Qarabağ FK
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| Full name | Qarabağ Futbol Klubu | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Atlılar (The Horsemen) | ||
| Founded | 23 July 1951 as Məhsul | ||
| Ground |
Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan | ||
| Capacity | 31,200 | ||
| President | Abdulbari Gözal | ||
| Manager | Gurban Gurbanov | ||
| League | Azerbaijan Premier League | ||
| 2012-13 | 2nd | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
| |||
 Current season | |||
Qarabağ Ağdam FK (Azerbaijani: Qarabağ Ağdam), also known as Karabakh Aghdam FK, is an Azerbaijani football club from Agdam, playing in Azerbaijan Premier League and three times Azerbaijan Cup holders.
Formed in 1951, Qarabağ were founding members of Azerbaijan Premier League in 1992 and won their first league championship a season later. The club was the first non-Baku based club to have won the Azerbaijan Premier League title. Qarabağ is one of the two teams in Azerbaijan, along with Neftchi Baku which has participated in all Azerbaijan Premier League championships so far.
Qarabağ plays its matches at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, which also serves as the venue for Azerbaijan national football team matches.
History
Formation (1951–1966)
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 Mehsul which has taken part in the championship of Azerbaijan in 1966 for the first time.[1]
Steady rise (1968–1988)
In that year the club took 4th place in the local championship. 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.[1] 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, Qarabağ has won the champions title in Azerbaijan SSR local championship under its current name.[1]
Effects of war and financial struggles (1991–2008)
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.[2][3] 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 2–1 in the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup thanks to a double strike from club legend Mushfig Huseynov. 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.[4]
Gurban Gurbanov era (2008–present)
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.[5]
Under Gurbanov, Qarabağ become one of the most successful Azerbaijani football clubs in Europe (with 3 continuous wins) and one which played UEFA Europa League play off-round by beating Rosenborg in UEFA Europa League, also eliminated Honka of Finland.[6][7] The achievements in European competitions also made Gurban Gurbanov as one of most successful Azerbaijani managers in country's football history.[8]
In 2010, the club made Azerbaijani record for the biggest win in a European competition during that time by beating Metalurg Skopje 4–1 in Baku as well as knocking out Wisła Kraków to reach the play-offs for the second year in succession.[9][10][11] In 2011, club renewed the same record by beating Banga Gargždai 4–0 in Gargždai.[12]
2011-12 season ended in disappointing style for Qarabağ as they finished in fourth place, leaving club without European competitions.[13]In 2013, Qarabağ reached UEFA Europa League play off-round for third time in their history.[14][15]
Crest and colours
The crest on the club emblem is the symbol of the Karabakh. It is produced by English designers and based on the Karabakh horse.[16] 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.[17]
Shirt sponsors and kit manufacturers
Qarabağ's traditional kit allude to the club's location in Nagorno-Karabakh, which means "Black garden" with the black and white representing light and darkness respectively. The club's kits are manufactured by Adidas and sponsored by Azersun, a food producing company from Baku.
Stadium
Qarabağ's current home ground is Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku, which has a capacity of 31,200 fans. The stadium is also used for the Azerbaijan national football team's matches.
The club have previously used Guzanli Olympic 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.[18][19][20]
In 2012, the construction of a new football stadium was announced. The stadium expected to be completed in 2014.[21]
Supporters
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.[22] 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.[23][24]
The club have few supporting groups such as Imarat and UltraAslan.[25][26] These groups often receive free tickets to Qarabağ's games, which helps Karabakh to have more support from fans.
