Gabala SC
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Gabala SC (Template:Langx, Script error: No such module "IPA".),[1][2] also spelled Qabala, is an Azerbaijani professional football club based in Qabala, which have competed in the Azerbaijan Premier League since 2006. They will be set to play in Azerbaijan Premier League from 2025–26 season following their promotion from the Azerbaijan First Division in 2024–25. 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 in 7th place in Azerbaijan Premier League.[9][10] In November 2011, Adams resigned as 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 the 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 Qarabağ FK 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]
On 24 February 2024, Elmar Bakhshiyev resigned as Head Coach, with Kakhaber Tskhadadze being appointed the following day.[23][24] On 27 May 2024, at the end of the 2023-24 season, Gabala extended their contract with Tskhadadze for an additional three-seasons.[25]
Following their 5–0 victory over Baku Sporting on 4 April, Gabala secured promotion back to the Azerbaijan Premier League at their first attempt.[26]
League and cup history
European record
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| 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 |
- Notes
- 1Q: First qualifying round
- 2Q: Second qualifying round
- 3Q: Third qualifying round
- PO: Play-off round
- Group: Group stage
Crest and colours
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.[27][28]
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.[29]
In September 2015, Gabala signed a one-year deal with QafqaZ Hotels and Resorts.[30]
On 31 January 2020, Gabala announced that dairy brand Milla would be the club's new title sponsor until the end of 2021.[31]
On 4 July 2023, Gabala announced Capelli Sport as their new kit supplier on a three-year contract.[32]
| Years | Manufacturer | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2009–2010 | Template:Flagicon Adidas | Template:Flagicon Hyundai |
| 2010–2011 | Template:Flagicon Lotto | |
| 2011–2012 | Template:Flagicon Erreà | |
| 2012–2013 | Template:Flagicon Pepsi | |
| 2013–2015 | Template:Flagicon Joma | |
| 2015–2020 | Template:Flagicon QafqaZ Hotels | |
| 2020–2021 | Template:Flagicon Milla | |
| 2021–2022 | Template:Flagicon Jale | |
| 2022–2023 | Template:Flagicon Gilan Knauf | |
| 2023–present | Template:Flagicon Capelli Sport |
Stadium
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.[33] 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.[34] It is expected that the stadium was scheduled to open in 2014.[35]
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.[36]
Honours
- Azerbaijan League
- Azerbaijan Cup
- Azerbaijan First Division
- Winners (2): 2005–06, 2024–25
Players
Script error: No such module "For". 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
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Out on loan
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Club officials
The Board of Directors
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Template:Country data AZETemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Fariz Najafov |
| General manager | Template:Country data AZETemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Sabuhi Safiyarli[38] |
| Team manager | Template:Country data AZETemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Mahammad Azizli |
| Press secretary | Template:Country data AZETemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Asef Zeynalov |
Coaching staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Template:Country data GEOTemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Kakhaber Tskhadadze[39] |
| Assistant coach | Template:Country data GEOTemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Giorgi Chikhradze |
| Fitness coach | Template:Country data TURTemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Chaglar Volga[40] |
| Video analysis coach | Template:Country data AZETemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Rakif Aliyev |
| Goalkeeper coach | Template:Country data AZETemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Vugar Mammadov |
| Under-19 head coach | Template:Country data AZETemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Famil Khalilov |
Medical staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Doctor | Template:Country data AZETemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Fikrat Nabiyev |
| Assistant doctor | Template:Country data AZETemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Movsum Huseynov |
| Assistant doctor | Template:Country data AZETemplate:Namespace detect showallScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Farman Mammadov |
Managers
Information correct as of match played 22 May 2025. Only competitive matches are counted.
| Name | Nat. | From | To | P | W | D | L | GS | GA | %W | Honours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faig Jabbarov | Template:Footyflag | 2005 | 2006 | Azerbaijan First Division (1) | [41] | |||||||
| Ramiz Mammadov | Template:Footyflag | 2006 | May 2010 | [42] | ||||||||
| Tony Adams | Template:Footyflag | 12 May 2010 | 16 November 2011 | [43] | ||||||||
| Fatih Kavlak | Template:Footyflag | 18 November 2011 | 27 September 2012 | [42] | ||||||||
| Ramiz Mammadov | Template:Footyflag | 24 September 2012 | 2 April 2013 | [42] | ||||||||
| Luis Aragon (Interim)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Template:Footyflag | 2 April 2013 | 28 May 2013 | [44] | ||||||||
| Yuri Semin | Template:Footyflag | 28 May 2013 | 23 May 2014 | [45] | ||||||||
| Dorinel Munteanu | Template:Footyflag | 16 June 2014 | 8 December 2014 | [46] | ||||||||
| Sanan Gurbanov (Interim)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Template:Footyflag | 8 December 2014 | 21 December 2014 | [47] | ||||||||
| Roman Hryhorchuk | Template:Footyflag | 21 December 2014 | 29 May 2018[19] | [48] | ||||||||
| Sanan Gurbanov | Template:Footyflag | 30 May 2018[20] | 31 August 2019[21] | Azerbaijan Cup (1) | ||||||||
| Elmar Bakhshiyev | Template:Footyflag | 2 September 2019[22] | 24 February 2024[23] | Azerbaijan Cup (1) | ||||||||
| Kakhaber Tskhadadze | Template:Footyflag | 25 February 2024[24] | Azerbaijan First Division (1) |
- Notes:
P – Total of played matches
W – Won matches
D – Drawn matches
L – Lost matches
GS – Goal scored
GA – Goals against
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Individual records
Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote".Urfan Abbasov is Gabala's most capped player, with 305 appearances for the club. Players in bold signifies current Gabala player.
Top goalscorers
Most appearances
Presidential history
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See also
References
External links
Template:Gabala FC Template:Gabala FC Seasons Template:Gabala FC managers Template:AFFA Supreme League Template:Azerbaijan Premier League
- ↑ Gabala SC
- ↑ Qəbələ İK
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