FK Khazar Lenkoran
Encyclopedia
FK Khazar Lankaran is an Azerbaijan
i 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.
Despite domestic success, Khazar have participated in European cups five times, but has yet to pass to the second stage.
and dubbed by the local media as "Caucasian Chelsea" due Khazar's strong financial position. Khazar also managed to win the CIS Cup in 2008 after defeating FC Pakhtakor Tashkent
in the final.
After Mircea Rednic
's appointment, who have signed a string of Romanian players and footballers from Liga I
, club still eager to find success in European cups.
. 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.
In 17 July 2009, UEFA
approved stadium for the usage during international football matches. The stadium hosted its first senior international match on 5 September 2009, between Azerbaijan
and Finland
.
, 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).
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). 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.
Azerbaijan Cup
CIS Cup
Emin Quliyev Mahmud Gurbanov Khagani Mammadov Jeyhun Sultanov Zaur Ramazanov
Bulgaria Radomir Todorov
Kostadin Djambazov
Ivan Tsvetkov
Brazil Juninho
Diego Souza Mario Souza
Côte d'Ivoire Yacouba Bamba
Georgia Valeri Abramidze
Honduras Allan Lalín
Nigeria Emeka Opara
Turkey Oktay Derelioğlu
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club based in Lankaran
Lankaran
-History:The city was built on a swamp along the northern bank of the river bearing the city's name. There are remains of human settlements in the area dating back to the Neolithic period as well as ruins of fortified villages from the Bronze and Iron Ages. Lankaran's history is rather recent,...
, who play in the Azerbaijan Premier League
Azerbaijan Premier League
-Attendance:- Records :Players in the Premier League compete for the Azerbaijan Premier League Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer at the end of each season. Nazim Aliyev is the league's all-time top scorer with 183 goals, including 39 in the 1992 season.During the 1995–96 season he became the...
. Khazar Lankaran have won the League title only once, and the Azerbaijan Cup
Azerbaijan Cup
The Azerbaijan Cup is a major association football competition in Azerbaijan. In its original form, it started in 1936, when Azerbaijan was a republic of the Soviet Union; it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid....
three times.
Despite domestic success, Khazar have participated in European cups five times, but has yet to pass to the second stage.
History
The club was founded in 2004 by Azerbaijani entrepreneur Mubariz MansimovMubariz Mansimov
Mubariz Mansimov is an Azerbaijani entrepreneur and the founder of Palmali Group of Companies, a major shipping company, as well of the Azerbaijani football club Khazar Lankaran. He is currently listed on Forbes list of billionaires , the youngest billionaire in Turkey as of March 1, 2009...
and dubbed by the local media as "Caucasian Chelsea" due Khazar's strong financial position. Khazar also managed to win the CIS Cup in 2008 after defeating FC Pakhtakor Tashkent
FC Pakhtakor Tashkent
FC Pakhtakor Tashkent is an Uzbek professional football club, based in the capital Tashkent. Pakhtakor means cotton-grower in English.Playing in the Uzbek League since 1992, the club has been the undisputed powerhouse in Uzbekistan since the fall of the Soviet Union, winning eight Uzbek League...
in the final.
After Mircea Rednic
Mircea Rednic
Mircea Rednic is a Romanian football manager and former defender. As of July 2010, he manages Khazar Lankaran in Azerbaijan....
's appointment, who have signed a string of Romanian players and footballers from Liga I
Liga I
Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...
, club still eager to find success in European cups.
Stadium
Khazar Lankaran's home ground is Lankaran City StadiumLankaran City Stadium
Lankaran City Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Lankaran, Azerbaijan. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of FK Khazar Lankaran. The stadium holds 15,000 people and opened in 2006...
. 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.
In 17 July 2009, UEFA
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
approved stadium for the usage during international football matches. The stadium hosted its first senior international match on 5 September 2009, between Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan national football team
The Azerbaijan national football team is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan...
and Finland
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
.
Rivalry with Neftchi Baku
There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in the Azerbaijan Premier LeagueAzerbaijan Premier League
-Attendance:- Records :Players in the Premier League compete for the Azerbaijan Premier League Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer at the end of each season. Nazim Aliyev is the league's all-time top scorer with 183 goals, including 39 in the 1992 season.During the 1995–96 season he became the...
, and this is particularly the case in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, where the game between Khazar Lankaran and Neftchi Baku is known as Böyük Oyun (The Great Game).
Nowadays, the rivalry is renewed on an almost annual basis, with both teams often challenging each other for the league championship.
