Football Club Anzhi Makhachkala (russian: link=no, Футбо́льный клуб «Анжи́» Махачкала́, ), known simply as FC Anji, was a Russian professional
football club based in the
Dagestani capital of
Makhachkala
Makhachkala ( rus, Махачкала, , məxətɕkɐˈla, links=yes),; av, Махӏачхъала, Maħaçqala; ce, ХӀинжа-ГӀала, Hinƶa-Ġala; az, Маһачгала, Mahaçqala; nog, Махачкала; lbe, Махачкъала; ...
. Founded in 1991, the club last competed in the third-tier
Russian Football National League 2.
In January 2011, Anzhi Makhachkala was purchased by billionaire
Suleyman Kerimov
Suleyman Abusaidovich Kerimov (russian: Сулейма́н Абусаи́дович Кери́мов, p=sʊlʲɪjˈman ɐbʊsɐˈidəvʲɪtɕ kʲɪˈrʲiməf; lez, Керимрин Абусаидан хва Сулейман; born 12 March 1966) ...
, and subsequently made numerous high-profile signings, including those of striker
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o Fils (; born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroonian football administrator and former player who is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation from 11 December 2021. In his prime, Eto'o was regarded by pundits as one of ...
and defender
Roberto Carlos
Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), commonly known as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who now works as a football ambassador. He started his career in Brazil as a forward but spent most of his car ...
. Following severe budget cuts ahead of the
2013–14 Russian Premier League
The 2013–14 Russian Premier League was the 22nd season of the Russian football championship since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and 12th under the current Russian Premier League name. The season started on 13 July 2013 and concluded on 17 ...
season, the club lost most of its key players and went on to finish bottom of the table, which resulted in relegation to the
Russian National Football League
The Russian First League (russian: Первая лига, Pervaya liga), formerly called Russian First Division (russian: Первый дивизион) and Russian Football National League (FNL) (russian: Первенство Футбольн ...
at the end of the season.
History
The club was founded in 1991 by former Dinamo Makhachkala player
Aleksandr Markarov with the head of Dagnefteprodukt – Magomed-Sultan Magomedov and took part in its first season in the Dagestan League the same year. The club's name Anzhi means ''pearl'' in local
Kumyk language
Kumyk (къумукъ тил,L. S. Levitskaya, "Kumyk language", in ''Languages of the world. Turkic languages'' (1997). (in Russian) qumuq til, قموق تيل) is a Turkic language spoken by about 426,212 people, mainly by the Kumyks, in the D ...
and is a former name of
Makhachkala
Makhachkala ( rus, Махачкала, , məxətɕkɐˈla, links=yes),; av, Махӏачхъала, Maħaçqala; ce, ХӀинжа-ГӀала, Hinƶa-Ġala; az, Маһачгала, Mahaçqala; nog, Махачкала; lbe, Махачкъала; ...
. FC Anzhi ended up as league champions with an unbeaten record and 16 wins out of 20 matches.
[История футбольного клуба «АНЖИ»]
Due to the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, the club entered Zone 1 of the
Russian Second Division
The Russian Second League (russian: Первенство России II дивизиона ФНЛ), formerly Russian Professional Football League is the third level of Russian professional football.
History
In 1998–2010, it was run by the Pr ...
(the third-highest tier) in 1992
and finished in fifth place. The club won their Group in 1993, but due to league reorganisation were not promoted, and remained in the new Western Zone of the third tier until a second-place finish in 1996 guaranteed promotion to the
First Division, under the coaching of
Eduard Malofeev
Eduard Vassilievich Malofeyev ( rus, Эдуа́рд Васи́льевич Малофе́ев, p=məlɐˈfʲeɪf, be, Эдуард Васілевіч Малафееў ''Eduard Malafyeyew''; born 2 June 1942 in Kolomna) is a Soviet and Belarusi ...
.
A key player in Anzhi's early history was
Azerbaijani international forward
Ibragim Gasanbekov, who was the team's top scorer in all of their first seven seasons. He was the league's top scorer in 1993 (30 goals) and 1996 (33 goals).
In 1999, Anzhi won the First Division, and were thus promoted to the top-flight
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
for the first time.
