Khazar Lankaran FK

Khazar Lankaran
Full name Xəzər Lənkəran Futbol Klubu
Nickname(s) Gəmiçilər (The Shipbuilders)
Founded 2004 (2004)
Ground Lankaran City Stadium,
Lankaran, Azerbaijan
Ground Capacity 15,000
Owner Mubariz Mansimov
President Mais Mansimov
Coach Elbrus Mammadov
League Azerbaijan Premier League
2014–15 7th
Website Club home page

Khazar Lankaran FK (Azerbaijani: Xəzər Lənkəran Futbol Klubu) is an Azerbaijani football club based in Lankaran, who play in the Azerbaijan Premier League. The club was founded in 2004 and have played at their current home ground, Lankaran City Stadium, since 2005.

Khazar Lankaran have won the Premier league title only once, and the Azerbaijan Cup three times.[1][2]

They have a fierce rivalry with Neftchi Baku. The Böyük Oyun rivalry between Neftchi and Khazar has been played since 2004. The club is also a member of the European Club Association, an organization that replaced the previous G-14 which consists of major football clubs in Europe.

History

Early years (2004–2012)

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] Under Agaselim Mirjavadov club won Premier League title during 2006–07 season as well as clinched 2 Azerbaijan Cups. Khazar also managed to win the CIS Cup in 2008 after defeating 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 found 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]

Recent years (2012––)

In July 2012, the club under Yunis Huseynov earned their first win in European competition by beating Nõmme Kalju.[11] In March 2013, former Liverpool striker John Toshack was appointed as new manager after signing two-year deal with the club.[12][13] In 2012–13 season, Khazar finished in 8th place, the club's lowest finishing position to date.[14] Khazar Lankaran once again featured in European competitions during the 2013–14 season, featuring in the UEFA Europa League, where they were knocked out 10–0 on aggregate after suffering their heaviest European defeat ever, losing 8–0 to Maccabi Haifa.[15] On 23 October John Toshack guided Khazar to their first trophy in two years with victory over Neftchi Baku in the revitalised Azerbaijan Supercup.[16] A month later Toshack resigned from his position after only 14 points from 14 games in the 2013–14 season.[17]

Crest and colours

The club's crest includes stockless anchor with a football ball. The badge shaped like traditional compass with white-green background elements.

Shirt sponsors and kit manufacturers

Khazar's traditional kit is composed of white shirts, green shorts and white socks. The club's kits are manufactured by Puma and sponsored by Palmali, a multinational shipping company in Istanbul.

Stadium

Main article: Lankaran City Stadium
Lankaran City Stadium
Fırtınalar Meydanı (Arena of Storms)
Location Lankaran,
Azerbaijan
Owner Khazar Lankaran
Operator Khazar Lankaran
Capacity 15,000 seated
Construction
Broke ground 2005
Opened 11 August 2006
Construction cost $15 million
Tenants
Khazar Lankaran (2006–present)

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.[18][19]

On 17 July 2009, UEFA approved stadium for the usage during international football matches.[20] The stadium hosted its first senior international match on 5 September 2009, between Azerbaijan and Finland.[21]

Supporters

Khazar is one of the best supported clubs in Azerbaijan, having the highest attendance after FC Kapaz in the Caucasus region. Supporters of Khazar Lankaran are drawn from all over the Southern Region and beyond, with supporters' clubs all across the world.[22] The club's supporters are also known as the as Fırtına (Storm).[23][24]

Rivalry with Neftchi Baku

Main article: Böyük Oyun

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).[25][26][27]

Honours

National

Winners (1): 2006–07
Winners (3): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11
Winners (1): 2013

Regional

Winners (1): 2008

League and domestic cup history

Season League Azerbaijan Cup Top goalscorer
Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Name League
2004–05 1st 2 34 24 6 4 68 15 78 Semi-Finals Azerbaijan Samir Aliyev 20
2005–06 1st 7 26 9 9 8 27 18 36 Semi-Finals Azerbaijan Samir Aliyev 4
2006–07 1st 1 24 17 5 2 50 16 56 Winners Azerbaijan Zaur Ramazanov 20
2007–08 1st 4 26 14 10 2 44 16 52 Winners Azerbaijan Zaur Ramazanov 11
2008–09 1st 4 26 15 5 6 49 21 50 Quarter-Finals Bulgaria Ivan Tsvetkov 15
2009–10 1st 4 42 18 17 7 48 25 71 Runners-Up Brazil Mario Sergio 9
2010–11 1st 2 32 16 12 4 38 18 60 Winners Costa Rica Winston Parks 8
2011–12 1st 2 32 17 8 7 44 28 59 Quarter-Finals Azerbaijan Branimir Subašić 6
2012–13 1st 8 32 10 10 12 40 37 40 Runners-Up Greece Dimitris Sialmas 6
2013–14 1st 6 36 12 13 11 44 49 49 Semifinals Cameroon Mbilla Etame 11
2014–15 1st 7 32 8 8 16 35 46 32 Quarterfinals Bulgaria Galin Ivanov 6

UEFA club competition record

As of 17 July 2013.

