FC Pyunik

Pyunik
Full name Football Club Pyunik
Founded 1992 (1992)
Ground Yerevan Football Academy Stadium,
Yerevan
Ground Capacity 1,428
Owner Samvel Aleksanyan
Chairman Rafik Hayrapetyan
Manager Sargis Hovsepyan
League Armenian Premier League
2014–15 1st
Website Club home page

Football Club Pyunik (Armenian: Ֆուտբոլային Ակումբ Փյունիկ), commonly known as Pyunik, is an Armenian professional football club based in Yerevan. Pyunik is one of the most popular football clubs in Armenia.[1]

The club headquarters are located on Masis street 7, Yerevan.[2] The Pyunik Training Centre is located in the Kentron District of Yerevan.

The owner of the club is the Armenian businessman Samvel Aleksanyan.[3]

History

Founded in 1992 as Homenetmen Yerevan, the club won the first Armenian Premier League competition held in 1992 (shared with Shirak). In 1995, Homenetmen Yerevan was renamed FC Pyunik (Armenian for "Phoenix").

The new era of Pyunik began in 2001, when they absorbed the newly promoted club FC Armenicum and automatically gained position in the Armenian Premier League without playing a single game in the lower leagues. The new owner of the club Ruben Hayrapetyan, took serious approach to develop the team bringing star players from other Armenian clubs. Pyunik had significantly improved after the arrival of foreign players from Mali, Cameroon, Argentina and later from Romania. Thus, Pyunik won the Armenian Premier League title the same year and the Armenian Cup in 2002. Later, for the first time in independent Armenian club history an Armenian club advanced to the second round in the Champions League. Afterwards, the club won the Armenian Premier League title ten times in a row.

In general, Pyunik has won a record 13 Armenian Championships, along with 7 Armenian Cup titles and 8 Armenian Supercups. The club is among the most popular Armenian football clubs.

Stadiums

FC Pyunik at the Football Academy Stadium

Between 1992 and 1999, the club used the Hrazdan Stadium as a home ground. In 1999, after the renovation of the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, the club moved here and used it regularly as a home ground until 2013. During 2008, due to large-scale renovation works at the Vazgen Sargsyan Stadium, Pyunik were forced to play their home games at their own Pyunik Stadium, which was opened in 2004 as part of the Pyunik Training Centre (formerly known as Kilikia Sports Complex).

Since April 2013, FC Pyunik is using the Yerevan Football Academy Stadium as a home venue for the domestic competitions. It has a capacity of 1,428 seats.

Rivalry

Pyunik's main two rivals are Ararat and Banants, however, the rivalry with Ararat is a lot more fierce than that of Banants. The reason for that is because Ararat is known to be the most loved club of Yerevan because of its Soviet accomplishments, and Banants was originally based in the region of Kotayk, and was only moved to Yerevan in 2001. Another category Banants and Pyunik compete is their youth academies, which are considered to be the two best academies in the country.

Youth academy

FC Pyunik run their own youth training academy in Yerevan. Many of the Armenian national team players are graduates of the club's academy including Edgar Manucharyan, Robert Arzumanyan, Gevorg Ghazaryan, Karlen Mkrtchyan and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Many of them were members of the Armenia U-19 national team who participated in final tournament of the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship.[4]

Honours

Armenian Premier League

Armenian Cup

Armenian Super Cup

Pyunik in European cups

As of 30 June 2015.