The side missed out on a bronze-medal finish on the last day of the season, as they conceded a last-minute
Torpedo Moscow
Football Club Torpedo Moscow (russian: link=no, ФК "Торпедо" Москва, ''FK Torpedo Moskva''), known as Torpedo Moscow, is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow that was founded in 1924 and returned to the Russian Pre ...
penalty which took their opponents into third place. On 20 June 2001, the club played in the final of the
Russian Cup for the first time, losing to
Lokomotiv Moscow
FC Lokomotiv Moscow (''FC Lokomotiv Moskva'', russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб "Локомотив" Москва, ) is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow. Lokomotiv have won the Russian Premier League on three oc ...
on penalties after a 1–1 draw.
Anzhi finished 15th and were relegated from the Premier League in 2002, but during their first season back in the First Division, they reached the semi-finals of the Russian Cup, where they lost 1–0 to
Rostov
Rostov ( rus, Росто́в, p=rɐˈstof) is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population:
While ...
. In their seventh season in the First Division, Anzhi won the league and returned to the Premier League.
On 5 December 2010, defender
Shamil Burziyev
Shamil Gasanovich Burziyev (russian: Шамиль Гасанович Бурзиев; 1 April 1985 – 5 December 2010) was a Russian professional footballer.
Club career
Dagestan-born Burziyev played the majority of his career in the lower leag ...
died in a car accident at the age of 25.
Purchase
![Roberto Carlos 7221](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Roberto_Carlos_7221.jpg)
On 18 January 2011, the club was purchased by Dagestani billionaire
Suleyman Kerimov
Suleyman Abusaidovich Kerimov (russian: Сулейма́н Абусаи́дович Кери́мов, p=sʊlʲɪjˈman ɐbʊsɐˈidəvʲɪtɕ kʲɪˈrʲiməf; lez, Керимрин Абусаидан хва Сулейман; born 12 March 1966) ...
, but later it was revealed that the President of
Dagestan,
Magomedsalam Magomedov
Magomedsalam Magomedaliyevich Magomedov (russian: Магомедсалам Магомедалиевич Магомедов; ; born June 1, 1964) is a Russian politician who served as the 3rd Head of the Republic of Dagestan, a federal subject o ...
, met Kerimov and gave him a 100% stake in the club, including 50% of the shares of the former owner of the club Igor Yakovlev, in exchange for financial support. Kerimov was planning to invest over $200 million in infrastructure, of which a substantial amount would go into building a new stadium with a capacity of more than 40,000 spectators, which would meet all
UEFA requirements.
Kerimov's investment was immediate as the club made many signings in the
2011 winter transfer window. The first significant signing came on 16 February, when the club announced the free transfer of Brazilian left-back and
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial football world championship for men's national teams organized by FIFA. It was held from 31 May to 30 June 2002 at sites in South Korea an ...
winner
Roberto Carlos
Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), commonly known as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who now works as a football ambassador. He started his career in Brazil as a forward but spent most of his car ...
from
Corinthians
The First Epistle to the Corinthians ( grc, Α΄ ᾽Επιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-aut ...
. Further signings included Roberto Carlos's teammate at Corinthians, midfielder
Jucilei, who was bought for €10 million,
Atletico Mineiro forward
Diego Tardelli
Diego Tardelli Martins (born 10 May 1985), known as Diego Tardelli, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward. He is considered a dynamic player due to his speed on attack and individual skills. ''Tardelli'' is not his last ...
, who signed on a four-year contract, and
Moroccan winger
Mbark Boussoufa from
Anderlecht. Anzhi paid €8 million for Boussoufa, and his transfer was finalised in the last minute of the window, on 10 March.
In summer 2011, the club signed Hungarian winger
Balázs Dzsudzsák
Balázs Dzsudzsák (; born 23 December 1986) is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays for Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Debreceni VSC.
Dzsudzsák began his career at his hometown club Debreceni VSC, winning consecutive league titles in e ...
, who signed a four-year deal for a reported €14 million. Anzhi also bought Russian midfielder
Yuri Zhirkov
Yuri Valentinovich Zhirkov ( rus, Ю́рий Валенти́нович Жирко́в, p=ˈjʉrʲɪj vəlʲɪnˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ʐɨrˈkof; born 20 August 1983) is a Russian footballer.
