporters to vote with their feet and refuse to buy season tickets for the 2003–04 campaign, provoking a series of enraged statements from Gurney that were published in full on the club's website. The situation even went as far as UK Parliament, with Luton South MP Margaret Moran receiving support from Minister for Sport Richard Caborn to find a solution to the circumstances at the club.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, June
On 23 June, Gurney announced the results from the phone-vote to find the next manager. He delayed the announcement for a re-count, as the results had allegedly been "so close". The eventual winner was revealed as former Hartlepool United manager and Luton player Mike Newell, who beat former manager Joe Kinnear by a reported four votes. However, it is widely believed that Kinnear won the vote by a significant margin, but refused to work with Gurney and turned the job down as a result. Newell expressed his desire to re-hire Mick Harford, who he had played with during his time at Luton, as assistant manager.


2002–03 Luton Town F.C. season, Review, June
To make matters worse, on 26 June, it was revealed that none of the players or staff at the club had been paid their wages for May and June, which led to Gurney being summoned for a meeting with the Football League to explain the situation.


2002–03 Luxembourg Championship season
The 2002-03 Luxembourg Championship season was the seventh season of Luxembourg's hockey league. Only two teams, Tornado Luxembourg and Rapids Remich, participated in the league this season. Tornado Luxembourg won the championship. The championship has not been held since this season.


2002–03 Luxembourg Cup (ice hockey)
The 2002–03 Luxembourg Cup was the 10th playing of the Luxembourg Cup ice hockey tournament. Six teams participated in the tournament, which was won by Tornado Luxembourg.


2002–03 Luxembourg National Division
The 2002–03 Luxembourg National Division was the 89th season of top level association football in Luxembourg.


2002–03 Luxembourg National Division, Overview
It was performed in 12 teams, and Grevenmacher won the championship.


2002–03 Macedonian First Football League
The 2002–03 Macedonian First League was the 11th season of the Macedonian First Football League, the highest football league of Macedonia. The first matches of the season were played on 10 August 2002 and the last on 1 June 2003. Vardar defended their championship title, having won their fifth title, second in a row.


2002–03 Macedonian First Football League, Results
Every team will play three times against each other team for a total of 33 matches. The first 22 matchdays will consist of a regular double round-robin schedule. The league standings at this point will then be used to determine the games for the last 11 matchdays.


2002–03 Macedonian Football Cup
The 2002–03 Macedonian Football Cup was the 11th season of Macedonia's football knockout competition. FK Pobeda were the defending champions, having won their first title. The 2002–03 champions were FK Cementarnica 55 who won their first title as well.


2002–03 Macedonian Football Cup, Second round
The first legs were played on 25 September and second were played on 30 October 2002.


2002–03 Macedonian Football Cup, Quarter-finals
The first legs were played on 2 November and second were played on 27 November 2002.


2002–03 Macedonian Football Cup, Semi-finals
The first legs were played on 19 March and the second were played on 23 April 2003.


2002–03 Macedonian Second Football League
The 2002–03 Macedonian Second Football League was the eleventh season since its establishment. It began on 10 August 2002 and ended on 7 June 2003.


2002–03 Magyar Kupa
The 2002–03 Magyar Kupa (English: Hungarian Cup) was the 63rd season of Hungary's annual knock-out cup football competition.


2002–03 Major Indoor Soccer League season, League standings, Scoring leaders
GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points


2002–03 Maltese First Division
The Maltese First Division 2002–03 started on 7 September 2002 and finished on 4 May 2003. Naxxar and Lija were relegated from Maltese Premier League. Msida and Senglea were promoted from Maltese Second Division. Msida were the champions and Balzan were promoted to Maltese Premier League.


2002–03 Maltese First Division
Msida were the champions of the Maltese Third Division 2000-01 and a year later they were the champions of the Maltese Second Division 2001-02. Therefore, they were promoted for three straight years to go to the top level. Gozo and Xghajra were relegated to Maltese Second Division.


2002–03 Maltese First Division, Participating teams
The Maltese First Division 2002–03 was made up of these teams:


2002–03 Maltese Premier League
The 2002–03 Maltese Premier League was the 23rd season of the Maltese Premier League, and the 88th season of top-tier football in Malta. The league started on 24 August 2002 and finished on 11 May 2003. Hibernians were the defending champions.


2002–03 Maltese Premier League, Teams
The following teams were promoted from the First Division at the start of the season:


2002–03 Maltese Premier League, Teams
From the previous Premier League season, the following teams were relegated to the First Division:


2002–03 Maltese Premier League, Second round, Championship Pool
The teams placed in the first six positions in the league table qualified for the Championship Pool, and the points obtained during the first round were halved (and rounded up) before the start of second round. As a result, the teams started with the following points before the second round: Sliema Wanderers 22 points, Birkirkara 20, Valletta 19, Hibernians 15, Pietà Hotspurs 12 and Marsaxlokk 11.


