Qarabağ FK
Qarabağ FK | ||||
Full name | Qarabağ Futbol Klubu | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | Atlılar (The Horsemen) | |||
Founded | 23 July 1951 (as Məhsul) | |||
Ground | Azersun Arena, Baku, Azerbaijan | |||
Capacity | 5,800 | |||
President | Tahir Gozal | |||
Manager | Gurban Gurbanov | |||
League | Azerbaijan Premier League | |||
2015–16 | 1st | |||
Website | Club website | |||
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Qarabağ Futbol Klubu, commonly known as Qarabağ, is an Azerbaijani football club from Agdam, but based in Baku since 1993 due to the Nagorno-Karabakh war, playing in the Azerbaijan Premier League.
Formed in 1951, Qarabağ were founding members of the Azerbaijan Premier League in 1992. A season later they won their first league championship, becoming the first non-Baku based club to win 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 in Baku, which also serves as the venue for Azerbaijan national football team matches.
In 2014, the club won the Premier League, their first league title for 21 years.[1] Qarabağ have won the Premier league and Azerbaijan Cup three times.[2] In the same year, Qarabağ became the second Azerbaijani team to advance to the group stage of a European competition, beating Twente in the play-off round of the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League.
History
Early years (1951–1991)
The club was founded in 1951 as Qarabağ after the Aghdam city stadium was built; there then began a serious effort towards the creation of a professional football team. Consequently, FK Qarabağ, then playing under the name of Mehsul took part in the 1966 Azerbaijani championship.[3] In that year the club reached 4th place in the local championship.
Qarabağ participated in the local championship for four consecutive years during which second place was their best result (achieved in 1968). However, after 1968 owing to carelessness and lack of financial support the team withdrew from the championships for almost ten years.[3] In 1977, the team was reborn under name Shafaq. In 1982 Shafaq was the only representative of Aghdam in football. Between the periods of 1982–87 the squad used the name "Cooperative society". In 1988, Qarabağ won the champions title in the Azerbaijan SSR local championship under its current name.[3]
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 had to move from Imarat Stadium to Baku, while the head coach of the team, Allahverdi Bagirov, died in the war.[4][5][6] Financial problems plagued the club during the period from 1998 to 2001 and the club went through hard times although it became the first Azerbaijani team to win away from home in a European competition by defeating the 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 many times.
These problems were alleviated in 2001, when one of the largest holding companies of Azerbaijan, Azersun Holding, starting sponsoring the team. The squad used the name of Qarabag-Azersun for two seasons, but then returned its original name in 2004.[7]
Gurban Gurbanov era (2008–present)
In 2008, former Azerbaijani football star Gurban Gurbanov was appointed as 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 ignored a common strategy in Azerbaijani football: eschewing foreign signings in favour of nurturing local talent.[8] Gurbanov brought with him a tiki-taka style of play, characterised by short passes, long periods of build-up and players interchanging positions.[9]
Under Gurbanov, Qarabağ has become one of the most successful Azerbaijani football clubs in Europe (with three consecutive wins) and one which reached the UEFA Europa League play off-round by beating Rosenborg in the UEFA Europa League, and also eliminated Honka of Finland.[10][11] The achievements in European competitions marked Gurban Gurbanov as among the most successful Azerbaijani managers ever.[12]
In 2010, the club set an Azerbaijani record for the most significant win in a European competition by beating Metalurg Skopje 4–1 in Baku and knocking out Wisła Kraków to reach the play-offs for the second year in succession.[13][14][15] In 2011, club duplicated the same record by beating Banga Gargždai 4–0 in Gargždai.[16] 2011–12 season ended in disappointing style for Qarabağ as they finished in fourth place, leaving the club without European competition.[17] In 2013, Qarabağ reached UEFA Europa League play off-round for third time in their history.[18][19]
In May 2014, Qarabağ earned its second league title after 21 years.[20] A month later, by beating Red Bull Salzburg, the club became first Azerbaijani side to win in the third round of UEFA Champions League.[21][22] In August 2014, the club reached Europa League play off round for the fourth time in last five seasons.[23] In 2014, Qarabağ qualified for the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League group stage, being the second Azerbaijani team to advance to this stage in a European competition.[24] On 23 October 2014, after defeating 1–0[25] Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, the team became the first Azerbaijani club to win a Europa League's group stage game.[26][27]
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.[28] The horse stems from the club's nickname The Horsemen; although it was included on club programmes and scarves earlier, the crest was not displayed on the shirt until 2004.[29] After Gurban Gurbanov's appointment, Qarabağ's attractive style of play led fans to call the team Qafqazın Barselonası (Barcelona of The Caucasus), which plays upon FC Barcelona's success in Europe.[9][30] The club is sometimes called Qaçqın Klub (The Refugee Club) after its conservative position on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and refugee problem in Azerbaijan.[9][31]
Shirt sponsors and kit manufacturers
Qarabağ's traditional kit alludes to the club's location in Nagorno-Karabakh 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 plays home matches at 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 as a result of artillery attacks from Armenian military forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh War.[32][33][34]
In 2012, the construction of a new football stadium was announced. The Karabakh Stadium stadium expected to be completed in 2015.[35]
The record attendance for Qarabağ occurred July 30, 2014, in a 2014–15 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round match attended by 32,000 fans against FC Red Bull Salzburg which ended with a 2–1 win for the Qarabağ.[36]
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.[37] 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.[38][39]
The club have few supporting groups such as Imarat and UltraAslan.[40][41] These groups often receive free tickets to Qarabağ's games, which helps Karabakh to have more support from fans.