A left-sided player who can play full-back or winger, Zh ...
from
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
for a similar fee. On 23 August,
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
ian striker
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o Fils (; born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroonian football administrator and former player who is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation from 11 December 2021. In his prime, Eto'o was regarded by pundits as one of ...
signed from
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
for approximately €21 million on a world-record €20.5 million annual salary. The deal included a three-year-contract. On 30 August, Anzhi made their last big summer transfer window signing, with the arrival of
Mehdi Carcela.
In September 2011,
Gadzhi Gadzhiyev was sacked, after only managing one win in the last six matches, leaving the club seventh in the league table. Roberto Carlos took on a player-manager role, along with assistant
Andrei Gordeyev. On 27 December 2011, the club appointed
Yuri Krasnozhan
Yuri Anatolyevich Krasnozhan (russian: Юрий Анатольевич Красножан; born 7 June 1963) is a Russian professional football coach and a former player. He is the manager of Russia women's national football team.
Career
Born ...
as the new coach. However, he was sacked after only two months, and the team didn't play any official games under his management. In February 2012, experienced Dutchman
Guus Hiddink was announced as his replacement.
Hiddink's first signing was Congolese defender
Christopher Samba
Veijeany Christopher Samba (born 28 March 1984), known as Christopher Samba, is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in France, he played for the Congo national team.
Samba notably played in the Premier League for ...
, joining for £12 million from
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
on 24 February.
On 30 January 2012, Roberto Carlos announced his plans to retire at the end of the season, despite his contract running until June 2013. He ended his football career on 1 August and took up a role as the club's director. The Russian club concluded the first season after the takeover, the
2011–12 season, with a fifth-place finish in the league, which qualified the club for the Europa League second qualifying round. In the
Russian Cup, the club was eliminated in the round of 16 with an extra time loss against
Dynamo Moscow
MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...
.
On 3 September 2012, the club signed
Lassana Diarra
Lassana Diarra (born 10 March 1985) is a French former professional footballer. His predominant position was as a defensive midfielder but he could also play in a more advanced role and has played at right back, which he occasionally has done ...
on a four-year deal. On 10 October, Anzhi opened a youth academy, the first in Dagestan, in order to develop youth talents for the first team. The academy is being run by Anzhi Sporting Director
Jelle Goes
Jelle Quirinus Goes (born 26 March 1970 in Hilversum) is a Dutch association football, football Coach (sport), manager.
Trivia
Goes was manager of the Estonia national football team from 2 October 2004 to 29 June 2007, before that he was assis ...
. On 2 February 2013,
Willian joined the club from
Shakhtar Donetsk
Football Club Shakhtar Donetsk ( uk, Футбольний клуб «Шахтар» Донецьк , short nickname "miners") is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. In 2014, due to the War in Donbass, the club was f ...
for a €35 million fee.
Anzhi finished the
2012–13 season in third place in the league, missing out of qualification for next season's Champions League. In the
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
, they finished second in their group, and were eliminated in the round of 16 by
Newcastle United with a last minute goal after beating
Hannover 96 in the round of 32. They reached the
Russian Cup final that season, losing to CSKA on penalties.
On 22 July 2013, Hiddink resigned from his post as manager, ending an 18-month stint. His newly appointed assistant, countryman
René Meulensteen
Reinhard Jozef Petrus Meulensteen (born 25 March 1964) is a Dutch former footballer and coach who is currently assistant coach of the Australia national soccer team. He spent the early parts of his career working in the Netherlands before taking ...
, was promoted to the manager position.
However, after 16 days as the team manager, Meulensteen was sacked.
Budget cuts
On 7 August 2013, Kerimov decided to reduce the team's annual budget by two-thirds. As a result, on 15 August 2013,
Yuri Zhirkov
Yuri Valentinovich Zhirkov ( rus, Ю́рий Валенти́нович Жирко́в, p=ˈjʉrʲɪj vəlʲɪnˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ʐɨrˈkof; born 20 August 1983) is a Russian footballer.
A left-sided player who can play full-back or winger, Zh ...
,
Igor Denisov
Igor Vladimirovich Denisov (russian: Игорь Владимирович Денисов; born 17 May 1984) is a Russian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Denisov spent most of his career from 2002 to 2013 at his home ...
, and
Aleksandr Kokorin
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Kokorin ('' né'' Kartashov; russian: Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Коко́рин, ; born 19 March 1991) is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Cypriot club Aris Limassol ...
were packaged to
Dynamo Moscow
MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...
for an undisclosed fee. The three players had been purchased within the preceding two seasons, at a total cost exceeding €50 million. Remchukov said that the reason for the move was the "sharp deterioration in the health of Suleyman Kerimov, because of worries about the club's lack of success".
