Gabala
Full nameGabala Sports Club
Qəbələ İdman Klubu
Nickname(s)Radarlar (The Radars)
Qırmızı-qaralar (The Red-blacks)
Founded3 July 1995 (1995-07-03), as Goygol
4 May 2005 (2005-05-04), as Qabala
GroundGabala City Stadium
Capacity4,500
ChairmanFariz Najafov
ManagerElmar Bakhshiev
LeagueAzerbaijan Premier League
2022–23Azerbaijan Premier League, 4th of 10
WebsiteClub website

Gabala SC (Azerbaijani: Qəbələ İK, pronounced [ɡæbæˈlæ]),[1][2] also spelled Qabala, is an Azerbaijani professional football club based in Qabala, which have competed in the Azerbaijan Premier League since 2006. Gabala has been the runner up in the Premier League three times and has won the national cup twice, in 2019 and 2023.

Gabala is one of the 2 teams that started the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League for 2 seasons and managed to move on to the group stage.[3][4]

History

The club was founded under the name of Goy Gol on 3 July 1995, based in Goy Gol. On 1 September 2005, Goy Gol was registered in Gabala by the Ministry of Justice, before the AFFA registered the team as professional on 5 September of the same year. In the summer of 2006, the team moved from Goygol to Qabala, before the club changed its name to Gilan PFK. Later, the club changed its name to Qəbələ PFK on 31 August 2007.[5][6]

On 10 May 2010, former Arsenal defender Tony Adams was appointed as new manager after signing a £1 million per year deal with the club.[7][8] In his first season in charge Gabala finished at 7th place in Azerbaijan Premier League.[9][10] In November 2011, Adams resigned from being Gabala's coach due to family problems.[11][12]

Despite the appointment of managers like Fatih Kavlak and Ramiz Mammadov, the club could not reach a satisfactory position in the league and was struggling in the middle of the table for many years.[13][14] On 29 May 2013, Yuri Semin was appointed as new manager after signing a £1 million per year deal with the club.[15][16] In the same year, the club qualified for European cups for the first time in their history but lost to Neftchi Baku on penalties in the final of the Azerbaijan Cup.[17][18]

In the 2015–16 season of the Europa League, they became the 3rd club from Azerbaijan to qualify for the group stage after Qarabag and Neftçi Baku. They eliminated Dinamo Tbilisi, Čukarički, Apollon Limassol and surprisingly Panathinaikos. They came 4th in their tough group of Borussia Dortmund, PAOK and FC Krasnodar. They got two points both from 0–0 draws against PAOK.

Following their defeat to Keşla in the 2017–18 Azerbaijan Cup Final, Roman Hryhorchuk left Gabala after his contract was not extended.[19] On 30 May 2018, Gabala announced that Sanan Gurbanov had been appointed as the club's new manager on a two-year contract.[20] On 31 August 2019, Gurbanov resigned as manager following Gabala's 4–0 defeat at home to Keşla.[21] On 2 September 2019, Elmar Bakhshiyev was appointed as Gabala's manager.[22]

