Neftçi PFC Baki
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| Full name | Neftçi Peşəkar Futbol Klubu | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
Flaqman (Flagship) Neftçilər (Oil Workers) Xalq Komandası (Nation's Team) | |||
| Founded | 18 March 1937 | |||
| Ground | Bakcell Arena | |||
| Capacity | 15,000 | |||
| President | Chingiz Abdullayev | |||
| Head Coach | Vali Gasimov (caretaker) | |||
| League | Azerbaijan Premier League | |||
| 2014–15 | 4th | |||
| Website | Club home page | |||
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Neftçi PFC Baki (Azerbaijani: Neftçi Peşəkar Futbol Klubu), commonly known as Neftchi or Neftçi, is an Azerbaijani football club based in the capital, Baku, that currently plays in the Azerbaijan Premier League.
Founded in 1937, the club has won 8 Azerbaijan Premier League, 6 Azerbaijan Cup and 2 Azerbaijan Supercup titles. The club is one of the two teams in Azerbaijan, along with Qarabağ which has participated in all Azerbaijan Premier League championships so far.
In 2012, Neftchi Baku became the first Azerbaijani team to advance to the group stage of a European competition, beating APOEL of Cyprus 4–2 on aggregate in the play-off round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League.[1][2] Neftchi plays its matches at the Bakcell Arena, which also serves as the venue for Azerbaijan national football team matches.
History
Soviet era (1937–1991)
Neftchi were founded in 1937.[3]
World famous referee Tofiq Bahramov originally played for Neftchi but a serious leg injury prevented him from continuing his playing career and he became a referee.[4]
Domestic hegemony (1991–2012)
They won the first independent Azeri championship in 1992, and then won further titles in 1995/96 and 1996/97.[5]
In 2006, Neftchi managed to win the CIS Cup after defeating Kaunas in the final.[6] In European competitions, the club also have advanced to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League twice, having defeated Bosnian champions – Široki Brijeg – and Icelandic champions – FH Hafnarfjarðar – in 2004 and 2005 respectively.
A long period of decline followed the success of the 2005 to the end of the decade. Despite the appointment of famous names such as Gurban Gurbanov, Vlastimil Petržela, Anatoliy Demyanenko and Hans-Jürgen Gede, the club did not achieve any success and squandered large sums of money on unsuccessful signings.[7]
Things changed to positive in December 2009, when the club's control was given to Sadıq Sadıqov. The takeover was immediately followed by a flurry of bids for high-profile international players such as Bahodir Nasimov, Nicolás Canales, Flavinho, Bruno Bertucci, Eric Ramos, Igor Mitreski and Julius Wobay.[8] In May 2010, under Arif Asadov's first season as Neftchi head coach, the club won its sixth championship title.[9][10] Asadov also become first person in Azerbaijan to win the league title as a coach and football player.[11]
In the 2011–12 season, Boyukagha Hajiyev guided Neftchi to another domestic success as club become champions for seventh time in their history.[12][13] In November 2011, Neftchi celebrated its 1000th victory in official games and 1000th goal, which is scored by Araz Abdullayev.[14]
European breakthrough (2012–present)
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In 2012, Neftchi qualified for the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League group stage, being the first Azerbaijani team to advance to this stage in a European competition. Neftchi managed to get three points in six matches, drawing with Partizan both times and holding Inter Milan at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.[15][16]
A third consecutive Premier League title followed in 2012–13 season.[17] Neftchi then won the Azerbaijan Cup on 28 May 2013 to secure the domestic double.[18][19] Following Neftchi's early exit from European cups, Hajiyev resigned from his post.[20][21] Following defeat at 2013 Azerbaijan Supercup, Nazim Suleymanov appointed as Neftchi's new manager as Tarlan Ahmadov sacked after just three months in charge.[22] On January 8, 2014, Suleymanov resigned as manager after transfer fund dispute.[23][24] In May 2014, despite finishing fourth, Neftchi managed to win Azerbaijan Cup.[25] In August 2014, the club reached Europa League play off round after beating Chikhura Sachkhere on aggregate.[26]
On 2 November 2014, Neftchi's president Sadygov stated that, the club is experiencing financial difficulties.[27] In 2015, it was announced that club will be public limited company – Neftchi PLC, while club's new president will be Chingiz Abdullayev.[28]
Crest and colours
Neftchi's traditional kit was composed of black shirts, white shorts and socks of the same color. Although through the years these two have gone from alternating between white and black stripes. The club's kits are manufactured by Adidas and sponsored by SOCAR since 2004, a multinational oil and gas corporation from Baku.[29]
Grounds
Neftchi Baku's home games are usually played at Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku. Built by German prisoners of war in 1951 and constructed in the shape of C to honour Stalin, however it was renamed after famous football referee Tofiq Bahramov in 1993 after his death.[30] The stadium also serves as the home ground of the Azerbaijan national football team and holds 31,200 making it the largest stadium in the country.[31]
Neftchi's current home venue is 15,000 capacity Bakcell Arena. It has been the club's home since the 2012–13 season.