Domestic league and cup history
Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup Europe Top Scorer (League goals) Head Coach 1992 APL 4 36 24 7 5 76 26 55 FR - Mahir Aliyev (9)
Mehman Alishanov (9)
Agaselim Mirjavadov
1993 1 18 9 7 2 23 11 25 W - Mushfig Huseynov (6)
Agaselim Mirjavadov
1993–94 2 30 21 7 2 52 12 49 SF - Mushfig Huseynov (17)
Agaselim Mirjavadov
1994–95 4 24 13 6 5 42 31 32 FR - Mushfig Huseynov (14)
Agaselim Mirjavadov
1995–96 5 20 4 9 7 25 26 21 RU - Mushfig Huseynov (9)
Tarlan Ahmadov (9)
Agaselim Mirjavadov
1996–97 2 30 23 2 5 61 25 71 SF CWC Qual. Nazim Aliyev (17)
Elbrus Abbasov
1997–98 4 26 14 7 5 43 22 49 RU UC Qual. Mushfig Huseynov (10)
Yalchin Baghirov (10)
Elbrus Abbasov
1998–99 4 36 20 6 10 50 29 66 FR CWC Qual. Yalchin Baghirov (16)
Boyukagha Aghayev
1999–2000 8 22 5 10 7 21 25 25 RU IC R2 Yalchin Baghirov (7)
Boyukagha Aghayev
Shahin Shahuseyni
2000–01 9 20 5 4 11 19 34 19 FR - Kanan Karimov (3)
Shahin Diniyev
2001–02 3 32 16 3 13 50 44 51 FR - Dmitriy Kudinov (13)
Shahin Diniyev
2003–04 3 26 19 3 4 63 17 60 SF - Samir Musayev (20)
Shahin Diniyev
2004–05 6 34 22 5 7 61 31 71 FR UC Qual. Vadim Vasilyev (12)
Igor Ponomaryov
2005–06 5 26 12 4 10 32 32 40 W - Samir Musayev (10)
Elkhan Abdullayev
Boyukagha Aghayev
2006–07 8 24 6 9 9 20 27 27 FR UC Qual. Vagif Javadov (4)
Kanan Karimov (4)
Rasim Kara
2007–08 5 26 11 8 7 25 16 41 QF - Vagif Javadov (6)
Rasim Kara
2008–09 5 26 14 7 5 35 22 49 W - Artim Šakiri (7)
Nidal Ferhatovic (7)
Gurban Gurbanov
2009–10 3 42 17 18 7 37 30 69 QF EL PO Rauf Aliyev (5)
Afran Ismayilov (5)
Gurban Gurbanov
2010–11 3 32 17 7 8 41 22 58 FR EL PO Georgi Adamia (18)
Gurban Gurbanov
2011–12 4 32 15 8 9 37 28 53 SF EL Qual. Georgi Adamia (7)
Gurban Gurbanov
2012–13 2 32 16 11 5 43 26 59 SF - Richard Almeida (13)
Gurban Gurbanov
2013–14 1 36 21 9 6 65 21 72 QF CL
ELQual.