In addition, Dynamo also signed Christopher Samba,
Vladimir Gabulov
Vladimir Borisovich Gabulov ( rus, Владимир Борисович Габулов, p=vlɐˈdʲimɪr bɐˈrʲisəvʲɪtɕ gɐˈbuləf, os, Гæбулты Борисы фырт Владимир, ''Gabulte Boriše fert Vlâdimir'', born 19 Oct ...
and
Aleksei Ionov
Aleksei Sergeyevich Ionov (russian: Алексей Сергеевич Ионов; born 18 February 1989) is a Russian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, winger for FC Krasnodar, Krasnodar and the Russ ...
from Anzhi. Other cost-cutting transfers included Samuel Eto'o and Willian to
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
side
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
;
Lassana Diarra
Lassana Diarra (born 10 March 1985) is a French former professional footballer. His predominant position was as a defensive midfielder but he could also play in a more advanced role and has played at right back, which he occasionally has done ...
, Mbark Boussoufa and
Arseniy Logashov to Lokomotiv Moscow;
João Carlos to
Spartak Moscow Spartak Moscow may refer to the following teams based or formerly based in Moscow, Russia:
* FC Spartak Moscow, an association football club
* HC Spartak Moscow, a professional ice hockey team
* Spartak GM Moscow, a semi-professional rugby club
* WB ...
; and
Oleg Shatov
Oleg Aleksandrovich Shatov (russian: Олег Александрович Шатов; born 29 July 1990) is a Russian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Ural Yekaterinburg. Earlier in his career, he mostly played as ...
to
Zenit Saint Petersburg
Football Club Zenit (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб «Зенит» ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, acco ...
. The firesale continued into January 2014 with the sale of striker
Lacina Traoré
Lacina Traoré (born 20 May 1990) is an Ivorian professional Association football, footballer who last played as a Forward (association football), forward for Portuguese club Varzim S.C. He is nicknamed “The Big Tree”, due to his 2.03m fra ...
to
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
for €18 million and the sale of midfielder Jucilei to
Emirati side
Al-Jazira
Jazira or Al-Jazira ( 'island'), or variants, may refer to:
Business
*Jazeera Airways, an airlines company based in Kuwait
Locations
* Al-Jazira, a traditional region known today as Upper Mesopotamia or the smaller region of Cizre
* Al-Jazira ( ...
.
Several of the players sold had been recent signings for Anzhi; Aleksandr Kokorin had signed from Dynamo only a month before being sold back to the Dinamiki and had yet to make an appearance for Anzhi. Igor Denisov and Aleksei Ionov had both only signed in June and had played only a handful of matches before being sold. Christopher Samba had rejoined Anzhi in July after a spell with
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...
. Willian had joined in January and played only 11 league matches before being sold.
The budget cuts and subsequent sales resulted in Anzhi performing very poorly in the
2013–14 Russian Premier League
The 2013–14 Russian Premier League was the 22nd season of the Russian football championship since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and 12th under the current Russian Premier League name. The season started on 13 July 2013 and concluded on 17 ...
: they finished last and were relegated, having amassed a record low of three wins and 20 points, making them the worst last-placed team in Europe. However, they returned to the top division at the first attempt.
Although they were relegated, the club still managed to get into the last 16 of the
Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
, being eliminated by
AZ Alkmaar
Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and host ...
.
Recent history
Yuri Semin
Yury Pavlovich Syomin (russian: Юрий Павлович Сёмин; born 11 May 1947) is a Russian football coach. He has managed FC Lokomotiv Moscow for 4 different stints, for a total of over 23 years. The recent history of the Russian club ...
was announced as Anzhi's manager on 18 June 2015, signing a one-year contract with the option of an additional year.
After gaining only 6 points in first 10 games of the 2015–16 season and with Anzhi in last place, Semin left Anzhi on 29 September 2015.
After Semin's departure,
Ruslan Agalarov
Ruslan Agabekovich Agalarov (russian: Руслан Агабекович Агаларов; born 21 February 1974) professional football manager and a former midfielder. Born in the USSR, he represented the Uzbekistan national team.
