| Full name | Xəzər Lənkəran Futbol Klubu | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Gəmiçilər (The Shipbuilders) | ||
| Founded | 2004 | ||
| Ground | Lankaran City Stadium, Lankaran, Azerbaijan (Capacity: 15,000) |
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| President | Mubariz Mansimov | ||
| Coach | Cüneyt Biçer | ||
| League | Azerbaijan Premier League | ||
| 2010–11 | 2nd | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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FK Khazar Lankaran (Azerbaijani: Xəzər Lənkəran Futbol Klubu) is an Azerbaijani football club based in Lankaran, who play in the Azerbaijan Premier League. Khazar Lankaran have won the League title only once, and the Azerbaijan Cup three times.[1][2]
Despite domestic success, Khazar have participated in European cups five times, but has yet to pass to the second stage.
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The club was founded in 2004 by Azerbaijani entrepreneur Mubariz Mansimov and dubbed by the local media as "Caucasian Chelsea" due Khazar's strong financial position.[3][4] Khazar also managed to win the CIS Cup in 2008 after defeating FC Pakhtakor Tashkent in the final.[5][6]
After Mircea Rednic's appointment, who have signed a string of Romanian players and footballers from Liga I, club did not find success in European cups.[7][8]On 4 December 2011, Khazar announced that Rednic had been sacked by the club due to a run of poor performances.[9][10]
Khazar Lankaran's home ground is Lankaran City Stadium. It has a capacity of 15,000 and is the third largest stadium in Azerbaijan. The stadium also known as Fırtınalar meydanı (Arena of Storms), named after club's local supporters Fırtına fan group.[11][12]
In 17 July 2009, UEFA approved stadium for the usage during international football matches.[13] The stadium hosted its first senior international match on 5 September 2009, between Azerbaijan and Finland.[14]
There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in the Azerbaijan Premier League, and this is particularly the case in Azerbaijan, where the game between Khazar Lankaran and Neftchi Baku is known as Böyük Oyun (The Great Game).[15][16][17]
Nowadays, the rivalry is renewed on an almost annual basis, with both teams often challenging each other for the league championship.
Khazar Lankaran have the biggest number of supporters population alongside Neftchi Baku and Kəpəz in Azerbaijan. There are also many groups supporting Khazar Lankaran but club's main fan base known as Fırtına (Storm).[18][19] It is also first independent supporter club in Azerbaijan and two of their members have been selected as board member and vice president of Khazar Lankaran.[20]
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Domestic Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 1st | 2 | 34 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 68 | 15 | 78 | Semi-Finals |
| 2005–06 | 1st | 7 | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 27 | 18 | 36 | Semi-Finals |
| 2006–07 | 1st | 1 | 24 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 50 | 16 | 56 | Winners |
| 2007–08 | 1st | 4 | 26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 44 | 16 | 52 | Winners |
| 2008–09 | 1st | 4 | 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 49 | 21 | 50 | Quarter-Finals |
| 2009–10 | 1st | 4 | 42 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 48 | 25 | 71 | Runners-Up |
| 2010–11 | 1st | 2 | 32 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 38 | 18 | 60 | Winners |
As of August, 2010.
| Competition | Matches | Win | Draw | Lose | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 2 | – | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| UEFA Cup/Europa League | 8 | – | 3 | 5 | 5 | 14 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005/06 | UEFA Cup | 1Q | FC Nistru Otaci | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–5 | |
| 2007/08 | UEFA Champions League | 1Q | NK Dinamo Zagreb | 1–1 | 1–3 (aet) | 2–4 | |
| 2008/09 | UEFA Cup | 1Q | Lech Poznań | 0–1 | 1–4 | 1–5 | |
| 2010/11 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q | Olimpia | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | |
| 2011/12 | UEFA Europa League | 2Q | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 |
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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The following managers have all won at least one trophy when in charge of FK Khazar Lankaran:
| Name | Period | Trophies |
|---|---|---|
| Agaselim Mirjavadov | 2007–09 | Azerbaijan Premier League, 2 Azerbaijan Cups, CIS Cup |
| Mircea Rednic | 2010–11 | Azerbaijan Cup |
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