GSReynaldo (22)
Gurban Gurbanov
2014–15 1 32 20 8 4 51 28 68 W CL Reynaldo (10)
Leroy George (10)
Gurban Gurbanov
European record
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/86/Qaraba%C4%9F_FK_-_Eintracht_Frankfurt.jpg/350px-Qaraba%C4%9F_FK_-_Eintracht_Frankfurt.jpg)
- As of 3 May 2016
Competition | Matches | W | D | L | GF | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UEFA Champions League | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 4 |
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League | 50 | 19 | 14 | 17 | 51 | 56 |
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
UEFA Intertoto Cup | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
Total | 66 | 24 | 17 | 25 | 62 | 83 |
Matches
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 22 January 2016
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
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Reserve team squad
As of 12 August 2015.
Note: Flags indicate national team as 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 21 November 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.[43]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Reynaldo_dos_Santos_Silva.jpg/200px-Reynaldo_dos_Santos_Silva.jpg)
Player | Period | Appearances | Goals | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() ![]() |
1989–99; 2003–04; 2005–07 | 320 | 125 |
2 | ![]() |
2012–present | 93 | 46 |
3 | ![]() |
2002–06 | 85 | 44 |
4 | ![]() |
2010–12 | 72 | 29 |
5 | ![]() |
1993–97; 2004 | 102 | 28 |
6 | ![]() |
2001–05; 2009–2015 | 193 | 27 |
7 | ![]() |
2007–10; 2012–13 | 110 | 25 |
8 | ![]() |
1996–97 | 44 | 23 |
9 | ![]() |
2006–13 | 131 | 23 |
10 | ![]() |
2012–present | 69 | 20 |
Player | Period | Caps | Goals | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() ![]() |
1989–99; 2003–04; 2005–07 | 320 | 125 |
2 | ![]() |
2001–05; 2009–2015 | 211 | 28 |
3 | ![]() |
2006–present | 197 | 6 |
4 | ![]() |
2006–07; 2008–present | 186 | 1 |
5 | ![]() |
2009–2015 | 170 | 6 |
6 | ![]() |
1993–97; 2003–11 | 168 | 12 |
7 | ![]() |
2009–10; 2011–present | 147 | 8 |
8 | ![]() |
2010–present | 140 | 3 |
9 | ![]() |
2006–13 | 131 | 23 |
10 | ![]() |
2007–10; 2012–13 | 110 | 25 |
Club officials
The Board of Directors
Position | Name |
---|---|
Vice-President | ![]() |
Managing Director | ![]() |
Financial Director | ![]() |
Facilities Director | ![]() |
Press and Operations Officer | ![]() |
Coaching staff
Position | Name |
---|---|
Manager | ![]() |
Assistant manager | ![]() |
Assistant manager | ![]() |
Goalkeeper coach | ![]() |
Doctor | ![]() |
Notable managers
Information correct as of match played 2 November 2014. Only competitive matches are counted.
Name | Nat. | From | To | P | W | D | L | GS | GA | %W | Honours | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Allahverdi Bagirov | ![]() |
19?? | 198? | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | [44] | |
Agaselim Mirjavadov | ![]() |
1992 | 1996 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Azerbaijan Premier League Azerbaijan Cup Azerbaijan Supercup |
[45] |
Elbrus Abbasov | ![]() |
1996 | 1998 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
Boyukagha Aghayev | ![]() |
1998 | 1999 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
Elbrus Abbasov | ![]() |
1999 | 2000 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
Shahin Shahuseyni | ![]() |
2000 | 2000 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
Shahin Diniyev | ![]() |
2001 | 2004 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
Igor Ponomaryov | ![]() |
2004 | 2005 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
Elkhan Abdullayev | ![]() |
2005 | 2006 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Azerbaijan Cup | |
Boyukagha Aghayev | ![]() |
2006 | 2006 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||
Rasim Kara | ![]() |
Dec 2006 | Jun 2008 | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 35 | 32 | 36.84 | [46] | |
Gurban Gurbanov | ![]() |
Jul 2008 | Present | 261 | 131 | 78 | 52 | 342 | 197 | 50.19 | Azerbaijan Premier League (2), Azerbaijan Cup (2) | [47] |
Notes:
P – Total of played matches
W – Won matches
D – Drawn matches
L – Lost matches
GS – Goal scored
GA – Goals against
%W – Percentage of matches won
Nationality is indicated by the corresponding FIFA country code(s).