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Domestic league and cup history
- {|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
Aliyev (9) Alishanov (9) Mirjavadov
1993118972231125W- Huseynov (6) Mirjavadov
1993-942302172521249SF- Huseynov (17) Mirjavadov
1994-954241365423132FR- Huseynov (14) Mirjavadov
1995-96520497252621RU- Huseynov (9) Ahmadov (9) Mirjavadov
1996-972302325612571SFCWCQual. Aliyev (17) Abbasov
1997-984261475432249RUUCQual. Huseynov (10) Baghirov (10) Abbasov
1998-9943620610502966FRCWCQual. Baghirov (16) Aghayev
1999-008225107212525RUICR2 Baghirov (7) Aghayev Shahuseyni
2000-019205411193419FR- Karimov (3) Diniyev
2001-0233216313504451FR-
Kudinov (13) Diniyev
2003-043261934631760SF- Musayev (20) Diniyev
2004-056342257613171FRUCQual. Vasilyev (12) Ponomaryov
2005-0652612410323240W- Musayev (10) Abdullayev Aghayev
2006-07824699202727FRUCQual. Javadov (4) Karimov (4)
Kara
2007-085261187251641QF- Javadov (6) Kara
2008-095261475352249W-
Šakiri (7)
Ferhatovic (7) Gurbanov
2009-1034217187373069QFELPO Aliyev (5) Ismayilov (5) Gurbanov
2010-113321778412258FRELPO
Adamia (18) Gurbanov
2011–124321589372853SFELQual. Adamia (7) Gurbanov
2012-1323216115432659SF-
Almeida (13) Gurbanov
European record
- As of 29 August 2013
| Competition | Matches | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 39 | 42 |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| Total | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 42 | 65 |
Matches
| Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1 Q |  |
MyPa | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 (aet) |
| 1997–98 | UEFA Cup | 1 Q |  |
Jablonec 97 | 0–3 | 0–5 | 0–8 |
| 1998–99 | UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 1 Q |  |
Copenhagen | 0–4 | 0–6 | 0–10 |
| 1999 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1 Q |  |
Maccabi Haifa | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 (a) |
| 2 Q |  |
Montpellier | 0–3 | 0–6 | 0–9 | ||
| 2004–05 | UEFA Cup | 1 Q |  |
Dukla | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–4 |
| 2006–07 | UEFA Cup | 1 Q |  |
Zimbru Chişinău | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 (aet) |
| 2009–10 | UEFA Europa League | 2 Q |  |
Rosenborg | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| 3 Q | |
Honka | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | ||
| Play-off |  |
Twente | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | ||
| 2010–11 | UEFA Europa League | 1 Q | |
FK Metalurg | 4–1 | 1–1 | 5–2 |
| 2 Q |  |
Portadown | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | ||
| 3 Q |  |
Wisła Kraków | 3–2 | 1–0 | 4–2 | ||
| Play-off |  |
Borussia Dortmund | 0–1 | 0–4 | 0–5 | ||
| 2011–12 | UEFA Europa League | 1 Q |  |
Banga Gargždai | 3–0 | 4–0 | 7–0 |
| 2 Q |  |
EB/Streymur | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 (a) | ||
| 3 Q | .svg.png){kind=small} |
Club Brugge | 1–0 | 1–4 | 2–4 | ||
| 2013–14 | UEFA Europa League | 1 Q | |
FK Metalurg | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 |
| 2 Q | |
Piast Gliwice | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 (aet) | ||
| 3 Q |  |
Gefle IF | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | ||
| Play-off | |
Eintracht Frankfurt | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–4 |
Players
Azerbaijani teams are limited to nine players without Azerbaijani citizenship. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player; several non-European players on the squad have dual citizenship with an EU country.
Current squad
- As of 23 January 2014
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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Individual records
Lists of the players with the most caps and top goalscorers for the club, as of 5 February 2014 (players in bold signifies current Qarabağ player). Mushfig Huseynov is the club's all-time most capped player and top scorer with 125 goals in 320 games.
| Player | Period | Appearances | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mushfig Huseynov |
1989–99; 2003–04; 2005–07 | 320 | 125 |
| 2 | Samir Musayev |
2002–06 | 85 | 44 |
| 3 | Georgi Adamia |
2010–12 | 72 | 29 |
| 4 | Tarlan Ahmadov |
1993–97; 2004 | 102 | 28 |
| 5 | Vagif Javadov |
2007–10; 2012–13 | 110 | 25 |
| 6 | Nazim Aliyev |
1996–97 | 44 | 23 |
| 7 | Rauf Aliyev |
2006–13 | 131 | 23 |
| 8 | Vugar Nadirov |
2001–05; 2009–present | 168 | 23 |