Supporters
Neftchi Baku is one of the most supported club in Azerbaijan, with supporters organized in many fan clubs around the world, including United States, Turkey, Russia, Germany, Netherlands, and any other country with a sizeable Azerbaijani community. In 2010s, although Neftchi improved its position, the average attendance fell to record low levels.[32]
The club's most popular celebrity supporters are the likes of actors Bahram Bagirzade, Bashir Safaroglu and Lutfali Abdullayev, composers Gara Garayev, Fikrat Amirov and Niyazi, judoka Ilham Zakiyev, politician Fuad Alakbarov and scientist Mirali Qashqai.[33][34][35]
Rivalry with Khazar Lankaran
The game between Neftchi and Khazar Lankaran is one of the biggest clashes in Azerbaijan. The relationship between the two clubs has always been known for its great animosity, as the classic opposes two geographic regions – with Neftchi and Khazar Lankaran representing the north and south of Azerbaijan, respectively.[36]
Domestic league and cup history
- {|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Season
! Div.
! Pos.
! Pl.
! W
! D
! L
! GS
! GA
! P
!Cup
!colspan=2|Europe
!Top Scorer (League goals)
!Head Coach
|-
||1992||rowspan="21"|APL|| style="background:gold;"|1||36||30||2||4||104||23||62||QF||colspan="2"|-||align="left"|
Alakbarov (36)||align="left"| Alaskarov Kramarenko
|-
||1993||5||18||11||5||2||39||11||27||QF||colspan="2"|-||align="left"| Alakbarov (16)||align="left"| Sadygov
|-
||1993–94||8||30||11||7||12||37||11||29||QF||colspan="2"|-||align="left"| Alakbarov (12)||align="left"| Sadygov
|-
||1994–95||3||24||17||4||3||67||15||38|| style="background:gold;"|W||colspan="2"|-||align="left"| Aliyev (26)||align="left"| Sadygov
|-
|-
||1995–96|| style="background:gold;"|1||20||11||6||3||42||17||39|| style="background:gold;"|W||WC||Qual.||align="left"| Aliyev (16)||align="left"| Sadygov Tuaev
|-
||1996–97|| style="background:gold;"|1||30||23||5||2||98||20||74||QF||UC||Qual.||align="left"| Gurbanov (34)||align="left"| Tuaev
|-
||1997–98|| style="background:bronze;"|6||26||13||4||9||43||23||43||SF||CL||Qual.||align="left"| Gurbanov (9)||align="left"| Tuaev
|-
||1998–99||3||26||15||4||4||57||18||52|| style="background:gold;"|W||colspan="2"|-||align="left"|
Kalfa (15)||align="left"| Tuaev
|-
||1999-00|| style="background:bronze;"|3||22||13||4||5||35||17||43||SF||UC||Qual.||align="left"| Vasilyev (8)||align="left"| Alaskarov
|-
||2000–01|| style="background:silver;"|2||20||16||3||1||57||11||51|| style="background:silver;"|RU||UC||Qual.||align="left"| Ismayilov (11)||align="left"| Namazov Abdullayev Ozbakov
|-
||2001–02|| style="background:bronze;"|3||22||13||5||4||34||7||44||colspan="1"|-||align="left"|UC||Qual.||align="left"| Gurbanov (9)||align="left"| Tuaev
|-
||2003–04|| style="background:gold;"|1||26||22||3||1||66||15||69|| style="background:gold;"|W||colspan="2"|-||align="left"| Vasilyev (17)||align="left"| Tuaev
|-
||2004–05|| style="background:gold;"|1||34||24||6||4||52||18||78||QF||CL||Qual.||align="left"| Tagizade (14)||align="left"| Mirjavadov
|-
||2005–06|| style="background:bronze;"|3||26||15||9||2||51||16||54||SF||CL||Qual.||align="left"| Nabiyev (12)||align="left"| Mirjavadov
|-
||2006–07|| style="background:silver;"|2||24||17||3||4||47||15||44||SF||colspan="2"|-||align="left"|
Adamia (10)||align="left"| Gurbanov
|-
||2007–08|| style="background:bronze;"|6||26||16||7||3||42||18||55||SF||UC||Qual.||align="left"| Subašić (14)||align="left"|
Petržela Demyanenko
|-
||2008–09|| style="background:bronze;"|8||26||9||9||8||30||21||36||QF||IC||R3||align="left"|
Neaga (5)||align="left"| Demyanenko 
Gede Aghayev
|-
||2009–10||5||42||13||19||10||31||26||58||QF||colspan="2"|-||align="left"| Neaga (11)||align="left"| Sadygov
|-
||2010–11||style="background:gold;"|1||32||19||10||3||53||17||67||QF||colspan="2"|-||align="left"|
Nasimov (15)||align="left"| Asadov
|-
||2011–12|| style="background:gold;"|1||32||20||3||9||55||30||63|| style="background:silver;"|RU||CL||Qual.||align="left"| Nasimov (16)||align="left"| Hajiyev
|-
||2012–13|| style="background:gold;"|1||32||19||5||8||59||32||62|| style="background:gold;"|W||CL
EL||Qual.