2002–03 Maltese Premier League, Second round, Relegation Pool
The teams which finished in the last four league positions were placed in the Relegation Pool and at the end of the round the two lowest-placed teams were relegated to the First Division. The points obtained during the first round were halved (and rounded up) before the start of second round. As a result, the teams started with the following points before the second round: Floriana 10 points, Ħamrun Spartans 9, Marsa 8 and Mosta 5.


2002–03 Maltese Second Division
The 2002–03 Maltese Second Division started on 28 September 2002 and finished on 18 May 2003.


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season
The 2002–03 season was Manchester City Football Club's first season back playing in the Premier League again after having been relegated from it at the end of the 2000–01 season. This was the club's sixth season playing in the Premier League since its initial formation as the top tier of English football ten years earlier, with Manchester City as one of its original 22 founding member clubs. Overall, this was Manchester City's 111th season playing in any division of English football, most of which have been spent in the top flight.


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
This season was the team's first one playing in the Premier League under the stewardship of Kevin Keegan who, having taken over the helm as manager from Joe Royle after the club had been relegated to the Football League First Division fifteen months earlier, had led the club to an immediate promotion back to the top flight. In fact, the previous season had seen Manchester City promoted in style, with the team breaking many prior club records as it became the new First Division champions.


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
This successful campaign allowed Keegan to delve into the transfer market in the summer and he brought in a number of high-profile players - such as striker Nicolas Anelka, defender Sylvain Distin and goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel - in an effort to ensure that the team was strong enough to remain in the Premier League now that it was back there again.


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
By spending the £13m transfer fee required to bring Anelka to Manchester City from Paris Saint-Germain the club broke its previous transfer record. Sylvain Distin also transferred over to Manchester City from PSG for £5m, while Peter Schmeichel joined the club on a free transfer from Aston Villa. Some of the other players Keegan brought in during the newly introduced summer transfer window were Marc-Vivien Foé, who joined the club on a season-long loan from Lyon, Vicente Matías Vuoso (from Independiente) and Mikkel Bischoff. Additionally, Robbie Fowler, David Sommeil and Djamel Belmadi were also signed by Keegan a few months later during the 2003 January transfer window.


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
The new year would also see the man that had been the main impetus behind the hiring of Kevin Keegan, chairman David Bernstein, fall out with his new hire and leave the club following a boardroom dispute over finances and managerial structure that followed closely on the back of the previous week's resignation of the club's managing director. The initial cause of this dispute had occurred back in January concerning the protracted transfer saga of Robbie Fowler (which Bernstein had originally brokered). He was succeeded as club chairman by former deputy chairman John Wardle.


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
This season's campaign would finally see Manchester City win its first Manchester Derby in over 13 years, allowing Peter Schmeichel to establish an exceptional record where he has never been on the losing side in a derby game. During his nine years playing with Manchester United the Reds were unbeaten against Manchester City, while in his single final season playing with the Blues, City won the derby game played at Maine Road and drew the one played at Old Trafford.


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, Season review
This was also to be Manchester City's last season playing at its historic Maine Road ground before moving to its current home at City of Manchester Stadium. Consequently, the last game of the season was also the last game ever played at the club's old ground, and Marc-Vivien Foé would have the distinction of being recorded in the soccer annals as the player who scored the last ever goal for Manchester City at Maine Road.


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, Team kit
The team kit was produced by Le Coq Sportif and the shirt sponsorship was provided by the financial and legal services group First Advice.


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, First-team squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, Historical league performance
Prior to this season, the history of Manchester City's performance in the English football league hierarchy since the creation of the Premier League in 1992 is summarised by the following timeline chart – which commences with the last season (1991–92) of the old Football League First Division (from which the Premier League was formed).


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, Games, Premier League, Results summary
Last updated: 11 May 2003 (end of season). Source: Premier League results 2002–03


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, Games, Premier League, Points breakdown
Points against "Big Four" teams: 7 Points against promoted teams: 9


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, Games, Premier League, Biggest & smallest
Biggest home win: 4–1 vs. Fulham, 29 January 2003Biggest home defeat: 1–5 vs. Arsenal, 22 February 2003 Biggest away win: 0–3 vs. Sunderland, 9 December 2002 Biggest away defeat: 5–0 vs. Chelsea, 22 March 2003 Biggest home attendance: 35,141 vs. Liverpool, 28 September 2002 Smallest home attendance: 33,260 vs. Fulham, 29 January 2003 Biggest away attendance: 67,646 vs. Manchester United, 9 February 2003 Smallest away attendance: 17,937 vs. Fulham, 28 September 2002


