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Skonto F.C.
Skonto FC was a Latvian football club, active from 1991 until 2016. The club played at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's resumption (15 in total), and often provided the core of the Latvia national football team. With those 14 national championships in a row, they set a European record, men and women's football combined, until the women of Faroese club KÍ Klaksvík won their 14th championship in a row in 2013. Following financial problems, the club was demoted to the Latvian First League in 2016 and went bankrupt in December of that year. History Fourteen titles in a row (1991–2004) Skonto FC was founded in 1991, and immediately started to win league championships, 14 in a row, until finishing second to FK Liepājas Metalurgs in 2005. In 2006, Skonto finished third in a close contest with FK Liepājas Metalurgs and FK Ventspils. Skonto also won the Latvian Cup on eight occasions, most recently in 2012. Skonto had to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skonto Stadium
Skonto Stadium ( lv, Skonto stadions) is a football stadium in Riga, Latvia. The stadium was built in 2000 and currently has 8,087 seats in total (open for spectators & VIP guests on matchdays). It is the 2nd-largest stadium in Latvia, behind Daugava Stadium. Riga FC has an average attendance of 500. The stadium design incorporates Skonto Hall. Description Skonto Stadium is located in the heart of Riga at 1a E. Melngaiļa street. It is the second biggest football stadium with 8,087 seats, VIP lounges, offices, a press centre and cafes. Use Skonto Stadium is mostly used for hosting football matches. Since its opening in 2000, it has been the home stadium for the Latvian Higher League club Skonto Riga and Latvia national football team, as well as Latvia U-21. International artists have performed at this venue, including Aerosmith and Metallica in 2008, both of whom reached the maximum capacity for concerts, with 32,000 and 33,000 fans, respectively. Several other artists hav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway between Norway ( away) and Iceland ( away). The islands form part of the Kingdom of Denmark, along with mainland Denmark and Greenland. The islands have a total area of about with a population of 54,000 as of June 2022. The terrain is rugged, and the subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) is windy, wet, cloudy, and cool. Temperatures for such a northerly climate are moderated by the Gulf Stream, averaging above freezing throughout the year, and hovering around in summer and 5 °C (41 °F) in winter. The northerly latitude also results in perpetual civil twilight during summer nights and very short winter days. Between 1035 and 1814, the Faroe Islands were part of the Kingdom of Norway, which was in a personal union with Denmark from 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valentīns Lobaņovs
Valentīns Lobaņovs (russian: Валентин Анатольевич Лобанёв; born 23 October 1971 in Riga) is a former football midfielder from Latvia. He has played 58 international matches and scored 1 goal for the Latvia national team. He debuted in 1994, and played at the Euro 2004. He started his career in Skonto FC and later played for Metallurg Lipetsk, Metallurg Krasnoyarsk, Shinnik Yaroslavl, Metalurh Zaporizhzhia, FK Venta. His last club was FK Jūrmala. Honours ;Skonto *Latvian Higher League Latvian Higher League or Virslīga is a professional football league and the top tier of association football in Latvia. Organised by the Latvian Football Federation, the Higher League is contested by 10 clubs. The full name of the league is O ... champion: 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2003 * Latvian Football Cup winner: 1992, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001 External links Voetbal International [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mihails Zemļinskis
Mihails Zemļinskis ( uk, Михайло Валерійович Землинський; born 21 December 1969) is a Latvian politician and former professional footballer. He played as a centre-back or sweeper, making over 100 appearances for the Latvia national team. Football career Zemļinskis spent most of his career at Skonto FC except for short periods at FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, at BVSC Budapest and at Hapoel Kfar Saba. He was a skilled central defender and played for the Latvia national team after country regained its independence in 1991. He played 105 matches and scored 12 goals for the national team, and took part in the 2004 European Championships in Portugal. Zemļinskis wore the number 4 jersey. He eventually became a football coach at FC Daugava. He is also a former head coach of the Latvia U21 team. Political career Since 2009 he has been a member of the Latvian parliament Saeima for the social democratic party "Harmony". According to a request made to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Juris Laizāns
Juris Laizāns (born 6 January 1979) is a Latvian former professional footballer. A midfielder, he spent a large part of his playing career abroad in Russia. He made 113 appearances for the Latvia national team scoring 15 goals. Club career Born in Riga, Laizāns started his career with Skonto FC and moved to the Russian team CSKA Moscow in 2000. His team managed to win the UEFA Cup. After leaving CSKA Laizāns kept playing in Russia for FC Torpedo Moscow, FC Rostov, FC Kuban Krasnodar and FC Shinnik Yaroslavl. In 2009, he came back to Latvia, signing for Olimps/RFS, later also playing for FK Ventspils and participating in the UEFA Europa League group stages. Laizāns signed for Skonto FC at the start of 2010, but left the team soon - he joined the Russian team FC Salyut Belgorod. At the end of the season he was released, and he returned to Skonto FC. Playing 14 matches and scoring two goals, he again left Riga, this time in July 2011 for Fakel Voronezh, playing in the Russian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imants Bleidelis
Imants Bleidelis (born 16 August 1975) is a Latvian former professional football midfielder. He made 106 appearances for the Latvia national team. Club career Born in Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union, Bleidelis started his career at Skonto in 1992. In 1994, he played for Inter Skonto, and then between 1994 and 1999 he played 128 games scoring 24 games for Skonto. Skonto then sold him to English club, Southampton who were then in the Premier League, for £650,000, where he joined fellow countryman Marians Pahars. Bleidelis signed a three-and-a-half-year contract. He played only two league games in three seasons, and after being allowed to go on trial in Denmark with Superliga club, Viborg FF January 2003 Southampton released him on 26 January, and two days later he signed a two-year contract with Viborg, where he scored six goals in 55 appearances. He left Viborg in winter 2004 after turning down a new contract. Despite offers from two Latvian clubs, Skonto and FK Venta in 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Igors Stepanovs