Supporters
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. There are also many groups supporting Khazar Lankaran but club's main fan base known as Fırtına (Storm). 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.
Honours
Azerbaijan League- Champions – 2006–07Azerbaijan Top League 2006-07The 2006-07 Azerbaijan Top League was contested by thirteen teams and won by FK Khazar Lenkoran. At the end of the season the league was dissolved and replaced by the Azerbaijan Premier League.-Final table:FK Gäncä was excluded from the league....
Azerbaijan Cup
Azerbaijan Cup
The Azerbaijan Cup is a major association football competition in Azerbaijan. In its original form, it started in 1936, when Azerbaijan was a republic of the Soviet Union; it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid....
- Winners – 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11
CIS Cup
Commonwealth of Independent States Cup
The Commonwealth of Independent States Cup is a tournament for football clubs which was set up after the split of the Soviet Union. It is open to all the national champions of the successor states of the Union, i.e., the Commonwealth of Independent States member states, as well as Estonia, Latvia,...
- Champions – 2008
League and domestic cup history
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Domestic Cup Azerbaijan Cup The Azerbaijan Cup is a major association football competition in Azerbaijan. In its original form, it started in 1936, when Azerbaijan was a republic of the Soviet Union; it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid.... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 Azerbaijan Premier League 2007-08 -League standings:-Results:Round 1[Aug 11]İnter 3-0 MasallıStandard 0-1 QäbäläNeftçi 1-2 TuranSimurq 1-0 Qarabağ[Aug 12]Bakı 3-1 GänclärbirliyiKarvan 0-1 Xäzär Länkäran[Sep 9]... |
1st | 4 | 26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 44 | 16 | 52 | Winners |
| 2008–09 Azerbaijan Premier League 2008-09 Azerbaijan Premier League 2008–09 was the seventeenth season of top-tier football in Azerbaijan. It began on 9 August 2008 and ended on 17 May 2009. Inter Baku were the defending champions.-Team changes from last season:... |
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 |
UEFA club competition record
As of August, 2010.| Competition | Matches | Win | Draw | Lose | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It... |
2 | – | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| UEFA Cup UEFA Cup The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League... /Europa League |
8 | – | 3 | 5 | 5 | 14 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005/06 UEFA Cup 2005-06 The UEFA Cup 2005–06 season was won by Sevilla FC, beating Middlesbrough FC in the final. It was the first victory for Sevilla in a European competition, and the first appearance by Middlesbrough in a European final. The final took place at Philips Stadion, in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The match was... |
UEFA Cup UEFA Cup The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League... |
1Q |  |
FC Nistru Otaci FC Nistru Otaci FC Nistru Otaci is a Moldovan football club based in Otaci, Moldova. They play in the Divizia Naţională, the top division in Moldovan football.-History:... |
1–2 | 1–3 | 2–5 |
| 2007/08 UEFA Champions League 2007–08 The 2007–08 UEFA Champions League was the 16th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since it was rebranded in 1992, and the 53rd tournament overall.... |
UEFA Champions League UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It... |
1Q |  |
NK Dinamo Zagreb | 1–1 | 1–3 (aet) | 2–4 |
| 2008/09 | UEFA Cup UEFA Cup The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League... |
1Q |  |
Lech Poznań Lech Poznan Lech Poznań is a Polish football club based in Poznań, Poland. The club is named after Lech, the legendary founder of Polish nation.The club was established in 1922 as Lutnia Dębiec, later changing its name several times. From 1933 until 1994, the club was closely linked to Polish State Railways... |
0–1 | 1–4 | 1–5 |
| 2010/11 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q | |
Olimpia FC Olimpia Balti FC Olimpia Bălţi is a Moldovan football club based in Bălţi, Moldova. They play in the Divizia Naţională, the top division in Moldovan football. Their home stadium is the Olimpia Bălţi Stadium.... |
1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| 2011/12 2011–12 UEFA Europa League The 2011–12 UEFA Europa League is the third season of the competition since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup. It began on 30 June 2011 with the first legs of the first qualifying round, and will end on 9 May 2012 with the final to be held at Stadionul Național in Bucharest, Romania... |
UEFA Europa League | 2Q |  |
Maccabi Tel Aviv | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 |
Current squad
(captain)Notable former players
Azerbaijan Samir Aliyev Dmitriy KramarenkoDmitriy Kramarenko
Dmitriy Sergeyevich Kramarenko is an Azerbaijani football goalkeeper playing currently for FK Khazar Lenkoran. His father is the former long-time goalkeeper for PFC Neftchi Baku, Sergey Kramarenko. He also holds Russian citizenship.-National team...