2002–03 Manchester City F.C. season, Goal scorers, League Cup and FA Cup
Information current as of 11 May 2003 (end of season)


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season
The 2002–03 season was Manchester United's 11th season in the Premier League, and their 28th consecutive season in the top division of English football. This season saw the club finish at the top of the Premier League table, after their lowest finish in the history of the Premier League the previous season, when they came third. In order to win the title, the team had to pull Arsenal back from an eight-point lead at the beginning of March. United also finished as runners-up in the League Cup, with Liverpool eventually taking the prize. The club also broke the English transfer record for the third time in just over a year as they paid £29.1 million for Leeds United defender Rio Ferdinand.


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season
At the end of the season, United midfielder David Beckham moved to Real Madrid in a £25 million deal, having spent 12 years at United (eight of them as a first-team regular). Meanwhile, 37-year-old centre-back Laurent Blanc announced his retirement from playing. Fellow centre-back David May was given a free transfer after nine years at the club, the last five of which had seen his first team opportunities limited to a handful of appearances.


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season, Season review
After ending the previous season by surrendering the title to Arsenal at home and finishing third behind rejuvenated Liverpool, Alex Ferguson reiterated his desire to dominate English football by signing a three-year contract in the late winter of 2002. By the end of the season, Ferguson got his wish and bagged Manchester United their fifteenth domestic league title, thanks largely to the form of striker Ruud van Nistelrooy who scored an impressive 25 goals during the run-in. The manager also assembled a new defence which included new signing Rio Ferdinand, whose deal broke the transfer record in English football and indeed, the world record for a defender.


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season, Season review
The Red Devils started their quest to regain the Premier League title at home to newly promoted West Bromwich Albion and claimed all three points thanks to super-sub Ole Gunnar Solskjær's late goal. Results didn't flow as Ferguson hoped and as early autumn approached, Manchester United had made their worst start since the inauguration of the Premier League, lying in 10th place. Things didn't get better as losses to Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United were eclipsed by a derby day defeat to Manchester City in November which allowed a four-point gap to open between themselves and leaders Liverpool.


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season, Season review
Following an empathic win against Newcastle United, the team embarked on a run of wins that included rivals Liverpool, struggling West Ham and champions Arsenal to help their Premier League challenge gather ominous momentum. Although they slumped to defeat on Boxing Day at Middlesbrough, the team were in third place, five points short of table-toppers Arsenal at the turn of the year.


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season, Season review
The Middlesbrough loss on 26 December turned out to be their last league defeat of the season, as a series of late home wins against Sunderland and Chelsea in January helped pile the pressure somewhat on runaway leaders Arsenal, who were struggling with a minor goalkeeping crisis. After United drew at Bolton in the late evening kick-off on 22 February, Arsenal had the chance to open a five-point gap at the Premier League summit if they won at Maine Road. A five-star performance ensured this through a rampant display of attacking football that virtually put one hand on the trophy. However the difference in the title race was later whittled down to two after Blackburn completed a sensational double over the reigning champions at home while United recorded a victory over Aston Villa thanks to a David Beckham goal.


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season, Season review
April began with a ruthless win at Old Trafford against Liverpool, which helped them reclaim top spot albeit temporarily. However, Kolo Touré's late own goal gifted Aston Villa a point when Arsenal perhaps should have taken all three. By the end of the week, just goal difference separated the top two, favouring the Gunners. A 6–2 rout at Newcastle preceded the game of the season: against Arsenal at Highbury.


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season, Season review
A 2–2 draw did not prove to be decisive, but it was advantage Manchester United, who maintained a three-point lead, although the Gunners had a game in hand and a slightly superior goal difference. Despite more European disappointment – this time at the hands of Real Madrid through an impressive performance by Ronaldo – a comeback by Bolton Wanderers dented Arsenal's hopes of retaining the double and installed Manchester United as sole favourites to win the league. They cruised to a 4–1 home win against Charlton Athletic and clinched their eighth title in eleven seasons after Arsenal lost at home to Leeds a day later.


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season, Season review
Manchester United wrapped up their successful league campaign with a 2–1 victory at Everton, David Beckham scored United's leveller in what was his last appearance for the club.


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season, Premier League
Manchester United started their attempts to regain the Premier League title with a home match against newly promoted West Bromwich Albion. Although the fans were confident of taking maximum points they had to wait until the 78th minute for Ole Gunnar Solskjær, the late-goal specialist, to give them the lead with his 100th goal for the club. They could not add to their one-goal advantage, despite West Brom having to play with ten men with Derek McInnes being sent off for two bookings, the second for a foul on Nicky Butt in the 64th minute, but held on to begin the season with victory.