Career Intern ...
was placed in charge of the club,
until the end of the season, saving them from relegation with a play-off victory over
Volgar Astrakhan.
Pavel Vrba was appointed as the club's new manager on 30 June 2016,
following the expiration of
Ruslan Agalarov
Ruslan Agabekovich Agalarov (russian: Руслан Агабекович Агаларов; born 21 February 1974) professional football manager and a former midfielder. Born in the USSR, he represented the Uzbekistan national team.
Career Intern ...
's contract on 31 May 2016.
On 28 December 2016, Suleyman Kerimov sold the club to Osman Kadiyev, with
Pavel Vrba leaving by mutual consent two days later,
with
Aleksandr Grigoryan
Aleksandr Vitalyevich Grigoryan (russian: Александр Витальевич Григорян; born 28 September 1966) is an Armenian professional football coach and a former player. He also holds Russian citizenship.
Managerial career
I ...
being appointed as the club's new manager on 5 January 2017.
Anzhi was relegated from the
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League (RPL; russian: Российская премьер-лига; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 ...
once again at the end of the 2017–18 season, losing the relegation playoffs to
FC Yenisey Krasnoyarsk
FK Yenisey Krasnoyarsk (ФК Енисей Красноярск) is a Russian football club based in Krasnoyarsk. The club plays in the Russian First League.
History
The club was founded in 1937 as ''Lokomotiv Krasnoyarsk'' and spent one season ...
with an aggregate score of 4–6. On 13 June 2018,
FC Amkar Perm
FC Amkar Perm (russian: link=no, Футбо́льный клуб "Амка́р" Пермь ) is a professional football club. Originally founded in 1994, it is based in the city of Perm. It was a participant in second-tier football from 1995 and ...
announced that the
Russian Football Union recalled their 2018–19 season license, making them ineligible for the
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League (RPL; russian: Российская премьер-лига; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 ...
or
Russian Football National League
The Russian First League (russian: Первая лига, Pervaya liga), formerly called Russian First Division (russian: Первый дивизион) and Russian Football National League (FNL) (russian: Первенство Футбольн ...
. As a consequence, Anzhi took Amkar's spot and was not relegated.
Anzhi struggled again during the
2018–19 season, and following a 0–1 defeat to
Arsenal Tula, their relegation back to the
Russian Football National League
The Russian First League (russian: Первая лига, Pervaya liga), formerly called Russian First Division (russian: Первый дивизион) and Russian Football National League (FNL) (russian: Первенство Футбольн ...
was confirmed.
On 15 May 2019, club's general director Absalutdin Agaragimov announced that the club failed
Russian Football Union licensing for the 2019–20 season. The club had until the end of May to lodge an appeal. On 29 May 2019, Russian Football Union licensing department chief Yevgeni Letin announced that Anzhi has recalled their appeal and, as a result, will not compete in the second-tier
Russian Football National League
The Russian First League (russian: Первая лига, Pervaya liga), formerly called Russian First Division (russian: Первый дивизион) and Russian Football National League (FNL) (russian: Первенство Футбольн ...
in the 2019–20 season. They had an option of applying for the third-tier
Russian Professional Football League license or potentially declaring bankruptcy. On 26 June 2019, Anzhi confirmed that they had received a license to play in the Russian Professional Football League for the 2019–20 season, and that they were still unable to register new players due to outstanding debts. Their 2019–20 squad mostly included the under-20 players who played for their youth team in the previous season, with most first-team players moving to other professional teams, including several notable ones (
Yury Dyupin,
Vladislav Kulik,
Andrés Ponce
Andrés Fabián Ponce Núñez (born 11 November 1996) is a Venezuelan professional footballer who plays for Russian First League club FC Akron Tolyatti.
Career Club
On 27 July 2018, Ponce signed with the Russian Premier League club FC Anzhi M ...
) who remained in the Russian Premier League.
On 3 June 2022, the
Russian Football Union confirmed their decision to not grant Anzhi the license that is necessary to play in the FNL 2. Their appeal was not considered as it was not filed according to the procedure. That automatically meant the loss of professional status. The club issued a statement apologizing to the fans and stating hope that the club can come back "one day". The last game of the
FNL2 season and the last professional Anzhi game was played on 5 June 2022, Anzhi won 4–0 away against
FC Rotor-2 Volgograd. Another club based in Makhachkala,
FC Dynamo Makhachkala
FC Dynamo Makhachkala (russian: ФК Динамо Махачкала) is a Russian football club based in Makhachkala.
