On 14 February two First Division clubs, Alania Vladikavkaz and Lokomotiv Chita, were denied professional licences by Professional Football League and excluded from professional football.On 22 February PFL decided to replace Alania and Lokomotiv with Lada Togliatti and Mashuk-KMV Pyatigorsk, the runners-up in the Second Division.[https://web.archive.org/web/20060504165714/http://www.pfl.ru/DESIGN.2001/0206.HTM The Russian Football Union did not endorse the exclusion and on 28 February decided to keep Alania and Lokomotiv in the First Division, giving them another chance to fulfill the league requirements.Consequently, on 6 March PFL decided to extend the First Division from 22 to 24 clubs, including Alania, Lokomotiv, Lada, and Mashuk-KMV.[http://news.sport-express.ru/online/ntext/12/nl125799.html