| 9 | Richard Almeida |
2012–present | 44 | 16 |
| 10 | Kanan Karimov |
1993–97; 2001; 2006–08 | 95 | 15 |
| Player | Period | Caps | Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mushfig Huseynov |
1989–99; 2003–04; 2005–07 | 320 | 125 |
| 2 | Aslan Kerimov |
1993–97; 2003–11 | 168 | 12 |
| 3 | Vugar Nadirov |
2001–05; 2009–present | 168 | 23 |
| 4 | Maksim Medvedev |
2006–present | 158 | 4 |
| 5 | Namiq Yusifov |
2006–07; 2008–present | 157 | 1 |
| 6 |  Admir Teli |
2009–present | 133 | 6 |
| 7 | Rauf Aliyev |
2006–13 | 131 | 23 |
| 8 | Rashad Sadygov |
2009–10; 2011–present | 129 | 8 |
| 9 | Vagif Javadov |
2007–10; 2012–13 | 110 | 25 |
| 10 | Tarlan Ahmadov |
1993–97; 2004 | 102 | 28 |
Club officials
The Board of Directors
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Vice-President | Tahir Gozal |
| Managing Director | Emrah Çelikel |
| Financial Director | Murat Karaman |
| Facilities Director | Asif Asgarov |
| Press and Operations Officer | Nurlan Ibrahimov |
Coaching staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Gurban Gurbanov |
| Assistant manager | Zaur Tagizade |
| Assistant manager | Chudomir Chakarov |
| Doctor | Sadraddin Mammadov |
Notable managers
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, Azerbaijan Supercup |
| Elkhan Abdullayev |
2005–06 | Azerbaijan Cup |
| Gurban Gurbanov |
2008–present | Azerbaijan Cup |
Honours
As of 24 January 2014, Qarabağ has won Azerbaijan Premier League once, 3 Azerbaijan Cup and Azerbaijan Supercup trophies. The club is the first non-Baku based club to have won the Azerbaijan Premier League title.[27] Qarabağ is one of the two teams in Azerbaijan, along with Neftchi Baku which has participated in all Azerbaijan Premier League championships so far.[27]
- Winners (1): 1993
- Winners (1): 1994
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Official Qarabagh website: Club's Creation(Azerbaijani)
- ↑ Müşfiqin "Qarabağ"dan böyük sevgisi yoxdur (Azerbaijani)
- ↑ "QARABAĞ"A SADİQ YAŞAR HÜSEYNOV (Azerbaijani)
- ↑ "QARABAĞ" AĞDAMIN – "QARABAĞ" AĞDAMA NƏ QƏDƏR DƏXLİ VAR?! (Azerbaijani)
- ↑ Ibrahimov, Erkin. "Qarabağ back and hoping for more". UEFA. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ↑ В Баку в футбольном матче Лиги Европы «Карабах» обыграл «Русенборг» (Russian)
- ↑ "Qarabağ" "Rusenborq"u diz çökdürdü (Azerbaijani)
- ↑ Suleymanov, Mehman. "Qurban Qurbanov 1-ci, komandası 2-ci". APASPORT News Agency. Retrieved 6 August 2010. (Azerbaijani)
- ↑ Карабах громит Металлург! (Russian)
- ↑ "Villa and Rapid to meet again". uefa.com. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
- ↑ Aliyev, Elmir. ""Карабах" победил "Вислу" в Лиге Европы". 1news.az. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
- ↑ Kheyrullaev, Vugar. "Azərbaycan futbolunda görünməmiş hadisə Litvada gerçəkləşdi". Retrieved 30 June 2011.
- ↑ "Не попадание Карабаха в еврокубки является трагедией". Azerisport.com. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ↑ "Mörk svensk kväll i Europa League". www.svd.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ↑ "Karabağ, play-off turuna yükseldi". spor.haber7.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ↑ Karabakh: История (Russian)
- ↑ Azimo, Rustam. ""Карабахские скакуны" покоряют Европу, или Пара слов о матче "Карабах" – "Висла"". 1news.az. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
- ↑ Vaxt olmayan yer (Azerbaijani)
- ↑ Ermənilərin xarabaya çevirdiyi Ağdamın «İmarət» stadionu (Azerbaijani)
- ↑ "Caqa" ikinci dəfə lotereyada uddu (Azerbaijani)
- ↑ ""Tofiq Bəhramov" futbolsuz qalacaq". fanat.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ↑ Rza, Kamal. "Üç günə dəyişən Azərbaycan futbolu". 90plus.info. Retrieved 24 August 2010. (Azerbaijani)
- ↑ OFF SIDE by Dirk-Jan Visser
- ↑ Нефтяной фонд Азербайджана выделит около 100 млн. долларов на обустройство беженцев (Russian)
- ↑ "Azarkeşlər bu dəfə də "Qarabağ"ı tək qoymadılar". Sportal.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ↑ "Qarabağ" fanklubunun rəhbəri: "İmarət"in səsini bütün Avropa eşidəcək" (Azerbaijani)
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 "ИСТОРИЯ И ДОСТИЖЕНИЯ". footballtop.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 24 January 2014.
Further reading
- Huizinga, Arthur (2012). Offside - Football in Exile. Paradox / YdocPublishing. ISBN 9789081887601.
External links
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