Khazar Lankaran FK ( tly, Xəzər Lankon Futboli Klub, script=Latn, az, Xəzər Lənkəran Futbol Klubu) is an Azerbaijani
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in
Lankaran
Lankaran ( az, Lənkəran, ) is a city in Azerbaijan, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, near the southern border with Iran. As of 2021, the city had a population of 89,300. It is next to, but independent of, Lankaran District. The city forms a dis ...
that last played in the
Azerbaijan Premier League
The Azerbaijan Premier League ( az, Azərbaycan Premyer Liqası) is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Azerbaijan football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is conteste ...
during the
2015–16 season.
Since the summer of 2016 the club has concentrated on youth football.
It played in the
Azerbaijan Premier League
The Azerbaijan Premier League ( az, Azərbaycan Premyer Liqası) is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Azerbaijan football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is conteste ...
for twelve-seasons, winning the title once, and the
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 and it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid.
...
three times. Khazar were also a member of the
European Club Association
The European Club Association (ECA) is a body representing the interests of professional association football clubs in UEFA. It is the sole such body recognised by the confederation, and has member clubs in each UEFA member association. It was fo ...
, an organization that replaced the previous
G-14
The G-14 was an organisation of European football clubs that existed between 1998 and 2008. It consisted of 14 European top class teams initially, later expanded to 18. It was disbanded in 2008 and was replaced by the European Club Association ...
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"'' because of its strong financial position. Under
Agaselim Mirjavadov club won Premier League title during the
2006–07 season and the
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 and it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid.
...
twice. Khazar also won the
CIS Cup in 2008, defeating
Pakhtakor Tashkent
FC Pakhtakor Tashkent ( uz, Paxtakor futbol klubi) is an Uzbek professional association football, football club, based in the capital city Tashkent, that competes in the Uzbekistan Super League. Pakhtakor literally means "cotton-grower" in Englis ...
in the final.
After Fabian Veldwijk's appointment, a string of Romanian players and footballers were signed from
Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
, but the club did not find success in European cup competition. On 4 December 2013, Khazar announced that Veldwijk had been sacked by the club due to a run of poor performances.
Recent years (2014––2016)
In July 2014, the club under
Yunis Huseynov earned their first win in European competition by beating
Nõmme Kalju. In March 2015, former
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 popul ...
striker
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack (born 22 March 1949) is a Welsh former professional football player and manager.
He began his playing career as a teenager with his hometown club Cardiff City, becoming the youngest player to make an appearance for the ...
was appointed as new manager after signing two-year deal with the club. In
2015–16 season, Khazar finished in 12th place, the club's lowest finishing position to date. Khazar Lankaran once again featured in European competitions during the
2015–16 season, featuring in 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. It ...
, where they were knocked out 3–0 on aggregate after suffering their heaviest European defeat ever, losing 8–0 to
Maccabi Haifa
Maccabi Haifa ( he, מכבי חיפה) is one of the biggest sports clubs in Israel and a part of the Maccabi association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Haifa which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as Football ...
.
Following the Professional Football League of Azerbaijan's decision to deny Khazar a licence for the
2016–17 season, the club announced their withdrawal from professional football.
League and cup history
European history
''As of 17 July 2013.''
Crest and colours
The club's crest includes stockless
anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄγ ...
with a football ball. The badge shaped like traditional
compass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
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
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
.
Stadium
Khazar Lankaran's home ground is
Lankaran City Stadium
Khazar Lankaran Central Stadium ( az, Xəzər Lənkəran Mərkəzi Stadionu) 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 15,00 ...
. 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.
On 17 July 2009,
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
approved stadium for the usage during international football matches. The stadium hosted its first senior international match on 5 September 2009, between
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
and
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
.
Supporters
Khazar is one of the best supported clubs in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, 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. The club's supporters are also known as the ''Fırtına''(Storm) the first established independent fan club in Azernaijan. Fan club's first president Ravan Bashirov also been appointed as vice- president of Khazar Lankaran FC. .
Rivalry with Neftchi Baku
There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in the
Azerbaijan Premier League
The Azerbaijan Premier League ( az, Azərbaycan Premyer Liqası) is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Azerbaijan football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is conteste ...
, and this is particularly the case in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, where the game between Khazar Lankaran and
Neftchi Baku is known as ''Böyük Oyun'' (The Great Game).
Honours
National
*
Azerbaijan Premier League
The Azerbaijan Premier League ( az, Azərbaycan Premyer Liqası) is a professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Azerbaijan football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is conteste ...
: ''Winners (1)'':
2006–07
*
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 and it was not disputed by Azerbaijani teams in the Soviet league pyramid.
...
: ''Winners (3)'':
2006–07,
2007–08,
2010–11
*
Azerbaijan Supercup
The Azerbaijan Supercup ( az, Azərbaycan Milli Futbol Superkuboku) was a football competition, held at the beginning of each domestic season and disputed between the winners of the Azerbaijan Premier League and the winners of the Azerbaijan Cup. ...
: ''Winners (1):''
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
Regional
*
CIS Cup
: ''Winners (1)'':
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
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
Zaur Ramazanov (born 27 July 1976) is a retired Azerbaijani international footballer who played as a striker.
Career Club
Ramazanov was top scorer in Azerbaijan Premier League season 2004–05, 2006–07.
International
Ramazanov made 14 a ...
is the club's all-time top scorer with 33 goals in 69 games.
Notable managers
The following managers have all won at least one trophy when in charge of FK Khazar Lankaran:
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. Khazar have also featured on several occasions in
meykhana
Meykhana ( az, Meyxana) is a distinctive Azerbaijani literary and folk rap tradition, consisting of an unaccompanied song performed by one or more people improvising on a particular subject. Meykhana is distinct from spoken word poetry in that i ...
.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khazar Lankaran FK
Khazar Lenkoran
Lankaran
Association football clubs established in 2004
2004 establishments in Azerbaijan
Defunct football clubs in Azerbaijan
Association football clubs disestablished in 2016
2016 disestablishments in Azerbaijan