League and cup history

Season League Azerbaijan Cup Top goalscorer Managers
Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Name League
2005–06 2nd 1st 30 22 6 2 72 14 72 Last 16 Azerbaijan R.Ahmadov 18 Azerbaijan Faig Jabbarov
2006–07 1st 11th 24 4 4 16 17 47 16 Last 16 Azerbaijan Vusal Garaev 4 Azerbaijan Ramiz Mammadov
2007–08 1st 6th 26 11 3 12 33 36 36 Semi-finals Russia Vitali Balamestny 8
2008–09 1st 10th 26 9 6 11 28 21 33 Semi-finals Azerbaijan Kanan Karimov 6
2009–10 1st 6th 42 15 14 14 42 48 56 1st round Poland Tomasz Stolpa 7
2010–11 1st 7th 32 13 12 7 31 18 51 Quarter-finals Jamaica Deon Burton 9 England Tony Adams
2011–12 1st 5th 32 15 7 10 43 32 52 Quarter-finals Brazil Dodô
France Yannick Kamanan		 9 England Tony Adams
Turkey Fatih Kavlak
2012–13 1st 6th 32 10 8 14 32 40 38 Quarter-finals Senegal Victor Mendy
Brazil Assis		 6 Turkey Fatih Kavlak
Azerbaijan Ramiz Mammadov
Spain Luis Aragón
2013–14 1st 3rd 36 18 7 11 48 36 61 Runners-up Switzerland Danijel Subotić 12 Russia Yuri Semin
2014–15 1st 3rd 32 15 9 8 46 35 54 Quarter-finals Azerbaijan Javid Huseynov 11 Romania Dorinel Munteanu
Ukraine Roman Hryhorchuk
2015–16 1st 3rd 36 16 11 9 44 28 59 Semi-finals Ukraine Oleksiy Gai 10 Ukraine Roman Hryhorchuk
2016–17 1st 2nd 28 14 10 4 48 21 52 Runners-up Croatia Filip Ozobić 11
2017–18 1st 2nd 28 14 7 7 43 26 49 Runners-up France Bagaliy Dabo 13
2018–19 1st 4th 28 9 9 10 31 33 36 Champions Nigeria James Adeniyi 10 Azerbaijan Sanan Gurbanov
2019–20 1st 8th 20 5 4 11 25 35 19 Semi-finals Georgia (country) Davit Volkovi 5 Azerbaijan Sanan Gurbanov
Azerbaijan Elmar Bakhshiyev
2020–21 1st 7th 28 5 11 12 23 44 26 Quarter-finals Brazil Raphael Utzig 5 Azerbaijan Elmar Bakhshiyev
2021–22 1st 4th 28 12 9 7 38 34 45 Semi-finals Albania Isnik Alimi 8 Azerbaijan Elmar Bakhshiyev
2022–23 1st 4th 36 13 11 12 47 47 50 Champions Albania Isnik Alimi 9 Azerbaijan Elmar Bakhshiyev

European record

As of match played 3 August 2023
Competition Pld W D L GF GA
UEFA Europa League 38 10 7 21 36 55
UEFA Europa Conference League 4 1 0 3 6 12
Total 42 11 7 24 42 67
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2014–15 UEFA Europa League 1Q Bosnia and Herzegovina Široki Brijeg 0–2 0–3 0–5
2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1Q Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi 2–0 1–2 3–2
2Q Serbia Čukarički 2–0 0–1 2–1
3Q Cyprus Apollon Limassol 1–0 1–1 2–1
PO Greece Panathinaikos 0–0 2–2 2–2 (a)
Group C Germany Borussia Dortmund 1–3 0–4 4th
Greece PAOK 0–0 0–0
Russia Krasnodar 0–3 1–2
2016–17 UEFA Europa League 1Q Georgia (country) Samtredia 5–1 1–2 6–3
2Q Hungary MTK Budapest 2–0 2–1 4–1
3Q France Lille 1–0 1–1 2–1
PO Slovenia Maribor 3–1 0–1 3–2
Group C Belgium Anderlecht 1–3 1–3 4th
France Saint-Étienne 1–2 0–1
Germany Mainz 05 2–3 0–2
2017–18 UEFA Europa League 2Q Poland Jagiellonia Białystok 1–1 2–0 3–1
3Q Greece Panathinaikos 1–2 0–1 1–3
2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1Q Luxembourg Progrès Niederkorn 0–2 1–0 1–2
2019–20 UEFA Europa League 2Q Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi 0–2 0–3 0–5
2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League 2Q Hungary Fehérvár 2–1 1–4 3–5
2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League 2Q Cyprus Omonia 2–3 1–4 3–7
Notes
  • 1Q: First qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round
  • 3Q: Third qualifying round
  • PO: Play-off round
  • Group: Group stage

Crest and colours

Team photo for the 2010–2011 season.

The club's crest includes Caucasus Mountains with a black crescent and red eight-pointed star, similar to Azerbaijani flag. It also includes 2005 which signifies the club's formation year.

Shirt sponsors and kit manufacturers

Gabala's traditional kit is composed of red shirts, black shorts and red socks. The club's first kit manufacturer was Erreà, until a two-year deal was agreed with Joma in 2013.[23][24]

In August 2012, Gabala signed a one-year deal with the American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer Pepsi, which will replace Hyundai as the shirt sponsor from the 2013–14 season.[25]

In September 2015, Gabala signed a one-year deal with QafqaZ Hotels and Resorts.[26]

On 31 January 2020, Gabala announced that dairy brand Milla would be the club's new title sponsor until the end of 2021.[27]

On 4 July 2023, Gabala announced Capelli Sport as their new kit supplier on a three-year contract.[28]

Years Manufacturer Sponsor
2009–2010 Germany Adidas South Korea Hyundai
2010–2011 Italy Lotto
2011–2012 Italy Erreà
2012–2013 United States Pepsi
2013–2015 Spain Joma
2015–2020 Azerbaijan QafqaZ Hotels
2020–2021 Azerbaijan Milla
2021–2022 Azerbaijan Jale
2022–2023 Azerbaijan Gilan Knauf
2023–present United States Capelli Sport

Stadium

Gabala City Stadium in 2011.

