| Full name | Qarabağ Futbol Klubu | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Atlılar (The Horsemen) Xalq Komandası (Nation's Team) |
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| Founded | 1951 | ||
| Ground | Guzanli Olympic Complex Stadium, Quzanlı, Aghdam, Azerbaijan (Capacity: 2,000) |
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| President | Tahir Gözal | ||
| Manager | Gurban Gurbanov | ||
| League | Azerbaijan Premier League | ||
| 2010-11 | 3rd | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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FK Qarabağ Ağdam (Azerbaijani: Qarabağ Ağdam), also known as FK Karabakh Aghdam, is an Azerbaijani football club from Agdam, playing in Azerbaijan Premier League and three times Azerbaijan Cup holders.
The club was the first club outside Baku to have won the Azerbaijan Premier League. They are also the most successful Azerbaijani football team in European competition (with 3 continuous wins) as well as by reaching UEFA Europa League play off-round in both 2009 and 2010.[1][2] FK Qarabağ also recorded Azerbaijan's biggest win in European competition by beating Lithuanian side Banga Gargždai 4–0 away in UEFA Europa League.[3]
The club is one of the three teams in Azerbaijan, along with Neftchi Baku and Turan Tovuz which has participated in all Azerbaijan Premier League championships so far.
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The club was founded on 1951 as Qarabağ after completion of building of Aghdam city stadium, there began serious efforts towards creating a professional football team. As a result of this has been created FK Qarabağ, initially acted under the name of Mekhsul which has taken part in the championship of Azerbaijan in 1966 for the first time.[4]
In that year the club took 4th place in the local championship. FK Qarabağ continuously participated in the local championship for four years in a row. Within these years – 2nd place was the best result achieved in 1968. However, after 1968 due to careless and lack of financial support the team did not participate in the championships for a long period.[4] In 1977, the team has been given birth again under name Shafaq. In 1982 Shafaq was unique representative of Aghdam in football. Between the periods of 1982–87 the squad acted under the name "Cooperative society". In 1988, FK Qarabağ has won the champions title in Azerbaijan SSR local championship under its current name.[4]
In 1993, during the Nagorno-Karabakh war, the city of Aghdam came under Armenian control, and the team was forced to move from Imarat Stadium to Baku, while club's head coach Allahverdi Bagirov died in the war.[5][6] Financial problems have appeared at the club and club was living its hardest moments between 1998 to 2001 period. However, it did not stop the club to become the first ever Azerbaijani team that achieved a victory away from home in European competitions by defeating Israeli side Maccabi Haifa F.C. 2–1 in the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup thanks to a double strike from club legend Mushfig Huseynov. FK Qarabağ has also represented Azerbaijan in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA cup competitions many times.
All these problems were solved in 2001, after one of the largest holding companies of Azerbaijan, Azersun Holding began to sponsor the team. The squad has played under the name of Qarabag-Azersun for two seasons, however returned its original name in 2004.[7]
In 2008, former Azerbaijani football star Gurban Gurbanov was appointed as a head coach after the unexpected departure of Rasim Kara to Khazar Lankaran one week before the start of the 2008–09 season. Led by Gurban Gurbanov, Qarabağ have gone against the common strategy in Azerbaijani football, eschewing foreign signings in favour of nurturing local talent.[8]
Under Gurbanov, Qarabağ become the most successful Azerbaijani football club in Europe (with 3 continuous wins) and one which played UEFA Europa League play off-round by beating Rosenborg BK, thanks to a goal by Rashad Sadygov in UEFA Europa League, also eliminated FC Honka of Finland.[9][10] The achievements in European competitions also made Gurban Gurbanov most successful Azerbaijani manager in country's football history.[11]
In 2010, the club repeated Azerbaijani record for the biggest win in a European competition by beating FK Metalurg Skopje 4–1 in Baku as well as knocking out Wisła Kraków to reach the play-offs for the second year in succession.[12][13][14] In 2011, club renewed the same record by beating Banga Gargždai 4–0 in Gargždai.[15]
Main article: Guzanli Olympic Stadium
FK Qarabağ's current home ground is Guzanli Olympic Complex Stadium, which is situated in Quzanlı, the most populous municipality in the Agdam Rayon of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan. The Imarat Stadium which was club's original home stadium was destroyed by bombardments from Armenian military forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh War.[16][17][18]
In April 2009, club have announced that they will play their home games in Guzanli Olympic Complex Stadium, after the Federation of Azerbaijani Profesional Football League allowed them to play in Aghdam.[19] Club has played its home matches in Baku's Tofig Ismayilov Stadium since 1993.[20]
Although a large part of Qarabağ's support is drawn from the local Aghdam population, they remain immensely well supported in the rest of Azerbaijan. This is mainly due to their being the only team to represent war-torn Nagorno-Karabakh region in the league.[21] The club is a sole remnant of the past and a living symbol of hope and pride for over half a million Azerbaijani internally displaced people. In recent years, thanks to achievements on the pitch, the club has been able to inspire and initiate special youth projects enforcing stability and development in the IDP-settlements near the border of Nagorno-Karabakh.[22][23]
The club have few supporting groups such as Imarat and UltraAslan.[24] These groups often receive free tickets to Karabakh's games, which helps Karabakh to have more support from fans.
