FC Shirak

Shirak

Full name	Football Club Shirak
Nickname(s)	Սև Հովազներ Sev Hovazner (Black Panthers)
Founded	1958 (1958)
Ground	Gyumri City Stadium, Gyumri
Ground Capacity	2,844
Owner	«Sovrano» LLC
Chairman	Arman Sahakyan
Manager	Vardan Bichakhchyan
League	Armenian Premier League
2015–16	2nd
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Football Club Shirak (Armenian: Ֆուտբոլային Ակումբ Շիրակ), commonly known as Shirak, is an Armenian football club from the city of Gyumri, Shirak Province. Founded in 1958, the home venue of the club is the Gyumri City Stadium.^[1]

Shirak is one of the oldest football clubs in Armenia and is the only team that participated in all seasons of the Armenian Premier League. They became champions of the Armenian Premier League in 1992, 1994, 1999 and 2012–2013 and lifted the Armenian Cup during the 2011–12 season. They also won the Armenian Super Cup in 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2013.

Since 2010, the owner of FC Shirak is the «Sovrano» LLC company headed by a businessman and a member of National Assembly of Armenia Arman Sahakyan.^[2] The club headquarters are located on Andranik Ozanyan street 6, Gyumri.^[3]

History

FC Shirak was founded in 1958 in the city of Gyumri in the Armenian SSR. During the 1970s, the club played under the name Olympia. They never played in the Soviet First League.

FC Shirak is one of the oldest football clubs in Armenia and has produced many talented players who have represented the Armenian national team, with Artur Petrosyan and Harutyun Vardanyan being the most notable players.

The club is the second most titled team in the country, having won four championships, one cup title and four super-cups. The club had struggled financially between 2005 and 2010.

In 2010, the club was taken by Arman Sahakyan, a businessman native of Gyumri and member of the Armenian Parliament.^[4] In 2012 FC Shirak won the Armenian Independence Cup for the first time in their history.

The team participated in three different European cups: the Champions League, the UEFA Cup and the Intertoto Cup. In 2012–13, Shirak played in the UEFA Europa League and advanced to the second round with a 2–1 aggregate victory over FK Rudar Pljevlja.

Domestic history

European history

Season Competition Round Club 1st leg 2nd leg Aggregate 1995–96 UEFA Cup PR Zagłębie Lubin 0–0 0–1 0–1 1996–97 UEFA Cup PR Anorthosis Famagusta 0–4 2–2 2–6 1998–99 UEFA Cup 1Q Malmö 0–2 0–5 0–7 1999–2000 UEFA Cup 1Q HJK Helsinki 0–2 1–0 1–2 2000–01 UEFA Champions League 1Q BATE Borisov 1–1 1–2 2–3 2001 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R Tatabánya 3–2 1–3 4–5 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R Santa Clara 0–2 3–3 3–5 2003–04 UEFA Cup QR Nordsjælland Farum 0–4 0–2 0–6 2004–05 UEFA Cup 1Q Tiraspol 1–2 0–2 1–4 2012–13 UEFA Europa League 1Q Rudar Pljevlja 1–0 1–1 2–1 2Q Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv 0–2 0–1 0–3 2013–14 UEFA Champions League 1Q Tre Penne 3–0 0–1 3–1 2Q FK Partizan 1–1 0–0 1–1 2014–15 UEFA Europa League 1Q Shakhter Karagandy 1–2 0–4 1–6 2015–16 UEFA Europa League 1Q HŠK Zrinjski Mostar 2–0 1–2 3–2 2Q AIK Fotboll 0–2 0–2 0–4 2016–17 UEFA Europa League 1Q Dila Gori 0–1 1–0 (a.e.t) 1–1 (4–1 p) 2Q Spartak Trnava 1–1 0–2 1–3 Home results are noted in bold

Competition Pld W D L GF GA UEFA Champions League 6 1 3 2 6 5 (1) UEFA Europa League 20 3 3 14 10 38 (−28) UEFA Intertoto Cup 4 1 1 2 7 10 (−3) Total 30 5 7 18 23 53 (−30)

Stadium

Gyumri City Stadium

The Gyumri City Stadium is the home ground of Shirak since its foundation. Opened in 1924, Gyumri City Stadium is the oldest football venue in the modern history of Armenia.

