Azerbaijan Premier League
| Azerbaijan Premier League |
|---|
 [1] |
| Founded |
| 1992 |
| Nation |
 Azerbaijan |
| Relegation To |
| Azerbaijan First Division |
| Number of Teams |
| 14 |
| European Qualification |
| Champions League - 1 UEFA Cup - 1+1 (Cup) Intertoto Cup - 1 |
| Cups |
| Azerbaijan Cup |
| Current Champions (2008) |
| Inter Baku |
| Most Successful Club |
| PFC Neftchi Baku (5) |
| Website |
| Official |
The Azerbaijan Premier League is the top division of Azerbaijan football. There are 14 teams in the competition. At the end of the season two teams get relegated to the Azerbaijan First Division and get replaced with the two top First Division teams.
The Azerbaijan Premier League was organized in 2007 and succeeded the Top Division (Azerbaijani: Yuksak Liga), the difference being that the Top Division was run by the Professional Football League of Azerbaijan, and the creation of the Premier League gave the clubs a greater degree of independence. The Top Division had existed from 1992 to 2007.
Inter Baku are the current Azerbaijan Premier League champions.[1][2]
Contents |
History
Football is the most popular sport in Azerbaijan, a country that gained independence in 1991. The national association takes part in all competitions organised by FIFA and UEFA at senior and youth level. Neftchi Baku used to be one of the leading teams in the top league in the Soviet Union, sometimes playing in European club competitions. The most famous player was Anatoliy Banishevski, who was part of the Soviet Union team that reached the semi-finals in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. But another Azebaijani legend is also part of footballing history: Tofik Bakhramov was the linesman who played a crucial role in the 1966 Final, when uncertainty clouded Englands third goal.
The first Goal Project by FIFA
After a number of delays, work on the technical centre in Baku was finally completed in spring 2003, with the costs covered by Goal, the FIFA Financial Assistance Programme and UEFA. The government donated the land on which the centre has been built. The centre has two artificial turf pitches, a hotel, a building with dressing rooms, seminar rooms and meeting rooms. It adjoins the Shafa Stadium, which was built just a few years ago and today plays host to the majority of Azerbaijans international matches. The facilities in the centre are already proving to be extremely popular. Courses, meetings and conferences organised as part of the various youth development programmes take place there each week. With its stadium (and incorporated association headquarters), the nearby leased restaurant, and the training/accommodation facilities, the technical centre in Baku is now the hub of football development work in Azerbaijan.
Second Goal project by FIFA
Now that the first Goal project for an urgently needed sports centre in Baku has been completed, on 17 February 2005 the Goal Bureau approved the construction of association headquarters in Baku. Modern equipment will enable the administration to operate more efficiently and, now that it no longer has to pay rent, the association will be able to invest more in development projects.
FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
Azerbaijan have yet to make their mark on international football, though there are signs that the side can compete with the best teams on given days. But, so far the nation that lies on the west side of the Caspian Sea have failed to reach a single FIFA World Cup or European Championship finals. They finished bottom of their Korea/Japan 2002 qualifying group - the one bright point being a 2-0 victory over Slovakia.
Four years on and there was another last-place finish on the road to Germany 2006 but it wasn't all doom and gloom as they chalked up some respectable results, drawing three home games with Wales (1-1) and Northern Ireland and Austria (both 0-0). At home to England there was another respectable performance from the team who were playing above themselves under the tutelage of the legendary Brazilian Carlos Alberto Torres. England, the group winners, had to make do with a solitary Michael Owen goal for their 1-0 win.
A lack of firepower, however, signposted where the Azeris problems lay. In the ten fixtures they scored just once, Rashad Sadigov's equaliser in that opening fixture with Wales.
The qualifiers for France 1998 had set the pattern of bottom-place finishes for Azerbaijan though they did record a shock 1-0 triumph over Switzerland. Their most prominent success on the international stage was a victory over Serbia and Montenegro in the Euro 2004 qualifiers. That was only their second triumph in a Euro qualifier, the first coming in 1999 with a 4-0 win over Liechtenstein.