Club history
In the 2006 season Dynamo finished 16th in the Russian First Division. However, the club was denied the professi ...
, secured promotion to the
FNL 3 days prior to that.
Crest and colours
The club's crest includes a yellow eagle in traditional Caucasian clothing with elements of the
Dagestani flag.
The club's name derives from the word ''Anzhi'' which means "pearl" in the
Kumyk language
Kumyk (къумукъ тил,L. S. Levitskaya, "Kumyk language", in ''Languages of the world. Turkic languages'' (1997). (in Russian) qumuq til, قموق تيل) is a Turkic language spoken by about 426,212 people, mainly by the Kumyks, in the D ...
. It was also the ancient name for the land around where
Makhachkala
Makhachkala ( rus, Махачкала, , məxətɕkɐˈla, links=yes),; av, Махӏачхъала, Maħaçqala; ce, ХӀинжа-ГӀала, Hinƶa-Ġala; az, Маһачгала, Mahaçqala; nog, Махачкала; lbe, Махачкъала; ...
is situated.
In the 2013–14 season, they changed their
kit sponsor from Adidas to Nike.
Stadium
![Stadium Dinamo Makhachkala](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Stadium_Dinamo_Makhachkala.jpg)
Due to the risk of possible armed conflict in Dagestan, the club's players primarily live and train at a training base near Moscow, which was previously used by
Saturn Moscow
FC Saturn Ramenskoye (russian: Фк Сатурн Ра́менское) is a Russian football club, based in the town of Ramenskoye in Moscow Oblast. It is also sometimes referred to as FC Saturn Moscow Region (russian: Фк Сатурн Мос ...
. The club fly in for home matches, which have a heavy security presence.
The club's 28,000-seat
Anzhi Arena
Anzhi Arena (russian: «Анжи Арена») or Anji Arena is an all-seater football stadium in Kaspiysk, Dagestan, Russia, and was the home of Russian Premier League club Anzhi Makhachkala. The stadium was built on the site of Anzhi's former ...
was built in 2003, and due to its facilities is not used in European competition, for which Anzhi use the
Lokomotiv Stadium in Moscow. A high-priority goal of Kerimov when he purchased the club was the construction of a new 40,000 seater ground.
Supporters
Anzhi receive most of their support from the
Northern Caucasian region, particularly from the city of Makhachkala. The club also enjoys support from fans scattered all over
Dagestan, and the local area in general. The club is hated by some supporters of the Moscow-based clubs as well as
Zenit Saint Petersburg
Football Club Zenit (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб «Зенит» ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in 1925 (or in 1914, acco ...
, in part out of jealousy of the club's former wealth and also out of ethnic and religious animosity.
European competitions
Anzhi's first continental participation was in the
2001–02 UEFA Cup. Their opponents were
Rangers of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
. Instead of usual home-and-away fixtures, UEFA decided to hold a single match in a neutral venue—the
Polish Army Stadium in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
—due to the unstable situation in neighbouring
Chechnya. Rangers won the match 1–0 and eliminated Anzhi.
After finishing fifth in the
2011–12 Russian Premier League
The 2011–12 Russian Premier League was the 20th season of the Russian football championship since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and 10th under the current Russian Premier League name. The season began on 12 March 2011. The last matches w ...
, Anzhi qualified for the group stage of the
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
for the first time in the club's history, after eliminating
Budapest Honvéd
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population of ...
in the second qualifying round,
Vitesse in the third qualifying round and
AZ Alkmaar
Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and host ...
in the play-off round.
However, they again had to play home matches away, this time at the
Luzhniki Stadium
Luzhniki Stadium ( rus, стадион «Лужники», p=stədʲɪˈon lʊʐnʲɪˈkʲi, ''Stadion Luzhniki'') is the national stadium of Russia, located in its capital city, Moscow. The full name of the stadium is Grand Sports Arena of the ...
, due to unrest in the city of Makhachkala. They finished second in
group A
Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles ...
behind
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
; both games between the two ended as 1–0 home wins. Liverpool, Anzhi and
Young Boys took the top three positions in the group respectively with ten points each, and were ranked by their head-to-head record with fourth-placed
Udinese
Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a ...