GS||align="left"|
Canales (26)||align="left"| Hajiyev
|-
||2013–14||||4||36||17||9||10||48||42||60|| style="background:gold;"|W||CL||Qual.||align="left"| Nasimov (7)||align="left"| Ahmadov
Suleymanov Hajiyev
|-
||2014–15||||4||32||13||10||9||38||33||49|| ||EL||PO||align="left"| Canales (11)||align="left"| Hajiyev
Asadov
European record
- As of 2 July 2015
| Competition | Matches | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 32 |
| UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League | 25 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 28 | 40 |
| UEFA Cup Winners' Cup | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Total | 51 | 14 | 14 | 23 | 49 | 82 |
Matches[37]
.svg.png){kind=small}
Players
Current squad
- As of 29 February 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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|
For recent transfers, see summer 2015 transfers and winter 2016 transfers.
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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Club officials
Management & Supervisory Board
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head of Supervisory Board | Chingiz Abdullayev |
| Executive Director | Elnur Mammadov |
| Director of Football | Vali Gasimov |
| SB Member | Samad Gurbanov |
| SB Member | Bahram Bagirzade |
| SB Member | Jabrail Jabrailov |
| SB Member | Mehdi Najafov |
| SB Member | Zaur Gahramanov |
| SB Member | Farhad Badalbeyli |
Coaching staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Manager | Vali Gasimov (caretaker) |
| Assistant coach | Habib Aghayev |
| Selection coach | Bakhtiyar Musayev |
| Goalkeeper coach | Dmitri Kramarenko |
| Fitness coach |  Giovanni Melchiorre |
| Club doctor | Shaig Zohrabli |
| Assistant doctor | Namiq Shahvaliyev |
| Assistant doctor | Nizami Javadov |
| Assistant doctor | Fikret Nabiyev |
| Assistant doctor | Reyhana Hadjiyeva |
| Physiotherapist | Rasim Gadmaliyev |
Presidential history
Neftchi has had numerous presidents over the course of its history, some of whom have been owners of the club while others have been honorary presidents. In 1988, Neftchi had registered as a professional football club and club since then had 6 presidents.
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Managers
Honours
Neftchi's first trophy was the Azerbaijani league title in 1992. The club currently holds the record for most top-division titles (8), the most Azerbaijan Cups (6), the most Azerbaijan Supercups (2) and the most Azerbaijan Cup Final appearances (8).[38] The club's most recent trophy came in May 2013 with the 2012–13 Azerbaijan Cup title.[39]
National
- Winners (8) : 1992, 1995–96, 1996–97, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13
- Runners-up (3) : 2000–01, 2001–02, 2006–07
- Winners (6) : 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04, 2012–13, 2013–14
- Runners-up (3) : 2000–01, 2011–12, 2014–15
- Winners (2) : 1993, 1995
- Runners-up (1) : 2013
Regional
- Third place : 1966
- Winners : 2006
- Runners-up : 2005
In popular culture
A number of television programmes have included references to Neftchi Baku over the past few decades. In the sitcom Aramizda Galsin, the character Aslan is a Neftchi supporter.[40] Neftchi have also featured on several occasions in meykhana.[41][42]
References
- ↑ "Нефтчи" стал первым азербайджанским футбольным клубом, вышедшим в групповой этап еврокубков – ФОТО. 1news.az (in Russian). Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ↑ ЦСКА вылетел из еврокубков. UEFA (in Russian). uefa.com. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ↑ "Neftçi PFC Baki". Soccerway. Perform. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ↑ Сын Тофика Бахрамова рассказал о своем отце (Интервью). Azerifootball.com (in Russian). Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ Erlan Manasche and Karel Stokkermans (29 October 2015). "Azerbaijan- List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ↑ "Скандал на Кубке Содружества: чемпионы Армении отказались играть с азербайджанцами (Scandal at the CIS Cup: The champions of Armenia refused to play the Azerbaijanis)" (in Russian). NewsRU.com. 19 January 2006. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
- ↑ Aliyev, Elmir. "Вице-президент "Нефтчи": "Ханс-Юрген Геде хотел нас "кинуть""". Day.az. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
- ↑ "Sabah futbol üzrə Azərbaycan milli çempionatı başlayır". Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- ↑ Ibrahimov, Erkin. "Neftçi take title honours in Azerbaijan". UEFA. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
- ↑ "Neftchi are Azerbaijani champions". News.az.