With former international player Shakhin Diniyev having taken over the reins from Carlos Alberto in November 2005, with a mandate to promote younger players and make the national team the priority for all concerned in Azeri football, they will be hoping to make more of an impression on the long and difficult road to 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.
Competition
Each team in the league plays each opponent twice, one home and once away, for a total of 26 matches. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. If the teams are level on points, the tie-breakers are the number of wins, then the goal difference, followed by several others. If the teams are tied for the first position, the tie-breakers are the number of wins, then head-to-head results. If the teams tied for the first place cannot be separated by these tie-breakers, the championship play-off is ordered.
The champions qualify for the UEFA Champions League, the second-placed team qualifies for the UEFA Cup, and the third-placed team for the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Two bottom team are relegated to the First Division.
The league typically runs from August to May.
UEFA Rankings
UEFA Country Ranking for league participation in 2007-08 European football season (Previous year rank in italics) [3]
- 40
(40) 
Belarusian League - 41
(44) Azerbaijan League - 42 (42)
Estonian League - 43
(41) 
Albanian League - 44 (43)
Armenian League
Notable Players
Oktay Derelioğlu - Khazar Lenkoran
Oktay Derelioğlu is a Turkish football player. He currently plays at Turkish side Fatih Karagümrük. He played mostly for Trabzonspor, Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe. He also played for Fatih Karagümrük, UD Las Palmas, Samsunspor, Akçaabat Sebatspor, 1. FC Nürnberg, Khazar Lenkoran and Istanbulspor.. He played for Turkey national football team and was a participant at the 2000 UEFA European Championship. He is mostly known for his incredible goal against Belgium in 1997, which he scored after amazing dribble past six players.
- Valentin Belkevich - FC Inter Baku
Valentin Belkevich also sometimes spelled "Valiantsin Bialkevich" is a Belarusian football player and a member of the Azerbaijani club Inter Baku. When he played for Dinamo Kiev he was their all time leader in assists. A cultured playmaker, he has been one of the finest footballers in Ukraine over the past decade.
Branimir Subasic - PFC Neftchi Baku
Branimir Subašić is a Serbian-born, Azerbaijani footballer (striker) playing currently for his favorite team Red Star Belgrade. He is also a member of Azerbaijan national football team where he scored many amazing goals. He is very loved and respected by the Azerbaijani fans.
Other Notable Foreign Players
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Notable Foreign Managers
Anatoly Konjkov- Anatoliy Demyanenko
- Viktor Pasulko
Vlastimil Petrzela- Rasim Kara
- Naci Sensoy
Gjoko Hadžievski
Kakhaber Tskhadadze
2008/2009 clubs
In season 2008/2009 the Azerbaijan Premier League consists of the following teams:
| Club |
Last season | First season in league |
|---|---|---|
| Neftchi Baku PFC | 3rd | 1992 |
| FK Karabakh | 5th | 1992 |
| PFC Turan Tovuz | 12th | 1992 |
| FK Baku | 8th | 1997 |
| FC Inter Baku | 1st | 1999 |
| MOIK Baku | 1st (First division) | 1993 |