Competition Matches Win Draw Lose GF GA
UEFA Champions League 2 0 1 1 2 4
UEFA Cup/Europa League 16 2 6 8 12 35
Total 18 2 7 9 14 39

Matches

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2005–06 UEFA Cup 1Q Moldova FC Nistru Otaci 1–2 1–3 2–5
2007–08 UEFA Champions League 1Q Croatia NK Dinamo Zagreb 1–1 1–3 (aet) 2–4
2008–09 UEFA Cup 1Q Poland Lech Poznań 0–1 1–4 1–5
2010–11 UEFA Europa League 1Q Moldova Olimpia 1–1 0–0 1–1
2011–12 UEFA Europa League 2Q Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv 0–0 1–3 1–3
2012–13 UEFA Europa League 1Q Estonia Nõmme Kalju 2–2 2–0 4–2
2Q Poland Lech Poznań 1–1 0–1 1–2
2013–14 UEFA Europa League 1Q Malta Sliema Wanderers 1–0 1–1 2–1
2Q Israel Maccabi Haifa 0–8 0–2 0–10

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 1 February 2016

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Azerbaijan GK Orkhan Sadigli
5 Azerbaijan MF Farid Asadov
4 Azerbaijan DF Ruslan Jafarov
6 Azerbaijan DF Asif Mirili
7 Azerbaijan MF Orkhan Safiyaroglu
8 Azerbaijan DF Vugar Baybalayev
10 Azerbaijan FW Tural Qurbatov (loan from Inter Baku)
12 Azerbaijan DF Ilyas Safarzade
15 Azerbaijan DF Nodar Mammadov
16 Azerbaijan MF Ibrahim Gadirzade
17 Azerbaijan MF Vaguf Gulaliyev
18 Azerbaijan MF Tural Jalilov (captain)
No. Position Player
25 Azerbaijan GK Tarlan Gasimzada
32 Azerbaijan DF Zaman Mirzazade
35 Azerbaijan FW Elfad Balahmadov
41 Azerbaijan DF Huseyn Khalilzade
42 Azerbaijan MF Kamran Abdullazade
44 Azerbaijan DF Yusif Hasanov
77 Azerbaijan MF Ali Aliyev
79 Azerbaijan MF Namig Gojayev
96 Azerbaijan FW Anar Babazade
97 Azerbaijan FW Elnur Jafarov
99 Azerbaijan MF Mahsum Qambarli

For recent transfers, see summer 2015 transfers and winter 2016 transfers.

Individual records

Lists of the players with the most caps and top goalscorers for the club, as of 30 August 2014 (players in bold signifies current Khazar player). Zaur Ramazanov is the club's all-time top scorer with 33 goals in 69 games.[28]

Rahid Amirguliyev is one of the most capped players for the club.
 Top Ten Highest Goalscorers
Player Period Appearances Goals
1 Azerbaijan Zaur Ramazanov 2005–08; 2011 69 33
2 Bulgaria Ivan Tsvetkov 2008–10 50 22
3 Azerbaijan Rahid Amirguliyev 2006–present 189 20
4 Brazil Mario Sergio 2008–10 58 18
5 Turkey Oktay Derelioğlu 2004–05 17 16
6 Azerbaijan Serbia Branimir Subašić 2011–13 51 14
7 Azerbaijan Rashad Abdullayev 2004–09 116 12
8 Cameroon Mbilla Etame 2013–14 35 11
9 Honduras Allan Lalín 2009–11 43 11
10 Mali Tounkara Sadio 2011–present 81 11
Kamran Agayev is one of the most capped players for the club.
 Top Ten Players With Most Appearances
Player Period Caps Goals
1 Azerbaijan Rahid Amirguliyev 2006–present 189 20
2 Bulgaria Radomir Todorov 2007–10; 2012–13 136 1
3 Azerbaijan Kamran Agayev 2006–13 122 0
4 Azerbaijan Alim Qurbanov 2004–12 121 11
5 Azerbaijan Rashad Abdullayev 2004–09 116 12
6 Azerbaijan Elnur Abdullayev 2011–present 109 10
7 Romania Adrian Scarlatache 2011; 2012–2015 87 11
8 Mali Tounkara Sadio 2011–present 81 11
9 Romania Adrian Piț 2011–14 75 8
10 Azerbaijan Emin Quliyev 2005–09 70 10

Notable managers

For more details on this topic, see List of FK Khazar Lankaran managers.