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
United's first departure of the 2002–03 season was Nick Culkin, who was released on 7 July. Trinidad and Tobago forward Dwight Yorke left United for Blackburn Rovers on 26 July for £2 million. Culkin and Yorke were United's only summer departures, but they were not United's only departures of the 2002–03 season.


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
United's only arrivals of the 2002–03 season were Rio Ferdinand, who joined from United's fierce rivals Leeds United, and Spanish goalkeeper Ricardo, who signed for just £1.5 million.


2002–03 Manchester United F.C. season, Transfers
On 5 June, Lee Roche was released from United on a free transfer. On 30 June, defender Laurent Blanc announced his retirement from football. Also on 30 June, David May was released.


2002–03 Mansfield Town F.C. season
During the 2002–03 English football season, Mansfield Town Football Club competed in the Football League Second Division where they finished in 23rd position with 44 points, suffering an intimidate return to the fourth tier. Mansfield's downfall was their leaky defence as despite scoring 66 goals they conceded 97, the most of any team in 2002–03.


2002–03 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team
The 2002–03 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team represented Marquette University in NCAA Division I competition in the 2002–03 season. The Golden Eagles, coached by Tom Crean, were then a member of Conference USA; they did not join their current conference, the Big East, until the 2005–06 season.


2002–03 Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team
Since their national championship in 1977, this is Marquette's sole Final Four appearance.


2002–03 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team
The 2002–03 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represented the University of Maryland in the 2002–2003 college basketball season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). They advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2003 NCAA Basketball Tournament.


2002–03 Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team
2002–03 was the inaugural season of basketball at the Comcast Center. The team was coached by Gary Williams.


2002–03 Meistriliiga (ice hockey) season
The 2002-03 Meistriliiga season was the 13th season of the Meistriliiga, the top level of ice hockey in Estonia. Eight teams participated in the league, and Tartu Valk 494 won the championship.


2002–03 Memphis Grizzlies season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the Grizzlies' 8th season in the National Basketball Association, and their second season in Memphis. In their second season in Memphis, the Grizzlies got off to a rocky start losing their first eight games as head coach Sidney Lowe was resigned and replaced with 69-year old Hubie Brown, who last coached the New York Knicks midway through the  1986–87 season. The Grizzlies continued to struggle under Brown losing their next five games. This would lead to a 13-game losing streak before defeating the Washington Wizards 85–74 on November 23. At midseason, the team traded rookies Drew Gooden and Gordan Giriček to the Orlando Magic for Mike Miller. The Grizzlies finished sixth in the Midwest Division with a 28–54 record. Second-year star Pau Gasol led the team with 19.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.


2002–03 Memphis Grizzlies season
Despite their awful season, the Grizzlies would lose their chance to pick second in the 2003 NBA draft to the Detroit Pistons, who had lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to the New Jersey Nets in the playoffs. Following the season, Brevin Knight was traded to the Phoenix Suns, and Michael Dickerson retired after just five seasons in the NBA due to continuing injuries.


2002–03 Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey season
The Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey team represented Mercyhurst College. The Lakers played in the first season of College Hockey America and CJ Ireland was team captain. In the Lakers first CHA season, the Lakers were 25-8-1. During the regular season, the Lakers finished first in the CHA. The Lakers would proceed to win the conference's playoffs, and finish the year ranked 10th in the national polls. Mercyhurst won the regular-season CHA title with a conference record of 6 wins and 0 losses. In the 6 conference games, the Lakers outscored its opposition by a 26-9 mark.


2002–03 Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey season, Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; A= Assists; PTS = Points; PIM = Penalties in Minutes; GW = Game Winning Goals; PPL = Power Play Goals; SHG = Short Handed Goals


2002–03 Mestis season
The 2002–03 Mestis season was the third season of the Mestis, the second level of ice hockey in Finland. 12 teams participated in the league, and Jukurit won the championship.


2002–03 Miami Heat season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the fifteenth season for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association. With the continued effects of his kidney ailment, Alonzo Mourning was forced to sit out the entire season. Without their star center, the Heat struggled losing 17 of their first 22 games. They would win seven of their next nine games, but then lose six straight along the way. The Heat finished last place in the Atlantic Division with a 25–57 record, their worst since the 1990–91 season.


2002–03 Miami Heat season
Scoring leader Eddie Jones was out for the remainder of the season with a groin injury after 47 games, and head coach Pat Riley was fined several times for lashing out referees following games. The only bright spot on the team was top draft pick Caron Butler, who averaged 15.4 points per game while being selected to the All-Rookie First Team. Following the season, Mourning would sign as a free agent with the New Jersey Nets and LaPhonso Ellis retired.