- ↑ "Arif Əsədov Azərbaycan futbolu tarixinə düşdü". Retrieved 1 May 2011.
- ↑ Ibragimov, Erkin. "Neftçi take honours in Azerbaijan". UEFA. uefa.com. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ↑ Нефтчи – чемпион второй год подряд. Azerifootball.com (in Russian). Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ↑ "2011-ci ilin sirrini APASPORT açdı – EKSKLÜZİV – STATİSTİKA". APASPORT.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- ↑ "Neftçi claim creditable draw at Inter". UEFA. uefa.com. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ↑ "Neftçi hold Partizan on group stage debut". UEFA. uefa.com. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ↑ "Three in a row for Azerbaijani champions Neftçi". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ↑ Нефтчи в пятый раз завоевал Кубок страны (ОБНОВЛЕНО). Azerisport.com (in Russian). Retrieved 28 May 2013.
- ↑ Atayev, Oktay. "Нефтчи" выиграл кубок. uefa.com (in Russian). UEFA. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
- ↑ "Skënderbeu strike late to end Neftçi resistance". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ↑ Беюкага Гаджиев ушел с поста главного тренера "Нефтчи". News.rambler.ru (in Russian). Rambler (portal). Retrieved 10 August 2013.
- ↑ Назим Сулейманов возглавил "Нефтчи". Zerkalo.az (in Russian). Retrieved 28 October 2013.
- ↑ Назим СУЛЕЙМАНОВ: Мне не позволили усилить Нефтчи. Azerisport.com (in Russian). Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ↑ "Nazim Süleymanovun istefasının təfərrüatı BİZDƏ – AÇIQLAMA". futbol11.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ↑ Нефтчи в шестой раз завладел Кубком Азербайджана. Azerisport.com (in Russian). Retrieved 22 May 2014.
- ↑ "Заря" восходит, Одесса тонет. ru.uefa.com (in Russian). UEFA. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ↑ "Sadıq Sadıqov "Neftçi"də maliyyə problemlərinin olduğunu etiraf etdi". rekord.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ↑ "Чингиз Абдуллаев, Бахрам Багирзаде, Садых Садыхов и другие — в наблюдательном совете Нефтчи". www.azerisport.com. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ↑ Так, кто же ты, Нефтчи?. Day.az (in Russian). Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ↑ Наш соперник: сборная Азербайджана (Russian)
- ↑ В столице Азербайджана будет построен 60-тысячный стадион (Russian)
- ↑ Кому нужен азербайджанский футбол?. Sport.day.az (in Russian). Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ↑ "Cüdo üzrə ikiqat paralimpiya çempionu İlham Zəkiyev də "Neftçi"yə dəstək oldu". www.olimpiya.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 8 November 2014.
- ↑ "Keçmişə Salam 08.04.2013". ANS TV (in Azerbaijani). 8 April 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ Дело – за первой сборной. Azerisport.com (in Russian). Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ↑ Раиль МЕЛИКОВ: «Это главное дерби Азербайджана и его невозможно сравнить с другим матчем»(Russian)
- ↑ "Neftçi PFK – History". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ↑ Bagirov, Rustam. Век живи!. www.sports.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 24 January 2014.
- ↑ ""Neftçi" kuboku "Xəzər Lənkəran"a vermədi: dava düşdü – FİNAL". modern.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 24 January 2014.
- ↑ ""Aramızda qalsın"da "Böyük oyun" həyəcanı – VİDEO". korner.az (in Azerbaijani). Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ↑ "Meyxanaçılar "Neftçi" – "Araz" haqda meyxana dedi". stadium.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 9 November 2014.
- ↑ "Мастера мейханы снова поддержали Нефтчи (ФОТО)". www.azerifootball.com (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 9 November 2014.
Further reading
- Wilson, Jonathan (2006). Behind the Curtain: Football in Eastern Europe: Travels in Eastern European Football. Orion. ISBN 0752879456.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Neftchi Baku PFC. |
- Official Website (Azerbaijani) (English) (Russian)
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