The venue was reconstructed in 1999 and turned into an all-seater stadium. The total capacity of the stadium became 2,844 seats (1,413 at the western stand and 1,431 at the eastern stand).

The stadium hosted the 2011–12 Armenian Cup final match when Shirak defeated Impulse to win the title for the first time in their history.

Fans

The most active group of fans is the Black Panthers fan club, inspired by the panther of the ancient Armenian royal Bagratuni dynasty, featured on the logo of the club.

Football kits

since 2014

2011–2013

2010

until 2009

1999

Honours

Armenian Premier League^[5]

• 01 ! Winner (4) – 1992, 1994, 1999, 2012–13;
• 02 ! Runner-up (6) – 1993, 1995–96, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2013–14;
• 03 ! Third (3) – 2000, 2003, 2014–15;

Armenian Cup^[6]

• Winner (1) – 2011–12;
• Runner-up (5) – 1993, 1994, 1999, 2011, 2012–13;

Armenian Super Cup

• Winner (4) – 1997, 2000, 2003, 2013;
• Runner-up (1) – 1999;

Current squad

As of 21 November 2016

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Norayr Abrahamyan 2 DF Arman Hovhannisyan 3 DF Artyom Mikaelyan 4 MF Kostyantyn Shults 6 DF Marko Prljević 7 FW Viulen Ayvazyan 8 MF Rumyan Hovsepyan 9 FW Bryan de la Fuente 10 MF Davit Hakobyan 11 MF Eduard Panosyan 12 GK Sokrat Hovhannisyan 13 GK Anatoly Ayvazov 14 DF Arman Tadevosyan 15 MF Karen Aleksanyan (captain)

No. Position Player 16 MF Arman Aslanyan 17 FW Vahan Bichakhchyan 18 FW Aram Muradyan 19 MF Solomon Udo 21 DF Gevorg Hovhannisyan 22 MF Ghukas Poghosyan 23 DF Robert Darbinyan 25 MF Aghvan Davoyan 28 MF Mohamed Kaba 41 FW Arlen Tsaturyan 55 FW Georgy Gogichayev 77 MF Nemanja Stošković MF Akihiro Takada

FC Shirak-2 (reserves)

FC Shirak's reserve squad play as FC Shirak-2 in the Armenian First League. They also play their home games at the Gyumri City Stadium.

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 1 GK Vahagn Davtyan 2 DF Aramayis Makinyan 3 DF Rudolf Rafayelyan 5 FW Habet Azaryan 6 MF Karlen Gevorgyan 8 MF Rafik Avetisyan 9 FW Martin Martirosyan 12 MF Artur Amiryan 14 MF Avetik Militosyan 15 MF Levon Makaryan 16 MF Narek Martirosyan

No. Position Player 17 DF Davit Petrosyan 18 MF Shahen Shahinyan 19 MF Vachagan Karapetyan 20 FW Hakob Movsisyan 22 GK Sokrat Hovhannisyan GK Edgar Movsisyan DF Yura Khojoyan DF Samvel Hovsepyan DF Razmik Hovhannisyan DF Davit Harutyunyan DF Artavazd Sahakyan

Manager: Felix Khojoyan

Personnel and coaching staff

The club management as of June 2016:^[7][8]

• Chairman: Arman Sahakyan
• Sporting director: Ararat Harutyunyan
• Press secretary: Anna Tadevosyan
• Manager: Vardan Bichakhchyan
• First assistant coach: Felix Khojoyan
• Goalkeepers coach: Artur Hovhannisyan
• Coach: Hovhannes Tahmazyan
• Physiotherapist: Armen Sukiasyan
• Administrator: Suren Simonyan
• Translator: Harutyun Harutyunyan

List of club managers

References

External links

• Official website