2002–03 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
The 2002–03 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by coach Tom Izzo in his eighth year, played their home games at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were members of the Big Ten Conference. MSU finished the season with a record of 22–13, 10–6 to finish in a tie for third in Big Ten play. The Spartans received a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive year and advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to Texas.


2002–03 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Previous season
The Spartans finished the 2001–02 season with an overall record of 19–12, 10–6 to finish in fourth place in the Big Ten. Michigan State received a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, their fifth straight trip to the Tournament, and were eliminated in the First Round by NC State.


2002–03 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Previous season
The Spartans lost sophomore Marcus Taylor (16.8 points and 5.3 assists per game) to the NBA Draft following the season.


2002–03 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary
The Spartans were led by sophomores Chris Hill (13.7 points per game) and Alan Anderson (9.8 points per game). The Spartans, despite the loss of their leading scorer, Marcus Taylor, began the season ranked No. 9 in the country. After two early wins, MSU suffered losses to Villanova and Oklahoma State in the Great Alaska Shootout. They bounced back with wins over No. 22 Virginia and No. 12 Kentucky in Lexington. After winning six consecutive games, they were shocked by Toledo and fell to No. 10 Oklahoma in the All College Classic. Michigan State finished the non-conference schedule at 8–4 and ranked No. 25 in the country.


2002–03 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary
MSU began the Big Ten regular season losing four of their first six games and fell out of the rankings. The Spartans rebounded thereafter to beat No. 19 Indiana and No. 13 Illinois. A non-conference loss to No. 15 Syracuse followed a 30-point blowout loss to No. 20 Illinois. MSU finished the conference schedule with four straight wins to tie for third place at 10–6 in conference and 18–11 overall. Michigan State beat Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, but fell to Ohio State in the semifinals.


2002–03 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Season summary
The Spartans received a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive year. MSU received a No. 7 seed in the South Region. A win over Colorado in the First Round was followed by a rout of No. 10 Florida to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth time in six years. The Spartans defeated No. 17 Maryland to advance to the Elite Eight for the fourth time in five years. However, MSU fell to No. 5-ranked and No. 1-seeded Texas in the Regional Final.


2002–03 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 2002–03 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 2002–03 season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference. Under the direction of head coach Tommy Amaker, the team finished tied for third in the Big Ten Conference. The team earned a third seed but was defeated in the first round of the 2003 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.


2002–03 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The team did not participate in either the 2003 National Invitation Tournament or the 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament because of the University of Michigan basketball scandal. The team was unranked for all eighteen weeks of Associated Press Top Twenty-Five Poll, and it also ended the season unranked in the final USA Today/CNN Poll. The team had a 1–3 record against ranked opponents, with the lone victory coming against #24 Purdue 78–67 on February 19 at Mackey Arena.


2002–03 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Rotolu Adebiyi, LaVell Blanchard and Gavin Groninger served as team co-captains, and LaVell Blanchard and Daniel Horton shared team MVP  honors. The team's leading scorers were LaVell Blanchard (485 points), Daniel Horton (457 points) and Bernard Robinson, Jr. (339 points). The leading rebounders were Blanchard (205), Robinson (178) and Graham Brown (138).


2002–03 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
LaVell Blanchard won the Big Ten Conference statistical championship with a 43.3% three-point field goal percentage in conference games. The team as a whole also led the big ten in three-point field goal percentage (37.5%) in conference games.


2002–03 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
In the 2003 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament at the United Center from March 13–16, Michigan was seeded third. In the first round, they had a bye. Then they lost in the second round to number 6 Indiana 63–56.


2002–03 Middlesbrough F.C. season
During the 2002–03 season, Middlesbrough participated in the FA Premier League.


2002–03 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Kit
Middlesbrough had a new sponsor, Dial-a-Phone, for the 2002–03 season. The team's kit was produced by Errea. The home shirt consisted of a plain red shirt, red shorts and red socks with white trim. The away strip consisted of white shirts with black piping, plain white shorts and white socks with navy blue trim.


2002–03 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Season review
Despite losing the new £6 million signing of the returning Juninho, Boro made a promising start to the 2002–03 season, peaking at third in early October. The signings of Maccarone and Boateng, along with the loan of Geremi, gave the fans real hope of a top-six finish. However, following a fantastic 3–0 win away at Spurs at the end of September which sent the club 3rd, Middlesbrough seemed to press the self-destruct button, losing the next 8 games away from home without scoring; although they remained undefeated in this period at home, this saw them sink to 12th position.


2002–03 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Season review
This persuaded Steve McClaren to make changes, and during the January transfer window he brought in Chris Riggott and Malcolm Christie from Derby County, Michael Ricketts from Bolton Wanderers and Doriva on loan from Celta Vigo. This, coupled with the return of the now-fit Juninho, stopped the bad run of form and the results picked up a bit. Middlesbrough hovered around 14th for a few weeks before finishing 11th. Again, the season was regarded as a disappointment after the promising start.