The club play their home matches at the Gabala City Stadium, an all-seater football stadium situated in Qabala.

As of 2007, predominantly due to UEFA requirements, the club proposed an extensive renovation of the stadium, which has since been in constant process of redevelopment.[29] AFL Architects were appointed to design a new 15,000 capacity stadium and training facility in December 2008 after winning a limited design competition. Accommodation within the stadium will include hotel and conferencing facilities, as well as retail and corporate hospitality space, and a dramatic viewing deck at the top of the entrance tower.[30] It is expected that the stadium was scheduled to open in 2014.[31]

Supporters

Gabala has a large fanbase in relation to its comparative lack of success on the pitch. Gabala's fan base has fluctuated over the years with high crowds coinciding with the club's success in the Premier League so that the club now averages in the top four best home attendances in the country. One of the main supporters group name is Red Black Army.[32]

Honours

Players

Azerbaijani teams are limited to nine players without Azerbaijani citizenship. The squad list includes only the principal nationality of each player, several non-European players on the squad have dual citizenship with an EU country.

Current squad

As of 9 January 2024[33]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Azerbaijan AZE Rashad Azizli
2 DF Azerbaijan AZE Ilkin Qirtimov
3 DF Ukraine UKR Zurab Ochihava
4 DF Brazil BRA Lucas Áfrico
5 DF Azerbaijan AZE Rauf Hüseynli
6 MF Israel ISR Fares Abu Akel
7 MF Azerbaijan AZE Emil Safarov
8 MF Israel ISR Gilad Abramov
9 MF Morocco MAR Ayyoub Allach
11 MF Azerbaijan AZE Asif Mammadov
13 GK Cameroon CMR Christophe Atangana
14 FW Azerbaijan AZE Ulvi Isgandarov
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 MF Togo TOG Yaovi Akakpo
18 MF Azerbaijan AZE Mehrac Bakhshaly
19 FW Ghana GHA Samuel Tetteh
20 MF France FRA Bilel Aouacheria
28 DF Azerbaijan AZE Murad Musayev
33 DF Azerbaijan AZE Huseyn Mursalov
34 DF Azerbaijan AZE Urfan Abbasov
36 GK Azerbaijan AZE Elmaddin Sultanov
72 FW Israel ISR Osama Khalaila
99 MF Nigeria NGA Ahmed Isaiah
— FW Mozambique MOZ Clésio

Out on loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF Azerbaijan AZE Rufat Ahmadov (at Kapaz)

Club officials

The Board of Directors

Position Name
PresidentAzerbaijan Fariz Najafov
General managerAzerbaijan Nail Kerimov
Team managerAzerbaijan Mahammad Azizli
Press secretaryAzerbaijan Anar Hajiyev

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head coachAzerbaijan Elmar Bakhshiev
Assistant coachAzerbaijan Khagani Mammadov[34]
Goalkeeper coachAzerbaijan Vugar Mammadov
Assistant coachAzerbaijan Rasim Ramaldanov
Under-19 head coachAzerbaijan Famil Khalilov

Medical staff

Position Name
DoctorAzerbaijan Fikrat Nabiyev
Assistant doctorAzerbaijan Rovshan Mammadov
Assistant doctorAzerbaijan Farman Mammadov

Managers

Information correct as of match played 22 December 2023. Only competitive matches are counted.

Name Nat. From To P W D L GS GA %W Honours Notes
Faig Jabbarov  Azerbaijan 2005 2006 30 22 6 2 0 0 073.33 [35]
Ramiz Mammadov  Azerbaijan 2006 May 2010 118 38 27 53 0 0 032.20 [36]
Tony Adams  England 12 May 2010 16 Nov 2011 44 17 15 12 45 35 038.64 [37]
Fatih Kavlak  Turkey 18 Nov 2011 Sept 27, 2012 29 14 7 8 43 27 048.28 [36]
Ramiz Mammadov  Azerbaijan Sept 24, 2012 2 April 2013 21 8 6 7 23 22 038.10 [36]
Luis Aragon (Interim)  Spain April 2013 May 2013 8 1 3 4 5 10 012.50 [38]
Yuri Semin  Russia 28 May 2013 23 May 2014 41 21 9 11 56 38 051.22 [39]
Dorinel Munteanu  Romania 16 Jun 2014 8 Dec 2014 18 6 5 7 20 26 033.33 [40]
Sanan Gurbanov (Interim)  Azerbaijan 8 December 2014 21 December 2014 3 1 2 0 4 3 033.33 [41]
Roman Hryhorchuk  Ukraine 21 December 2014 29 May 2018[19] 159 75 41 43 238 150 047.17 [42]
Sanan Gurbanov  Azerbaijan 30 May 2018[20] 31 August 2019[21] 40 14 9 17 37 52 035.00
Elmar Bakhshiyev  Azerbaijan 2 September 2019[22] 148 51 39 58 180 218 034.46
  • Notes:

P – Total of played matches W – Won matches D – Drawn matches L – Lost matches GS – Goal scored GA – Goals against
%W – Percentage of matches won

Nationality is indicated by the corresponding FIFA country code(s).

Individual records

Urfan Abbasov is Gabala's most capped player, with 284 appearances for the club. Players in bold signifies current Gabala player.

Top goalscorers

As of match played 22 December 2023
Dodô scored 30 goals in 161 games during his 5-years with Gabala
Name Years League Azerbaijan Cup Europe Total
1Senegal Victor Mendy2011–201529 (112)4 (13)0 (2)33 (127)
2Brazil Dodô2011–201623 (131)3 (15)4 (15)30 (161)
3France Bagaliy Dabo2016–201820 (43)4 (6)3 (13)27 (62)
4Croatia Filip Ozobić2016–201816 (47)6 (9)3 (18)25 (74)
5Albania Isnik Alimi2021–202317 (62)5 (10)0 (2)22 (74)
6Azerbaijan Javid Huseynov2014–2015,
2016–2019,
2020–2021		16 (109)2 (20)3 (11)21 (140)
7France Steeven Joseph-Monrose2017– 201915 (47)3 (9)2 (6)20 (62)
7Azerbaijan Ulvi Isgandarov2017–2021,
2021–present		16 (112)4 (14)0 (6)20 (132)
9Switzerland Danijel Subotić2013–2014,
2017		15 (40)4 (8)0 (0)19 (48)
10Azerbaijan Kanan Karimov2008–201011 (46)7 (?)0 (0)18 (45+)
10Ukraine Oleksiy Gai2015–201614 (51)4 (6)0 (14)18 (71)
10Nigeria James Adeniyi2018–202114 (48)4 (7)0 (2)18 (57)
10Brazil Raphael Utzig2020–202315 (81)2 (11)1 (2)18 (94)

Most appearances

As of match played 22 December 2023
Name Years League Azerbaijan Cup Europe Total
1Azerbaijan Urfan Abbasov2011–2019,
2021–Present		231 (4)36 (0)17 (0)284 (4)
2Azerbaijan Asif Mammadov2006–2007,
2015–Present		186 (13)28+ (3+)24 (0)238+ (16)
3Ukraine Dmytro Bezotosnyi2015–2019117 (0)17 (0)32 (0)166 (0)
4Brazil Dodô2011–2016131 (23)15 (3)15 (4)161 (30)
5Serbia Vojislav Stanković2015–201992 (1)21 (1)29 (1)142 (3)
6Azerbaijan Elvin Jamalov2013–2019111 (0)18 (0)12 (0)141 (0)
7Azerbaijan Javid Huseynov2014–2015,
2016–2019,
2020–2021		109 (16)20 (2)11 (3)140 (21)
8Azerbaijan Ulvi Isgandarov2017–2021,
2021–present		112 (16)14 (4)6 (0)132 (20)
9Senegal Victor Mendy2011–2015112 (29)13 (4)2 (0)127 (33)
10Azerbaijan Samir Zargarov2006–2009
2015–2016		95 (10)18 (4)9 (0)122 (14)