The crest on the club emblem is the symbol of the Karabakh. It is produced by English designers and based on the Karabakh horse.[25] The horse stems from the club's nickname The Horsemen; it was included on club programmes and scarves in the early period, although the crest was not included on the chest of the shirt until 2004.[26]
The club's traditional colours allude to the club's location in Nagorno-Karabakh, which means "Black garden" with the black and white representing light and darkness respectively.
1993
1993, 2006, 2009
1988, 1990
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Domestic Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 1st | 4 | 36 | 24 | 7 | 5 | 76 | 26 | 55 | 1/8 Finals |
| 1993 | 1st | 1 | 18 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 23 | 11 | 25 | Winners |
| 1993–94 | 1st | 2 | 30 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 52 | 12 | 49 | Semi-Finals |
| 1994–95 | 1st | 4 | 24 | 13 | 6 | 5 | 42 | 31 | 32 | 1/8 Finals |
| 1995–96 | 1st | 5 | 20 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 25 | 26 | 21 | Runners-Up |
| 1996–97 | 1st | 2 | 30 | 23 | 2 | 5 | 61 | 25 | 71 | |
| 1997–98 | 1st | 4 | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 43 | 22 | 49 | Runners-Up |
| 1998–99 | 1st | 4 | 36 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 50 | 29 | 66 | 1st Round |
| 1999-00 | 1st | 8 | 22 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 25 | 25 | Runners-Up |
| 2000–01 | 1st | 9 | 20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 19 | 34 | 19 | 1/8 Finals |
| 2003–04 | 1st | 3 | 26 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 63 | 17 | 60 | Semi-Finals |
| 2004–05 | 1st | 6 | 34 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 61 | 31 | 71 | 1/8 Finals |
| 2005–06 | 1st | 5 | 26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 32 | 32 | 40 | Winners |
| 2006–07 | 1st | 8 | 24 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 27 | 27 | 1/8 Finals |
| 2007–08 | 1st | 5 | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 25 | 16 | 41 | Quarter-Finals |
| 2008–09 | 1st | 5 | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 35 | 22 | 49 | Winners |
| 2009–10 | 1st | 3 | 42 | 17 | 18 | 7 | 37 | 30 | 69 | Quarter-Finals |
| 2010–11 | 1st | 3 | 32 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 41 | 22 | 58 | 1/8 Finals |
Source: uefa.com
Last updated: August 5 2011
| Competition | Matches | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Cup | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 15 |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| UEFA Europa League | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 27 | 20 |
| Total | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 32 | 58 |
| Season | Cup's name | Round | Club | Result (Home, Away) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1Q | MyPa | 1–2 (0–1, 1–1 (aet)) |
| 1997–98 | UEFA Cup | 1Q | Jablonec 97 | 0–8 (0–3, 0–5) |
| 1998–99 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1Q | Copenhagen | 0–10 (0–4, 0–6) |
| 1999 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1R | Maccabi Haifa | 2–2 (0–1 (a), 2–1) |
| 2R | Montpellier | 0–9 (0–3, 0–6) | ||
| 2004–05 | UEFA Cup | 1Q | Dukla | 0–4 (0–1, 0–3) |
| 2006–07 | UEFA Cup | 1Q | Zimbru Chişinău | 2–3 (1–2 (aet), 1–1) |
| 2009–10 | UEFA Europa League | 2Q | Rosenborg | 1–0 (1–0, 0–0) |
| 3Q | Honka | 3–1 (2–1, 1–0) | ||
| 4Q | Twente | 1–3 (0–0, 1–3) | ||
| 2010–11 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q | FK Metalurg | 5–2 (4–1, 1–1) |
| 2Q | Portadown | 3–2 (1–1, 2–1) | ||
| 3Q | Wisla Krakow | 4–2 (3–2, 1–0) | ||
| 4Q | Borussia Dortmund | 0–5 (0–1, 0–4) | ||
| 2011–12 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q | Banga Gargždai | 7–0 (3–0, 4–0) |
| 2Q | EB/Streymur | 1–1 (0–0 (a), 1–1) | ||
| 3Q | Club Brugge | 2–4 (1–0, 1–4) |
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Vice-President | Tahir Gozal |
| Managing Director | Emrah Çelikel |
| Financial Director | Murat Karaman |
| Facilities Director | Asif Asgarov |
| Press and Operations Officer | Nurlan Ibrahimov |
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Gurban Gurbanov |
| Assistant manager | Zaur Tagizade |
| Doctor | Sadraddin Mammadov |
The following managers have all won at least one trophy when in charge of FK Qarabağ:
| Name | Period | Trophies |
|---|---|---|
| Agaselim Mirjavadov | 1992–96 | Azerbaijan Premier League, Azerbaijan Cup |
| Elkhan Abdullayev | 2005–06 | Azerbaijan Cup |
| Gurban Gurbanov | 2008 – present | Azerbaijan Cup |
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