2002–03 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Season review
Both cups were also a disappointment for Boro. They went out of the FA Cup in the third round, losing 1–0 at Chelsea. They fared slightly better in the League Cup, beating Brentford 4–1 in the second round but then losing to lower league opposition in the form of Ipswich Town, 3–1 away.


2002–03 Middlesbrough F.C. season, First-team squad, Discipline
Disciplinary records for 2002–03 league and cup matches. Players with 1 card or more included only.


2002–03 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Results, Premier League
Note: Results are given with Middlesbrough score listed first. Man of the Match is according to .


2002–03 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Statistics, Appearances and discipline
Appearance and disciplinary records for 2002-03 league and cup matches.


2002–03 Midland Football Alliance
The 2002–03 Midland Football Alliance season was the ninth in the history of Midland Football Alliance, a football competition in England.


2002–03 Midland Football Alliance, Clubs
The league featured 20 clubs from the previous season, along with two new clubs:


2002–03 Midland Football Alliance, Clubs
Also, Knypersley Victoria changed name to Biddulph Victoria, Studley B K L changed name to Studley.


2002–03 Midland Football Combination
The 2002–03 Midland Football Combination season was the 66th in the history of Midland Football Combination, a football competition in England.


2002–03 Midland Football Combination, Premier Division
The Premier Division featured 20 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with two new clubs, promoted from Division One:


2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season
The 2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season was the Ducks' tenth season in franchise history. The club qualified for the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in franchise history, falling to the New Jersey Devils.


2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Regular season
On February 12, 2003, Mike Leclerc scored just ten seconds into the overtime period to give the Mighty Ducks a 4–3 home win over the Calgary Flames. It would prove to be the fastest overtime goal scored during the 2002–03 regular season.


2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Regular season, Divisional standings
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.


2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals
In what was a very large upset, the seventh-seed Mighty Ducks took a first-round series from the number-two seed and defending Stanley Cup champions, the Detroit Red Wings. The Mighty Ducks swept the Red Wings in four games to get revenge from 1997 and 1999, where the Mighty Ducks were swept by the Red Wings. In Game 1 of the series, when the game went to overtime, the sellout crowd at Joe Louis Arena thought the Wings had won the game thanks to a Luc Robitaille shot at 9:21.


2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals
Some of the Detroit players had even left for the dressing room. However, after going to the video review, it was concluded Robitaille's shot ricocheted off the crossbar and the post, and the players were brought back to resume the game. Later, at 3:18 into the third overtime period, Paul Kariya scored the goal that would clinch a 2–1 win for Anaheim and a one-game lead in the series. Anaheim goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere faced 64 shots in game one. In Game 2, Anaheim came back from a 2–1 deficit by scoring two goals in the third period.


2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Playoffs, Conference Quarterfinals
The Mighty Ducks won Game 3 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, 2–1, to push the Red Wings to the brink of elimination. The Mighty Ducks then won Game 4, a 3–2 overtime victory, with Steve Rucchin delivering the decisive goal 6:53 into overtime. The Red Wings became only the second defending Stanley Cup champions to be swept the following year in a four-game opening series.


2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Playoffs, Conference Semifinals
The series opened at American Airlines Center in Dallas, where the heavily favored Stars and underdog Ducks engaged in an epic battle that took over 140 minutes and four overtimes to decide before Anaheim's Petr Sykora scored the game-winner 47 seconds into the fifth overtime, winning the game for the Ducks, 4–3. Dallas goaltender Marty Turco saw 54 shots while Anaheim's Jean-Sebastien Giguere saw 63. Game 2 saw another game tied after 60 minutes, but this time, Anaheim needed only 1:44 to win the game in the first overtime, 3–2, on a goal by Mike Leclerc. Dallas, much like Detroit in its first-round series against the Ducks, faced a 2–0 deficit headed to Anaheim.


2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Playoffs, Conference Semifinals
Game 3 at Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim was a must-win for the Stars, and they came through, winning the game, 2–1, getting two clutch goals from Jere Lehtinen. But the Ducks refused to let the Stars back in the series, winning Game 4, 1–0, behind a 28-save shutout from Giguere. Not wanting to be eliminated in front of their home fans, a motivated Dallas team captured Game 5, 4–1. Unfortunately for the Stars, their bid to take the series to a Game 7 was denied when they were edged in Game 6, 4–3.