Presidential history

 
Name Years
Tale Heydarov 2005–2019
Fariz Najafov 2019–

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gabala SC
  2. ↑ Qəbələ İK
  3. ↑ "Gabala in Europa League group stage number crunching". Gabala FK.
  4. ↑ "Europa League group stage number crunching". UEFA Europa League.
  5. ↑ "Qəbələ İK / Tarix". gabalafc.az (in Azerbaijani). Qəbələ İK. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Establishment of SC Qabala Archived 23 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Esslemont, Tom (11 May 2010). "Tony Adams' grand plans for Azerbaijan football club". BBC News. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  8. ↑ Английские СМИ назвали цену "чудовищной ошибки" азербайджанского футбольного клуба (in Russian)
  9. ↑ Exley, Robert. "After Wenger Part Five: The Return of the Prodigal Son". Gooner. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
  10. ↑ Hytner, David (23 July 2011). "Tony Adams is still relishing his Azerbaijan adventure". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
  11. ↑ "Arsenal legend Adams leaves Gabala post". Sports News Ireland. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  12. ↑ Адамс подал в отставку и покидает Азербайджан. azerisport.com (in Russian). Retrieved 16 November 2011.
  13. ↑ Фатих Кавлак отправлен в отставку. Azerisport.com (in Russian). Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  14. ↑ Габала рассталась с Рамизом Мамедовым. Azerisport.com (in Russian). Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  15. ↑ Послезавтра Семин станет главным тренером Габалы. Azerisport.com (in Russian). Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  16. ↑ "Yuri Syomin – new head coach of Gabala". gabalafc.az/. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
  17. ↑ ""Qəbələ" ilk dəfə Avropa Liqasında!". fanat.az. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  18. ↑ Atayev, Oqtay. "Neftçi nerve holds in Azerbaijan Cup final". uefa.com. UEFA. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  19. 1 2 "Qəbələ Roman Qriqorçukla yollarını ayırdı". gabalafc.az (in Azerbaijani). Gabala FK. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  20. 1 2 "Sənan Qurbanov "Qəbələ"nin yeni baş məşqçisidir". gabalafc.az (in Azerbaijani). Gabala FK. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  21. 1 2 "AÇIQLAMA". gabalafc.az/ (in Azerbaijani). Gabala FK. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
  22. 1 2 "AÇIQLAMA". gabalafc.az/ (in Azerbaijani). Gabala FK. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  23. ↑ "Qəbələ gəlirlərini artırır". Azerisport.com (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  24. ↑ ""Qəbələ" "Simurq"un yolu ilə getdi". Futbol11.az (in Azerbaijani). Archived from the original on 17 August 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  25. ↑ ""Qəbələ" yeni sponsorla əməkdaşlığa başlayır". Korner.az (in Azerbaijani). Archived from the original on 21 August 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  26. ↑ "Deal with new sponsor – QafqaZ Hotels and Resorts". gabalafc.az (in Azerbaijani). 15 September 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  27. ↑ "Milla Qəbələ nin yeni titul sponsorudur". gabalafc.az/ (in Azerbaijani). Gabala FK. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  28. ↑ "Capelli Sport Qəbələ nin yeni tərəfdaşıdır". gabalafc.az (in Azerbaijani). Gabala FK. 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  29. ↑ "Gabala FC:Stadion". Gabalafc.az. Archived from the original on 14 June 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  30. ↑ "Sports complex proposals unveiled". Architectnews.co.uk. 12 May 2010. Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  31. ↑ Тале Гейдаров: Главная арена Габалы будет готова в 2016–м году. Azerisport.com (in Russian). Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  32. ↑ Вратарь "Габалы": "Наши болельщики являются для нас 12-м игроком". extratime.az (in Russian). Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  33. ↑ "Qəbələ İK / Əsas komanda" (in Azerbaijani). Gabala FK.
  34. ↑ "Xaqani Məmmədov "Qəbələ"nin əsas komandasında". gabalafc.az (in Azerbaijani). Gabala FK. 8 August 2020.
  35. ↑ ""Bığ Ramiz"in əhvalatından yaranan Faiq Cabbarov yazısı". stadium.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  36. 1 2 3 Amiraslanov, Telman. Рамиз Мамедов вернулся на пост главного тренера ФК "Габала". 1news.az (in Russian). Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  37. ↑ "Tony Adams returns to FC Gabala in Azerbaijan". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  38. ↑ Луис Арагон: "Пенальти в ворота "Габалы" и "Карабаха" были назначены ошибочно". 1news.az (in Russian). Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  39. ↑ Aliyev, Elmir. Юрий Семин: "Габала" в числе 3–4 команд, которые будут бороться за чемпионство". 1news.az (in Russian). Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  40. ↑ Первая победа Габалы с Мунтяну. azerisport.com (in Russian). Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  41. ↑ "Munteanu ends his time with Gabala". gabalafc.az. Gabala FK. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  42. ↑ "Roman Qriqorçuk ictimaiyyətə təqdim olundu". gabalafc.az (in Azerbaijani). Gabala FK. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
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