Khazar Lankaran FK


Khazar Lankaran FK is an Azerbaijani football club based in Lankaran, who last played in the Azerbaijan Premier League during the 2015–16 season. Since the summer of 2016 the club has concentrated on youth football. Since foundation in 2004, they played in the Azerbaijan Premier League for twelve-seasons, winning the title once, and the Azerbaijan Cup three times. Khazar were also a member of the European Club Association, an organization that replaced the previous G-14 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" due Khazar's strong financial position. Under Agaselim Mirjavadov club won Premier League title during 2006–07 season as well as clinched 2 Azerbaijan Cups. Khazar also managed to win the CIS Cup in 2008 after defeating Pakhtakor Tashkent in the final.
After Fabian Veldwijk's appointment, who have signed a string of Romanian players and footballers from Liga I, club did not found success in European cups. 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 striker John Toshack 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, where they were knocked out 3–0 on aggregate after suffering their heaviest European defeat ever, losing 8–0 to Maccabi Haifa.
Following the Professional Football League of Azerbaijan's decision to deny Khazar a license for the 2016–17 season, the club announced their withdrawal from professional football.

League and cup history

European history

As of 17 July 2013.
SeasonCompetitionRoundClubHomeAwayAggregate
2005–06UEFA Cup1Q FC Nistru Otaci1–21–32–5
2007–08UEFA Champions League1Q NK Dinamo Zagreb1–11–3 2–4
2008–09UEFA Cup1Q Lech Poznań0–11–41–5
2010–11UEFA Europa League1Q Olimpia1–10–01–1
2011–12UEFA Europa League2Q Maccabi Tel Aviv0–01–31–3
2012–13UEFA Europa League1Q Nõmme Kalju2–22–04–2
2012–13UEFA Europa League2Q Lech Poznań1–10–11–2
2013–14UEFA Europa League1Q Sliema Wanderers1–01–12–1
2013–14UEFA Europa League2Q Maccabi Haifa0–80–20–10

Crest and colours

The club's crest includes stockless anchor with a football ball. The badge shaped like traditional compass 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.

Stadium

Khazar Lankaran's home ground is Lankaran City Stadium. It has a capacity of 15,000 and is the third largest stadium in Azerbaijan. The stadium also known as Fırtınalar meydanı, named after club's local supporters Fırtına fan group.
On 17 July 2009, UEFA approved stadium for the usage during international football matches. The stadium hosted its first senior international match on 5 September 2009, between Azerbaijan and Finland.

Supporters

Khazar is one of the best supported clubs in Azerbaijan, 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.

Rivalry with Neftchi Baku

There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in the Azerbaijan Premier League, and this is particularly the case in Azerbaijan, where the game between Khazar Lankaran and Neftchi Baku is known as Böyük Oyun.

Honours

National

Lists of the players with the most caps and top goalscorers for the club, as of 30 August 2014. Zaur Ramazanov is the club's all-time top scorer with 33 goals in 69 games.
is one of the most capped players for the club.
is one of the most capped players for the club.

Notable managers

The following managers have all won at least one trophy when in charge of FK Khazar Lankaran:
NamePeriodTrophies
Agaselim Mirjavadov2007–09Azerbaijan Premier League, Azerbaijan Cup, CIS Cup
Mircea Rednic2010–11Azerbaijan Cup
John Toshack2013Azerbaijan Supercup

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.