2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Playoffs, Conference Finals
In Game 1, Petr Sykora scored at 8:06 into double-overtime in a 1–0 Mighty Ducks victory. It was the Mighty Ducks' second shutout of the playoffs. Jean-Sebastien Giguere turned in a stellar performance in net for Anaheim, stopping all 39 shots he faced. For Game 2, the Wild played Dwayne Roloson instead of Manny Fernandez in net. As in Game 1, it was another shutout for Giguere as the Mighty Ducks won the game 2–0. Both goals were short-handed, and Giguere stopped all 24 shots he faced, making him 63-for-63 in the series.


2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Playoffs, Conference Finals
In Game 3, Giguere continued his goal-tending excellence, stopping all 35 shots he faced in a 4–0 Mighty Ducks victory that pushed the Wild to the brink of elimination. Giguere had now stopped the first 98 shots he saw in the series. In Game 4, The Mighty Ducks won the game, 2–1. Both goals came from Adam Oates, and the Mighty Ducks headed to their first Stanley Cup Final. The only good news for the Wild was that they avoided a fourth consecutive shutout, as Andrew Brunette scored the first Minnesota goal of the series. Still, Giguere was 122-for-123 in the series, a robust .992 save percentage.


2002–03 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim season, Draft picks
The Ducks picks at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft in Toronto, Ontario.


2002–03 Millwall F.C. season
The 2002–03 season saw Millwall compete in the Football League First Division where they finished in 9th position with 66 points.


2002–03 Millwall F.C. season, Players, First-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Millwall F.C. season, Players, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002–03 Milwaukee Bucks season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the Bucks' 35th season in the National Basketball Association. For the first time since 1993-94 season, Glenn Robinson was not on the opening day roster. During the offseason, the Bucks acquired Toni Kukoč from the Atlanta Hawks. In a year of transition, the Bucks played mediocre basketball with a 14–20 start, but then won 13 of their next 16 games. In February 2003, just before the trading deadline, the Bucks dealt three-time All-Star shooting guard Ray Allen to the Seattle SuperSonics, in exchange for 34-year-old All-Star point guard Gary Payton and Desmond Mason.


2002–03 Milwaukee Bucks season
The Bucks won eight of their final nine games finishing fourth in the Central Division with a 42–40 record. However, they did not make it out of the first round of the playoffs, losing 2–4 to the New Jersey Nets. Following the season, Payton signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers, Sam Cassell and Ervin Johnson were both traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, head coach George Karl was fired and Anthony Mason retired.


2002–03 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs women's ice hockey season, Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; G= Goals; A= Assists; PTS = Points; GW = Game Winning Goals; PPL = Power Play Goals; SHG = Short Handed Goals


2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season
The 2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2002–03 NCAA Division I men's hockey season, winning the Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament championship and the NCAA national championship. The team was coached by Don Lucia and played their home games at Mariucci Arena.


2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season
The WCHA tournament championship was Minnesota's twelfth and its first since the 1995–96 season. It was their fifth NCAA national championship and marked the first time the team had won back-to-back national championships.


2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season, Season standings
Note: PTS = Points; GP = Games Played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against


2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season, Season Stats, Scoring Leaders
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2002–03 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey season, Season Stats, Goaltending
Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average


2002–03 Minnesota Timberwolves season
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 14th season the Timberwolves has competed in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Timberwolves signed free agents Troy Hudson and Kendall Gill. Kevin Garnett performed well throughout the season, winning the All-Star MVP award in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game, and finishing second in MVP voting behind MVP Tim Duncan with 43 first-place votes. Despite losing Terrell Brandon for the entire season to a knee injury, the Timberwolves posted a 12–1 record in February and finished the season with a 51–31 record, good enough to earn the fourth seed in the Western Conference and home court advantage.


2002–03 Minnesota Timberwolves season
However, for the seventh straight year in the Garnett era, the Timberwolves did not make it out of the first round of the playoffs. They lost to 5th seeds and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Following the season, Joe Smith was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, Anthony Peeler signed as a free agent with the Sacramento Kings, and Gill signed with the Chicago Bulls.


2002–03 Minnesota Wild season
The 2002–03 Minnesota Wild season was the team's third season in the National Hockey League (NHL). After qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in franchise history, the Wild won two playoff series before losing in the Western Conference Final to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.


2002–03 Minnesota Wild season, Regular season
The Wild tied the Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins for most times shut-out with 10.


2002–03 Minnesota Wild season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.


2002–03 Minnesota Wild season, Draft picks
Minnesota's draft picks at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft held at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario.


2002–03 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team
The 2002–03 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Missouri as a member of the Big 12 Conference during the 2001–02 NCAA men's basketball season. Led by fourth-year head coach Quin Snyder, the Tigers reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and finished with an overall record of 22–11 (9–7 Big 12).


2002–03 Moldovan "A" Division
The 2002–03 Moldovan "A" Division season is the 12th since its establishment. A total of 14 teams are contesting the league.