Emin Quliyev Mahmud Gurbanov Khagani Mammadov Jeyhun Sultanov Zaur Ramazanov
Zaur Ramazanov
Zaur Ramazanov is a Azerbaijani footballer currently playing for Azerbaijan Premier League club FK Karvan on a loan from FK Karabakh as a striker. He was top scorer in Azerbaijan Premier League season 2006/07...
Bulgaria Radomir Todorov
Radomir Todorov
Radomir Todorov is a Bulgarian footballer who currently plays for Spartak Varna.-External links:* * & at PFL.bg...
Kostadin Djambazov
Konstadin Dzhambazov
Kostadin Dzhambazov is a retired Bulgarian footballer, who played as a defender.-External links:* * at PFL.bg...
Ivan Tsvetkov
Ivan Tsvetkov
Ivan Tsvetkov is an ethnically Bulgarian born Dutch footballer, who plays as a forward for Levski Sofia.-Career:...
Brazil Juninho
Osvaldo José Martins Júnior
Juninho full name Osvaldo José Martins Júnior is a Brazilian footballer currently playing for Yuksak Liqa club FK Khazar Lenkoran as a midfielder.He also played for Marília....
Diego Souza Mario Souza
Côte d'Ivoire Yacouba Bamba
Yacouba Bamba
Yacouba Bamba is an Ivorian footballer. He currently plays for the Yuksak Liqa club FK Khazar Lenkoran as a striker.-External links:**...
Georgia Valeri Abramidze
Valeri Abramidze
Valeri Abramidze is a Georgian footballer. As of September 2009, he plays for FC Olimpi Rustavi. He also holds Russian citizenship.-Spartak Moscow:Abramidze joined FC Spartak Moscow during summer 2002, signed 5-year contract...
Honduras Allan Lalín
Allan Lalín
Allan Lalín is a Honduran football striker. He currently plays for Real España. He is also a member for the Honduras national football team and made his debut for the national side in 2006...
Nigeria Emeka Opara
Emeka Opara
Emeka Opara is a Nigerian football striker who is currently playing for FK Khazar Lenkoran.- Career :In 2006, he had an impressive run of form in the CAF Confederation Cup while playing for Tunisian club Étoile Sportive du Sahel, taking them to the final of the competition, whilst netting eight...
Turkey Oktay Derelioğlu
Oktay Derelioglu
Oktay Derelioğlu is Turkish former international footballer. Derelioğlu played as a forward and is notable for his goal against Belgium during the qualifying rounds of the 1998 FIFA World Cup...
Notable managers
The following managers have all won at least one trophy when in charge of FK Khazar Lankaran:| Name | Period | Trophies |
|---|---|---|
 Agaselim MirjavadovAgaselim Mirjavadov Agaselim Seyidahmed oglu Mirjavadov is a soccer coach of Khazar Lankaran.-Achievements:*Azerbaijan Premier League**Winner: 5**Runner-up:*Azerbaijan Cup**Winner:*CIS Cup**Winner: 2... |
2007–09 | Azerbaijan Premier League Azerbaijan Premier League -Attendance:- Records :Players in the Premier League compete for the Azerbaijan Premier League Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer at the end of each season. Nazim Aliyev is the league's all-time top scorer with 183 goals, including 39 in the 1992 season.During the 1995–96 season he became the... , 2 Azerbaijan Cup Azerbaijan Cup The Azerbaijan Cup is a major association football competition in Azerbaijan. In its original form, it started in 1936, when Azerbaijan was a republic of the Soviet Union; it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid.... s, CIS Cup Commonwealth of Independent States Cup The Commonwealth of Independent States Cup is a tournament for football clubs which was set up after the split of the Soviet Union. It is open to all the national champions of the successor states of the Union, i.e., the Commonwealth of Independent States member states, as well as Estonia, Latvia,... |
 Mircea RednicMircea Rednic Mircea Rednic is a Romanian football manager and former defender. As of July 2010, he manages Khazar Lankaran in Azerbaijan.... |
2010 – present | Azerbaijan Cup Azerbaijan Cup The Azerbaijan Cup is a major association football competition in Azerbaijan. In its original form, it started in 1936, when Azerbaijan was a republic of the Soviet Union; it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid.... |