| Bakili Baku | 2nd (First division) | 1998 |
| FK Khazar Lenkoran | 4th | 2004 |
| FK Karvan | 11th | 2004 |
| FK Olimpik Baku | 2nd | 2005 |
| FK Qäbälä | 6th | 2006 |
| FK Simurq Zaqatala | 7th | 2006 |
| Standard Baku | 10th | 2007 |
| FK NBC Salyany | 3rd (First division) | 2008 |
Stadiums
| Club | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Neftchi Baku PFC | "Tofig Bakhramov - Republican" | 29 858 |
| FK Karabakh | "Tofig İsmailov" | 25 000 |
| PFC Turan Tovuz | Tovuz City Stadium | 10 800 |
| FC Inter Baku | "Shafa" | 7 840 |
| FK Baku | "Tofig Bahramov - Republican" | 29 858 |
| MOIK Baku | MOIK Stadium | 2 200 |
| Bakili Baku | - | - |
| FK Khazar Lenkoran | Lenkoran City Stadium | 13 000 |
| FK Karvan | "Karvan" | 5 000 |
| FK Olimpik Baku | "Shafa" | 7 840 |
| FK Simurq Zaqatala | "Simurq" | 4 000 |
| Standard Baku | "Shafa" | 7 840 |
| FK NBC Salyany | Salyany City Stadium | 4 000 |
Soviet time champions
|
Champions and top scorers
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | 3rd position | Top scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Neftchi Baku PFC | Khazar Symgayit | PFC Turan Tovuz | Nazim Aliyev (Khazar Symgayit, 39 goals) |
| 1993 | FK Karabakh | Khazar Symgayit | PFC Turan Tovuz | Samir Alakbarov (Neftchi Baku PFC, 16 goals) |
| 1993-94 | PFC Turan Tovuz | FK Karabakh | FC Kapaz | Musa Gurbanov (PFC Turan Tovuz, 35 goals) |
| 1994-95 | FC Kapaz | PFC Turan Tovuz | Neftchi Baku PFC | Nazim Aliyev (Neftchi Baku PFC, 27 goals) |
| 1995-96 | Neftchi Baku PFC | Khazri Buzovna | FC Kapaz | Nazim Aliyev (Neftchi Baku PFC/FK Karabakh, 23 goals) |
| 1996-97 | Neftchi Baku PFC | FK Karabakh | Khazri Buzovna | Gurban Gurbanov (Neftchi Baku PFC, 25 goals) |
| 1997-98 | FC Kapaz | FK Baku | FK Shamkir | |
| 1998-99 | FC Kapaz | FK Shamkir | Neftchi Baku PFC | Alay Bahramov (FK Vilash Masalli, 24 goals) |
| 1999-00 | FK Shamkir | FC Kapaz | Neftchi Baku PFC | Badri Kvaratskhelia (FK Shamkir, 16 goals) |
| 2000-01 | FK Shamkir | Neftchi Baku PFC | FK Vilash Masalli | |
| 2003-04 | Neftchi Baku PFC | FK Shamkir | FK Karabakh | Samir Musaev (FK Karabakh, 20 goals) |
| 2004-05 | Neftchi Baku PFC | FK Khazar Lenkoran | FK Karvan | Zaur Ramazanov (FK Karvan, 21 goals) |
| 2005-06 | FK Baku | FK Karvan | Neftchi Baku PFC |  Yacouba Bamba (FK Karvan, 16 goals) |
| 2006-07 | FK Khazar Lenkoran | Neftchi Baku PFC | FK Baku | Zaur Ramazanov (FK Khazar Lenkoran, 20 goals) |
| 2007-08 | FC Inter Baku | FK Olimpik Baku | Neftchi Baku PFC | Khagani Mamedov (FC Inter Baku, 19 goals) |
Performance by club
| Club | Titles |
|---|---|
| Neftchi Baku PFC | 5 |
| FC Kapaz | 3 |
| FK Shamkir | 2 |
| FK Baku | 1 |
| FK Khazar Lenkoran | 1 |
| FK Karabakh | 1 |
| PFC Turan Tovuz | 1 |
| FC Inter Baku | 1 |
See also
- Football in Azerbaijan
- Azerbaijan Cup
- Soviet Top League
References
- ↑ "İnter Bakı snatch maiden Azeri title". uefa.com (2008-05-28). Retrieved on 2008-06-20.
- ↑ "«İnter» is a winner of Premier League". Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan Official Website (2008-05-29). Retrieved on 2008-06-20.
- ↑ "UEFA Country Ranking 2007". Bert Kassies. Retrieved on May 30, 2007.
External links
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Top division seasons in Azerbaijan
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