Neftchi Baku PFC (Azerbaijani: Neftçi Peşəkar Futbol Klubu) is an Azerbaijani football club based in the capital, Baku, that currently plays in the Azerbaijan Premier League. They are the most famous, popular and celebrated as well as the most successful Azerbaijani club with five Azerbaijan Premier League and four Azerbaijan Cup titles.
[edit] History
[edit] Soviet period
PFC Neftchi was founded in 1937.[1] During the years of 1937-1967, it was known as Neftyanik and it was renamed Neftchi in 1968.[2]
Neftchi played three spells in the Soviet Top League, in 1949-1950, 1960-1970, and 1977-1988, for a total of 23 years in the top division of Soviet football.[2] The club appeared in the Soviet First League, the second-highest division, from 1946-1948, 1951-1959, 1973-1976, and 1989-1991, with its top finish in 1976 as the runner-up.[2]
Neftyanik's top scorer in this early era was Azerbaijani footballing legend Alekper Mamedov, who also played for FC Dynamo Moscow; Mamedov netted 51 goals in league play during the 1950s and 1960's for the Black-Whites, despite playing for the prime of his career in Moscow.[3]
Arguably, the club's greatest achievement was a 3rd place finish in the Soviet Top League in 1966, the highest finish for any Azerbaijani side in the Soviet era.[4] The 1966 squad was made up of many of the all-time great Azerbaijani footballers,[5] including forwards Anatoliy Banishevskiy (the UEFA Golden Player for Azerbaijan) and Kazbek Tuaev, midfielder Aleksandr Trophimov, and goalkeeper Sergey Kramarenko.[6] Fans and journalists in Azerbaijan commemorated the 40th anniversary of Neftchi's success in 2006.[7]
[edit] Azerbaijan Premier League
The club is currently one of the strongest teams in Azerbaijani Premier League, and claimed the Azerbaijan league title four times so far - 1992, 1995-96, 2003-04 and 2004-05. Neftchi also managed to win the Commonwealth of Independent States Cup, or CIS Cup, in 2006.[8] In 2005, Neftchi finished the tournament in second place.
In European cups sponsored by UEFA, PFC Neftchi have advanced to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League twice, having defeated Bosnian champions - NK Široki Brijeg - and Icelandic champions - FH Hafnarfjarðar - in 2004 and 2005 respectively.[9][10] Neftchi advanced to the third round of the 2008 Intertoto Cup, after defeating the Slovak club FC Nitra and the Belgian side K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot in the first two rounds.[11]
In January 2008, Czech coach Vlastimil Petržela, was replaced by Ukrainian Anatoliy Demyanenko.[12] At the end of the 2007-08 season, Neftchi finished 3rd in the Azerbaijan league.[13]
[edit] Stadium
Neftchi Baku currently use the 29,858 capacity Tofik Bakhramov Stadium. It is named after the famous Azeri referee Tofik Bakhramov and is the largest in Azerbaijan. The stadium is also used by the Azerbaijan national football team and FK Baku. It was built in 1952.
[edit] 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.[14][15][16]
[edit] Supporters
Neftchi Baku is the most supported club in Azerbaijan, with 37 221 supporters organized in many fan clubs around the world, including USA, Turkey, Russia, Germany, Netherlands, and any other country with a sizeable Azeri community.[17]
There are also many groups supporting Neftchi Baku but club's main fan base known as Flaqman (Flag officer).[18]
[edit] Achievements
- 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971[20]
- 1992, 1995-96, 1996-97, 2003-04, 2004-05[21]
- 1994-95, 1995-96, 1998-99, 2001-02, 2003-04
- 2006
[edit] League and domestic cup history
- For UEFA club competition results, see next section below.
- As of 27 June 2008:[21][22]
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Domestic Cup | Notes |
| 1992 | 1st | 1 | 36 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 104 | 23 | 62 | Quarter-Finals | |
| 1993 | 1st | 5 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 2 | 39 | 11 | 27 | Quarter-Finals | |
| 1993-94 | 1st | 8 | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 37 | 11 | 29 | Quarter-Finals | |
| 1994-95 | 1st | 3 | 24 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 67 | 15 | 38 | Winner | |
| 1995-96 | 1st | 1 | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 42 | 17 | 39 | Winner | |
| 1996-97 | 1st | 1 | 30 | 23 | 5 | 2 | 98 | 20 | 74 | | |
| 1997-98 | 1st | 6 | 26 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 43 | 23 | 43 | | |
| 1998-99 | 1st | 3 | 26 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 57 | 18 | 52 | Winner | |
| 1999-00 | 1st | 3 | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 35 | 17 | 43 | Semi-Finals | |
| 2000-01 | 1st | 2 | 20 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 57 | 11 | 51 | Runners-up | |
| 2001-02 | 1st | 3 | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 34 | 7 | 44 | Winners | |
| 2003-04 | 1st | 1 | 26 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 66 | 15 | 69 | Winners | |
| 2004-05 | 1st | 1 | 34 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 52 | 18 | 78 | Quarter-Finals | |
| 2005-06 | 1st | 3 | 26 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 51 | 16 | 54 | Semi-Finals | |
| 2006-07 | 1st | 2 | 24 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 47 | 15 | 44 | Semi-Finals | |
| 2007-08 | 1st | 3 | 26 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 42 | 18 | 55 | Semi-Finals | |
[edit] UEFA club competition results
As of December, 2008.