Overall

Competition Pld W D L GF GA +/-
UEFA Champions League 32 7 6 19 29 52 (−23)
UEFA Europa League 10 3 2 5 11 20 (−9)
Total 42 10 8 24 40 72 (−32)

Matches

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
1996–97 UEFA Cup QR Finland HJK Helsinki 3–1 2–5(aet) 5–6
1997–98 UEFA Champions League 1Q Hungary MTK Budapest 0–2 3–4 3–6
2002–03 UEFA Champions League 1Q Finland Tampere United 2–0 4–0 6–0
2Q Ukraine Dynamo Kyiv 2–2 0–4 2–6
2003–04 UEFA Champions League 1Q Iceland KR Reykjavík 1–0 1–1 2–1
2Q Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 0–2 0–1 0–3
2004–05 UEFA Champions League 1Q Republic of Macedonia Pobeda Prilep 1–1 3–1 4–2
2Q Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 1–3 0–1 1–4
2005–06 UEFA Champions League 1Q Finland Haka Valkeakoski 2–2 0–1 2–3
2006–07 UEFA Champions League 1Q Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol 0–0 0–2 0–2
2007–08 UEFA Champions League 1Q Republic of Ireland Derry City 2–0 0–0 2–0
2Q Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 0–2 1–2 1–4
2008–09 UEFA Champions League 1Q Cyprus Anorthosis Famagusta 0–2 0–1 0–3
2009–10 UEFA Champions League 2Q Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 0–0 0–3 0–3
2010–11 UEFA Champions League 2Q Serbia Partizan Belgrade 0–1 1–3 1–4
2011–12 UEFA Champions League 2Q Czech Republic Viktoria Plzeň 0–4 1–5 1–9
2012–13 UEFA Europa League 1Q Montenegro Zeta Golubovci 0–3 2–1 2–4
2013–14 UEFA Europa League 1Q Republic of Macedonia Teteks Tetovo 1–0 1–1 2–1
2Q Lithuania Žalgiris Vilnius 1–1 0–2 1–3
2014–15 UEFA Europa League 1Q Kazakhstan FC Astana 1–4 0–2 1–6
2015–16 UEFA Champions League 1Q San Marino Folgore 2–1 2–1 4–2
2Q Norway Molde FK 1–0 0–5 1–5

Current squad

As of 27 January 2016[5]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Armenia GK Anatoli Aivazov
3 Armenia DF Varazdat Haroyan
4 Armenia DF Artur Kartashyan
6 Armenia MF Narek Aslanyan
7 Armenia MF Kamo Hovhannisyan
9 Armenia FW Razmik Hakobyan
10 Armenia FW Ghukas Poghosyan
11 Armenia MF David Manoyan (vice-captain)
12 Armenia GK Gor Manukyan
15 Armenia DF Artur Yuspashyan
16 Armenia DF Robert Hakobyan
18 Armenia MF Alik Arakelyan
No. Position Player
20 Armenia DF Levon Hayrapetyan
21 Armenia MF Sargis Shahinyan
23 Armenia MF Artur Nadiryan
26 Armenia DF Hovik Nersesyan
30 Armenia MF Vardges Satumyan
32 Armenia GK Samvel Hunanyan
33 Armenia DF Taron Voskanyan (captain)
34 Armenia MF Hovhannes Poghosyan
Armenia MF Armen Manucharyan
Armenia MF Karen Harutyunyan
Armenia MF Serob Grigoryan
Armenia FW Vardan Poghosyan

FC Pyunik-2 (reserves)

FC Pyunik's reserve squad play as FC Pyunik-2 in the Armenian First League. Pyunik Stadium is their home ground.

As of 1 August 2015

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
Armenia GK Vardan Vardanyan
Armenia DF Artashes Mkrtchyan
Armenia DF Narek Mikayelyan
Armenia DF Hakob Hakobkokhyan
Armenia DF Armen Mikayelyan
Armenia DF Davit Terteryan
Armenia MF Samvel Khachikyan
No. Position Player
Armenia MF Hovhannes Papazyan
Armenia MF Norik Mkrtchyan
Armenia MF Erik Vardanyan
Armenia MF Davit Baghdasaryan
Armenia MF Gegham Tumbaryan
Armenia FW Erik Petrosyan
Armenia FW Vigen Begoyan
Armenia FW Emil Ghukasyan

Manager: Ashot Avetisyan

Managers

References

External links

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