Honours
As of 22 May 2015, Qarabağ has won three Azerbaijan Premier League titles, the Azerbaijan Cup once and one Azerbaijan Supercup trophy. The club is the first non-Baku based club to have won the Azerbaijan Premier League title.[48] Qarabağ is one of the two teams in Azerbaijan, along with Neftchi Baku which has participated in all Azerbaijan Premier League championships so far.[48]
- Winners (1): 1994
In popular culture
Qarabağ featured on football simulation game Pro Evolution Soccer 2015 and 2016.[49]
References
- ^ Atayev, Oktay. "Qarabağ end 21-year wait for Azerbaijani title". www.uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ "Azerbaycan'da şampiyon Karabağ". www.fanatik.com.tr (in Turkish).
- ^ a b c Official Qarabagh website: Club's CreationTemplate:Az icon
- ^ Gault, Matt. "Qarabag are exiled from their home but could shock the Champions League". www.theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ Müşfiqin "Qarabağ"dan böyük sevgisi yoxdur Template:Az icon
- ^ "QARABAĞ"A SADİQ YAŞAR HÜSEYNOV Template:Az icon
- ^ "QARABAĞ" AĞDAMIN – "QARABAĞ" AĞDAMA NƏ QƏDƏR DƏXLİ VAR?! Template:Az icon
- ^ Ibrahimov, Erkin. "Qarabağ back and hoping for more". UEFA. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ a b c Atayev, Oqtay. "Who are Qarabağ FK?". www.uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ В Баку в футбольном матче Лиги Европы «Карабах» обыграл «Русенборг» Template:Ru icon
- ^ "Qarabağ" "Rusenborq"u diz çökdürdü Template:Az icon
- ^ Suleymanov, Mehman. "Qurban Qurbanov 1-ci, komandası 2-ci" (in Azerbaijani). APASPORT News Agency. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
- ^ Карабах громит Металлург! Template:Ru icon
- ^ "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" FC becomes Azerbaijani Champion after 21 years". en.apa.az. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ Три красных и победа "Карабаха". ru.uefa.com (in Russian). UEFA. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ "Red Bull Salzburg verliert Hinspiel gegen Karabach". www.salzburg.com (in German). Salzburger Nachrichten. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ Еще один шанс, еще одна жеребьевка. www.azerisport.com (in Russian). Azerisport.com. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ^ Карабах стал вторым азербайджанским клубом, прошедшим в групповой этап Лиги Европы. www.azerisport.com (in Russian). Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ^ Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk – Qarabağ FK : 0–1 (Match report) ScoresPro.com
- ^ "Карабах установил историческое достижение для азербайджанских клубов". www.azerisport.com. Azerisport.com. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
- ^ "Qarabağ make history as Muarem stuns Dnipro". www.uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
- ^ Karabakh: История Template:Ru icon
- ^ Azimo, Rustam. ""Карабахские скакуны" покоряют Европу, или Пара слов о матче "Карабах" – "Висла"". 1news.az. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
- ^ "Qafqazın "Barselona"sı: axı niyə məhz o?". news.milli.az (in Azerbaijani). Day.az. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ "UEFA "Qarabağ"dan yazdı". futbolinfo.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ Vaxt olmayan yer Template:Az icon
- ^ Ermənilərin xarabaya çevirdiyi Ağdamın «İmarət» stadionu Template:Az icon
- ^ "Caqa" ikinci dəfə lotereyada uddu Template:Az icon
- ^ ""Tofiq Bəhramov" futbolsuz qalacaq". fanat.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ^ "Qarabağ–Salzburg". Soccerway. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
- ^ Rza, Kamal. "Üç günə dəyişən Azərbaycan futbolu" (in Azerbaijani). 90plus.info. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
- ^ OFF SIDE by Dirk-Jan Visser
- ^ Нефтяной фонд Азербайджана выделит около 100 млн. долларов на обустройство беженцев Template:Ru icon
- ^ "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" Template:Az icon
- ^ "Qarabağ FK – History". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- ^ "Azerbaijan Premier League Stats". PFL.az. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ "Horses of the Lost Black Garden". inbedwithmaradona.com. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ Или «Карабах», или Мирджавадов!. apasport.az (in Russian). Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ "Rasim Kara, Karabağ takımı ile anlaştı". zaman.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ "Qurban Qurbanov bunu bilirmi?". apasport.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ a b ИСТОРИЯ И ДОСТИЖЕНИЯ. footballtop.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 24 January 2014.
- ^ ""Qarabağ" PES-2015-də!". sportinfo.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 9 November 2014.
Further reading
- Huizinga, Arthur (2012). Offside - Football in Exile. Paradox / YdocPublishing. ISBN 9789081887601.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)