2002–03 Moldovan Cup
2002–03 Moldovan Cup was the twelfth edition of the Moldovan annual football tournament.


2002–03 Moldovan Cup, Round of 16
The first legs were played on September 4, 2002. The second legs were played on October 16, 2002.


2002–03 Moldovan Cup, Quarterfinals
The first legs were played on October 30, 2002. The second legs were played on November 13, 2002.


2002–03 Moldovan Cup, Semifinals
The first legs were played on March 19, 2003. The second legs were played on April 10, 2003.


2002–03 Moldovan National Division
The 2002–03 Moldovan National Division (Romanian: Divizia Națională) was the 12th season of top-tier football in Moldova.


2002–03 Moldovan National Division, Overview
It was contested by 8 teams and Sheriff Tiraspol won the championship.


2002–03 Monarcas Morelia season
The 2002–03 season was Morelia's 53rd season in existence and their 22nd consecutive season in the top flight of Mexican football. The club participated in the Apertura and Clausura tournaments of the Mexican Primera División and in the 2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup (the entire tournament, except for the finals, were played on the first semester of 2003).


2002–03 Monarcas Morelia season
Monarcas Morelia had a partially successful season. They achieved to reach both Apertura and Clausura tournaments' finals, but lost them both. They were defeated by Toluca in the Apertura tournament final and lost the Clausura tournament to Monterrey, despite ending the regular tournament as leaders of the championship.


2002–03 Monarcas Morelia season
Internationally, Morelia classified to the CONCACAF Champion's Cup final, that would be played on the team's next season.


2002–03 Monarcas Morelia season, Competitions, Overview
1. Morelia qualified to the 2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup final, to be played on the next season.


2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season
The 2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season was the club's 94th season of play. The club struggled through the season, made a coaching change and did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.


2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season
Before the start of the season, many predicted a strong showing from the Canadiens due to the team possessing a healthy Saku Koivu as well as last season's Hart Memorial Trophy winner, Jose Theodore. The team was .500 for the first two months of the season and showed little improvement in December. Players such as Mariusz Czerkawski, added to the lineup during the summer, and Donald Audette were slow to produce offence for the team, and the two forwards were both sent down for brief stints in the minors.


2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season
For his part, Jose Theodore's performance is not up to par with his dream season of a year earlier. Despite the strong seasons from Koivu, Richard Zednik and Yanic Perreault, the Canadiens slid to 11th place in the Eastern Conference in mid-January. This losing streak prompted General Manager Andre Savard to fire head coach Michel Therrien and replace him with Claude Julien, who filled the same role behind the bench of the Habs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. Despite Julien's arrival as head coach, the team was unable to improve its situation.


2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season
The Habs saw their playoff hopes evaporate with a nine-game winless streak that ended in early March. Despite Saku Koivu's 71 points and Richard Zednik's 31 goals, the Canadiens missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. The Canadiens ended with a record of 30–35–9–8, and former MVP Theodore had a disappointing season with a record of 20–31–6.


2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season
The Canadiens finished the regular season tying the Nashville Predators for the fewest short-handed goals scored, with just two.


2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points         Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.


2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season, Final standings
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast


2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season, Final standings
P –  Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y –  Clinched Division; X –  Clinched Playoff spot


2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season, Player statistics, Regular season
Before the start of the season, many predicted a strong showing from the Canadiens as a result of a healthy Saku Koivu and last season's Hart Memorial Trophy winner, Jose Theodore. The team was .500 for the first two months of the season and showed very little improvement in December. Players such as Mariusz Czerkawski, added to the lineup during the summer, and Donald Audette were slow to produce offence for the team, and the two forwards were both sent down for brief stints in the minors.


2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season, Player statistics, Regular season
Moreover, Jose Theodore's performances were not up to par with his MVP-winning season of a year earlier. Despite strong seasons from Koivu, Richard Zednik and Yanic Perreault, the Canadiens slid to 11th place in the Eastern Conference in mid-January. This losing streak prompted General Manager Andre Savard to fire Head Coach Michel Therrien and replace him with Claude Julien, who filled the same role behind the bench of the Habs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. Despite Julien's arrival, the team was unable to improve its situation and improve its collective effort. The Habs saw their playoff hopes evaporate with a nine-game winless streak that ended in early March. Despite Saku Koivu's 71 points and Richard Zednik's 31 goals, the Canadiens missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.


2002–03 Montreal Canadiens season, Roster
Forwards:11 - Saku Koivu14 - Oleg Petrov17 - Jason Ward20 - Richard Zednik21 - Randy McKay22 - Bill Lindsay24 - Andreas Dackell25 - Chad Kilger26 -