; Anzhi were the only team in the group not to lose at home, having won all their home games in the group stage.
Guus Hiddink's team were drawn with German side
Hannover 96, who won
group L
A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together.
Groups of people
* Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity
* Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
. The Russians won the first leg 3–1 at the Luzhniki before a 1–1 draw in
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
sent them through 4–2 on aggregate. They then faced
Newcastle United in the next round, where
Alan Pardew's men became the first team to deny Anzhi a home win in European competition. In the second leg away at
St James' Park
St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Premier League club Newcastle United F.C. With a seating capacity of 52,305 seats, it is the eighth largest football stadium in England.
St James' Pa ...
, Newcastle's
Papiss Cissé
Papiss Demba Cissé (; born 3 June 1985) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 2 club Amiens. He formerly played for the Senegal national football team.
Formerly of SC Freiburg, he once held the record of m ...
headed home the winner in the last second to eliminate Anzhi;
Mehdi Carcela-González had earlier been sent off for the club.
Record
1R: First round, 2Q: Second qualifying round, 3Q: Third qualifying round, PO: Play-off round
;Notes
1 Only one leg was played, in a neutral venue in Warsaw, Poland, due to security concerns in Russia.
Honours
*
Russian National League
: Champions (2):
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...
,
2009
Recent seasons
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Russia
Reserve teams
Records
Appearances
Top goalscorers
Top scorers by season
Notable players
Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Anzhi.
;USSR/Russia
;Former USSR countries
;Europe
;Africa
;Asia
;South America
Managers
*
Vladimir Petrov (1993)
*
Ahmad Alaskarov (1994)
*
Aleksandr Markarov ''(interim)'' (1995)
*
Eduard Malofeyev
Eduard Vassilievich Malofeyev ( rus, Эдуа́рд Васи́льевич Малофе́ев, p=məlɐˈfʲeɪf, be, Эдуард Васілевіч Малафееў ''Eduard Malafyeyew''; born 2 June 1942 in Kolomna) is a Soviet and Belarusi ...
(1996–98)
*
Aleksandr Reshetnyak ''(interim)'' (1998)
*
Pyotr Shubin (1998)
*
Gadzhi Gadzhiyev (1999–01)
*
Aleksandr Markarov ''(interim)'' (2001)
*
Leonid Tkachenko (2001–02)
*
Myron Markevych
Myron Bohdanovych Markevych ( uk, Мирон Богданович Маркевич; born 1 February 1951) is a Ukrainian football manager and a former midfielder.
He worked as a manager in the Ukrainian Premier League and the Ukrainian national ...
(10 July 2002 – 10 Oct 2002)
*
Aleksandr Piskaryov
Aleksandr Mikhaiylovich Piskaryov (russian: Александр Михайлович Пискарёв; born 18 November 1949) is a Russian football player and manager.
Work history
*Krasnaya Presnya Moscow (1980–83)
*Kareda (1998–99)
*FC Kh ...
(2003)
*
Aleksandr Reshetnyak ''(interim)'' (2003)
*
Aleksandr Markarov ''(interim)'' (2003)
*
Yevgeni Kuznetsov (2004)
*
Aleksandr Reshetnyak ''(interim)'' (2004)
*
Dmitri Galiamin
Dmitri Aleksandrovich Galiamin (russian: Дмитрий Александрович Галямин; born 8 January 1963) is a Russian football coach/official and a former player who played as a defender.
Club career
Galiamin was born in Moscow. H ...
(2004–06)
*
Aleksandr Markarov (2006)
*
Omari Tetradze (1 Jan 2007 – 14 March 2010)
''Information correct as of match played 15 March 2020. Only competitive matches are counted.''
*Notes:
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anzhi Makhachkala
Association football clubs established in 1991
Association football clubs disestablished in 2022
Anzhi Makhachkala
Football Club Anzhi Makhachkala (russian: link=no, Футбо́льный клуб «Анжи́» Махачкала́, ), known simply as FC Anji, was a Russian professional football club based in the Dagestani capital of Makhachkala. Founded ...
Anzhi Makhachkala
Football Club Anzhi Makhachkala (russian: link=no, Футбо́льный клуб «Анжи́» Махачкала́, ), known simply as FC Anji, was a Russian professional football club based in the Dagestani capital of Makhachkala. Founded ...
1991 establishments in Russia
2022 disestablishments in Russia