| Season | Cup's name | Round | Country | Club | Result |
| 1995/96 | UEFA Cup Winners Cup | 1Q |  | APOEL F.C. | 0-3, 0-0 |
| 1996/97 | UEFA Cup | 1Q |  | PFC Lokomotiv Sofia | 2-1, 0-6 |
| 1997/98 | UEFA Champions League | 1Q |  | RTS Widzew Łódź | 0-2, 0-8 |
| 1999/00 | UEFA Cup | 1Q |  | FK Crvena Zvezda | 2-3, 0-1 |
| 2000/01 | UEFA Cup | 1Q |  | NK Hit Gorica | 1-0, 1-3 |
| 2001/02 | UEFA Cup | 1Q | | NK Hit Gorica | 0-0, 0-1 |
| 2004/05 | UEFA Champions League | 1Q |  | NK Široki Brijeg | 1-2, 1-0 |
| | 2Q |  | PFC CSKA Moscow | 0-0, 0-2 |
| 2005/06 | UEFA Champions League | 1Q |  | FH | 2-0, 2-1 |
| | 2Q |  | RSC Anderlecht | 0-5, 1-0 |
| 2007/08 | UEFA Cup | 1Q |  | SV Ried | 1-3, 2-1 |
| 2008/09 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1R |  | FC Nitra | 2-0, 1-3 |
| | 2R | | K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot | 1-1, 1-0 [23] |
| | 3R |  | F.C. Vaslui | 2-1, 0-2 |
[edit] Current squad
As of 13 August, 2009.
[edit] Notable players
 Soviet era | |  Since independence | |
[edit] Club officials
[edit] The Board of Directors
| Position | Name |
| President | Akbar Hajiyev |
| Vice-President | Tahir Suleymanov |
| Football Committee | Zaur Jalilov |
| Football Committee | Yashar Nabiyev |
| Football Committee | Maarif Najafov |
| Financial Director | Rafin Bayramov |
| Facilities Director | Vahid Hamidov |
| Press and Operations Officer | Habil Hajiyev |
[edit] Technical and medical staff
| Position | Name |
| Manager | Vagif Sadygov |
| Assistant Manager | Arif Asadov |
| Fitness Coach |  Giovanni Melchiorre |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Nebosha Manojlovic |
| Chief Scout | |
| Head of Football Administration | Sabir Hajiyev |
| Club Doctor | Tofig Gasimov |
| Masseur | Zakir Guliyev |
[edit] Managers
[edit] Managers in Soviet Top League
[edit] Managers in modern history
[edit] References
- ^ "PFC Neftchi". footballdatabase.com. http://footballdatabase.com/index.php?page=club&Id=598&cont=&cln=PFC_Neftchi. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ a b c d "Neftchi (Baki)". KLISF (Club for History and Statistics of Amateur Football). 2006. http://www.klisf.info/numeric/index.app?cmd=comm&lang=en&id=562764465655344433792626573735. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ "Mamedov Alekper Amirovich". KLISF (Club for History and Statistics of Amateur Football). 2006. http://www.klisf.info/numeric/index.app?cmd=ln&lang=en&id=162549673503265. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
- ^ Ibragimov, Erkin (2006-11-04). "FOOTBALL EUROPE: Gurbanov now nifty at Neftchi". noticias.info. http://www.noticias.info/archivo/2006/200611/20061104/20061104_237489.shtm. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "Neftyanick (Baki) 1966". KLISF (Club for History and Statistics of Amateur Football). 2006. http://www.klisf.info/numeric/index.app?cmd=comm_tst&lang=en&id=158668506614934616109891301087. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ Ibragimov, Erkin (2004-02-02). "Neftchi's season in the sun". uefa.com. http://www.uefa.com/uefa/history/associationweeks/association=57154/newsid=138630.html. Retrieved 2008-07-07.
- ^ Kyazimzade, Akshin (2006-12-01). "Бронза, старей, увы, тускнеет (Bronze, the oldest, alas, it grows dim)" (in Russian). Career Master. http://careermaster.biz/?page=show_journal&journal_id=1&id=20. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ^ "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. 2006-01-19. http://www.newsru.com/sport/19jan2006/scandal.html. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League History Season 2004 First Round". uefa.com. http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/history/season=2004/round=1965/index.html. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "UEFA Champions League History Season 2005 First Round". uefa.com. http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/history/season=2005/round=2198/index.html. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
- ^ "Football Europe: PFC Neftçi in the Intertoto Cup 2008". uefa.com. http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/club=59890/competition=16/index.html. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
- ^ "Demyanenko returns with Neftchi". uefa.com. 2008-01-05. http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=2/newsid=643444.html. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ "Standings: Yuksek Liqa - 2007/2008". uefa.com. 2008-05-28. http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/countries/association=57154/standings.html. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ Раиль МЕЛИКОВ: «Это главное дерби Азербайджана и его невозможно сравнить с другим матчем»(Russian)
- ^ “XƏZƏR-LƏNKƏRAN”-"NEFTÇİ" DERBİSİ İTV-dən YAYIMLANACAQ (Azerbaijani)
- ^ pfl.az:50 saat qalmış(Azerbaijani)
- ^ Neftchi's FanFanklub (Azerbaijani)
- ^ Flaqman fan klubu (Azerbaijani)
- ^ Smirnova, Oxana. "Football in USSR". russianfootball.com. http://www.hep.lu.se/staff/smirnova//USSR.html. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ Terekhov, Alexey, et al.. "Football: Men: Soviet Union: Cup". Sports123.com. http://sports123.com/foo/msovc.html. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ a b Manaschev, Erlan, et al. (2008-06-06). "Azerbaijan - List of Champions". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/azerchamp.html. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ Ionescu, Romeo (2000-10-12). "Azerbaijan - List of Final Tables". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/azerhist.html. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
- ^ "Grasshoppers survive as Neftçi upset odds". uefa.com. 2008-07-12. http://www.uefa.com/competitions/intertotocup/news/kind=1/newsid=732000.html. Retrieved 2008-07-12.
[edit] External links