The following managers have all won at least one trophy when in charge of FK Khazar Lankaran:

Name Period Trophies
Azerbaijan Agaselim Mirjavadov 2007–09 Azerbaijan Premier League, Azerbaijan Cup (2), CIS Cup
Romania Mircea Rednic 2010–11 Azerbaijan Cup
Wales John Toshack 2013 Azerbaijan Supercup

In popular culture

A number of television programmes have included references to Khazar Lankaran over the past few decades. In the sitcom Aramizda Galsin, the character Jasarat is a Khazar supporter.[29] Khazar have also featured on several occasions in meykhana.[30][31]

References

  1. ↑ "Хет-трик ХЛ, черный покер Интера". Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  2. ↑ Ibrahimov, Erkin. "Xäzär beat İnter to win Azerbaijani Cup". UEFA.
  3. ↑ Наставник сборной Молдавии отрицает переход в "кавказский "Челси" (Russian)
  4. ↑ Кавказский "Челси": миф или реалность? (Russian)
  5. ↑ "Хазар" выиграл Кубок Содружества (in Russian). Trend News Agency. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  6. ↑ Лянкаранский Хазар выиграл Кубок Содружества! (in Russian). Bakililar.az. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  7. ↑ "Azerii au dat afara toti strainii. Rednic, pe faras!". Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  8. ↑ "Probleme mari pentru Rednic in "Tara Focurilor"". Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  9. ↑ ХЛ отправляет Редника в отставку. Azerisport.com (in Russian). Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  10. ↑ "ŞOK! ŞOK! ŞOK! Mirça Rednik istefa verdi". Fanat.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  11. ↑ "Xäzär Länkäran earn maiden European win". UEFA. Uefa.com. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  12. ↑ Тошак возглавил "Хазар-Ленкорань". Footballtop.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  13. ↑ Джон Тошак возглавил азербайджанский футбольный клуб. ua-football.com (in Russian). Retrieved 17 March 2013.
  14. ↑ ""Xəzər Lənkəran"a açıq məktub". futbolpress.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  15. ↑ "Men in Black: an historic 8:0 for Maccabi Haifa against Khazar Lankaran". Maccabi Haifa's Official Site. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  16. ↑ "Xäzär win revived Azerbaijan Super Cup". UEFA. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  17. ↑ "Con Toşak istefa verdi" (in Azerbaijani). http://lankaranfc.com/az/. Retrieved 25 November 2013. External link in |publisher= (help)
  18. ↑ "Fırtınalar meydanı"nda qol şousu (Azerbaijani)
  19. ↑ "Fırtınalar meydanı" niyə dolmur... (Azerbaijani)
  20. ↑ Azərbaycan – Finlandiya oyunu Lənkəranda keçiriləcək (Azerbaijani)
  21. ↑ affa.az:Azərbaycan – Finlandiya oyunu Lənkəranda keçiriləcək (Azerbaijani)
  22. ↑ Khazar Lankaran FC’s Baku Fan Club
  23. ↑ "FIRTINA" Fan Club (Azerbaijani)
  24. ↑ “Xəzər Lənkəran”a zərbə yox, dəstək lazımdır! (Azerbaijani)
  25. ↑ Раиль МЕЛИКОВ: «Это главное дерби Азербайджана и его невозможно сравнить с другим матчем»(Russian)
  26. ↑ “XƏZƏR-LƏNKƏRAN”-"NEFTÇİ" DERBİSİ İTV-dən YAYIMLANACAQ (Azerbaijani)
  27. ↑ pfl.az:50 saat qalmış(Azerbaijani)
  28. ↑ "Azerbaijan Premier League Stats". PFL.az. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  29. ↑ ""Aramızda qalsın"da "Böyük oyun" həyəcanı – VİDEO". korner.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  30. ↑ "Xəzər Lənkəran"ın qapıçısından bədahətən meyxana". avropa.info (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  31. ↑ "Meyxana ustası: "Xəzər Lənkəran"da türk futbolçular çox olmalıdır"". sportarena.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 9 November 2014.

External links

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