Igors Stepanovs (born 21 January 1976) is a Latvian former professional footballer, who played as a defender, and the manager of the Latvia under-17 national team. Stepanovs played 100 international matches and scored four goals for the Latvia national team. He made his debut in 1995, and played at Euro 2004. Club career Skonto Born in Ogre, Stepanovs started his club career at Skonto-Metāls (later Skonto Riga). He made his debut in senior football at an early age, being just 16 years old. Together with Skonto Riga he won seven national titles. In 1995, he made his debut for Latvia national team and soon he became a regular member of the side. While playing with Skonto, Stepanovs played against teams like Inter Milan, Barcelona, and Chelsea. In these games, Skonto and Stepanovs performed well. In 2000, he attracted interest from many European teams. Arsenal In 2000, Arsenal captain Tony Adams was injured, prompting Arsène Wenger to sign Stepanovs for a transfer fee of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vitālijs Astafjevs
Vitālijs Astafjevs (born 3 April 1971) is a Latvian former professional football midfielder, and current assistant manager of Aris Limassol having previously held the role for the Latvia national team. Astafjevs won nine Latvian championships with Skonto Riga. He also played abroad for clubs in Austria, England and Russia. At international level, Astaefjevs captained Latvia at UEFA Euro 2004. With 167 caps for his country Astafjevs held the European record for the most international matches played, until being overtaken by Gianluigi Buffon in 2017. He is currently the joint sixteenth- most capped male footballer in history, alongside Iker Casillas. Club career Early career Born in Riga, Astafjevs started his professional career with Skonto Riga in 1992, shortly after Latvia had regained its independence from the Soviet Union. He played there for five seasons, until 1996, becoming a vital first eleven player. They won the league in each of his first four seasons. Twice, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aleksandrs Koliņko
Aleksandrs Koliņko (born 18 June 1975) is a Latvian retired professional footballer who works as assistant manager and goalkeeping coach of Latvian Higher League club FK RFS. Club career Koliņko was born in Riga and started his career in 1994, playing for Skonto Riga reserve team Interskonto, which was renamed Skonto-Metāls in 1995. After two seasons in the reserve team Koliņko broke through to Skonto Riga first team in 1996. In 1997, Koliņko participated in the UEFA Champions League qualification match against FC Barcelona, but eventually he became a first eleven player just in 1999, after the retirement of Oļegs Karavajevs. Koliņko made his name in the football world during a spell at English club Crystal Palace, where his appearances were limited due to his inconsistent form. He joined the club in 2000 alongside his international teammate Andrejs Rubins. He could make brilliant saves one moment, but terrible blunders the next. Reportedly, he was disciplined by the cl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marians Pahars
Marians Pahars (born 5 August 1976) is a Latvian professional football manager and a former player. As a player, he spent the majority of his career operating as a striker for English club Southampton, where he played in the Premier League and the Championship, the latter of which he played during his final season for the club. Furthermore, he had two spells at Skonto in the Latvian Higher League. He also made 75 appearances for the Latvian national team, scoring 15 goals over an eleven-year period. Having retired from football, Pahars entered a career in coaching, starting as assistant at Skonto, which resulted in his first appointment as a manager. He went on to manage Latvia at under-21 and senior level, before returning to club management with Jelgava. His Latvian given name is ''Marians''; however, he was generally known as ''Marian'' during his career in England. Club career Skonto Born in Chornobai in Ukraine of Latvian parents, Pahars grew up supporting Spartak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Māris Verpakovskis
Māris Verpakovskis (born 15 October 1979), is a Latvian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He represented the Latvia national team at UEFA Euro 2004 and is the only Latvian player to score at the end stage of a major international football tournament. Club career Latvia Born in Liepāja, Latvia, Verpakovskis started his career in hometown club FK Liepājas Metalurgs, for which he played from 1995 till 2001 and scored ten goals in 59 appearances. In 2001 Verpakovskis joined another Latvian side, Skonto Riga, where he scored 41 goals in 77 appearances. This period of time is known for being the peak of Verpakovskis's career. His performances were being recognized by many top European clubs, and in the late 2003 he signed a contract with the Ukrainian top team Dynamo Kyiv. Dynamo Kyiv Soon after joining, Verpakovskis quickly earned his spot in starting 11, scoring five goals in 11 appearances. He scored his first UEFA Champions League goal against the Turk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Latvian National Football Team
The Latvia national football team ( lv, Latvijas futbola izlase) represents Latvia in international football and is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia. They have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, however, they have qualified for the European Championship in 2004 under head coach Aleksandrs Starkovs. Latvia, alongside their Baltic rivals, Lithuania and Estonia, have also participated in the local sub-regional Baltic Cup tournament, which takes place every two years. Latvia has won the Baltic Cup championship a record 13 times, more than any other country in the history of the tournament, most recently in 2018. Latvia's current home ground is the Daugava Stadium in Riga. History Early years Latvia played their first match in 1922, a game against Estonia, which finished in a 1–1 draw. Latvia have won the Baltic Cup 12 times, and played 99 official games during its pre-war period from 1922 to 1940. In 1937, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
