| Clubname: | Khazar Lankaran |
| Fullname: | Xəzər Lənkəran Futbol Klubu |
| Nickname: | Gəmiçilər (The Shipbuilders) Dəniz piyadaları (The Marines) Ağ-yaşıllar (The Green-whites) |
| Dissolved: | 2016 |
| Ground: | Lankaran City Stadium, Lankaran, Azerbaijan |
| Capacity: | 15,500 |
| Owner: | Armin Rezanezhad |
| League: | Azerbaijan Premier League |
| Season: | 2015–16 |
| Position: | 10th (relegated) |
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Khazar Lankaran FK (Azerbaijani: Xəzər Lənkəran Futbol Klubu) was an Azerbaijani football club based in Lankaran that last played in the Azerbaijan Premier League during the 2015–16 season.
Since the summer of 2016 the club has concentrated on youth football. It played in the Azerbaijan Premier League for twelve-seasons, winning the title once, and the Azerbaijan Cup three times.[1] [2] 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.
The club was founded in 2004 by Azerbaijani entrepreneur Mubariz Mansimov and dubbed by the local media as "Caucasian Chelsea" because of its strong financial position.[3] [4] Under Agaselim Mirjavadov club won Premier League title during the 2006–07 season and the Azerbaijan Cup twice. Khazar also won the CIS Cup in 2008, defeating Pakhtakor Tashkent in the final.[5] [6]
After Fabian Veldwijk's appointment, a string of Romanian players and footballers were signed from Liga I, but the club did not find success in European cup competition.[7] [8] On 4 December 2013, Khazar announced that Veldwijk had been sacked by the club due to a run of poor performances.[9] [10]
In July 2014, the club under Yunis Huseynov earned their first win in European competition by beating Nõmme Kalju.[11] In March 2015, former Liverpool striker John Toshack was appointed as new manager after signing two-year deal with the club.[12] [13] In 2015–16 season, Khazar finished in 12th place, the club's lowest finishing position to date.[14] 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.[15]
Following the Professional Football League of Azerbaijan's decision to deny Khazar a licence for the 2016–17 season, the club announced their withdrawal from professional football.[16]
| Season | League | Azerbaijan Cup | Top goalscorer | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Name | League | ||||
| 2004–05 | 1st | align=center bgcolor=silver | 2 | 34 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 68 | 15 | 78 | Semi-finals |  Samir Aliyev | 20 | |
| 2005–06 | 1st | 7 | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 27 | 18 | 36 | Semi-finals | Samir Aliyev | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | 1st | align=center bgcolor=gold | 1 | 24 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 50 | 16 | 56 | align=center bgcolor=gold | Winners | Zaur Ramazanov | 20 |
| 2007–08 | 1st | 4 | 26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 44 | 16 | 52 | align=center bgcolor=gold | Winners | Zaur Ramazanov | 11 | |
| 2008–09 | 1st | 4 | 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 49 | 21 | 50 | Quarter-finals | Ivan Tsvetkov | 15 | ||
| 2009–10 | 1st | 4 | 42 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 48 | 25 | 71 | align=center bgcolor=silver | Runners-up |  Mario Sergio | 9 | |
| 2010–11 | 1st | align=center bgcolor=silver | 2 | 32 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 38 | 18 | 60 | align=center bgcolor=gold | Winners | Winston Parks | 8 |
| 2011–12 | 1st | align=center bgcolor=silver | 2 | 32 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 44 | 28 | 59 | Quarter-finals | Branimir Subašić | 6 | |
| 2012–13 | 1st | 8 | 32 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 40 | 37 | 40 | align=center bgcolor=silver | Runners-up |  Dimitris Sialmas | 6 | |
| 2013–14 | 1st | 6 | 36 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 44 | 49 | 49 | Semi-finals |  Mbilla Etame | 11 | ||
| 2014–15 | 1st | 7 | 32 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 35 | 46 | 32 | Quarter-finals | Galin Ivanov | 6 | ||
| 2015–16 | 1st | align=center bgcolor=pink | 10 | 36 | 3 | 6 | 27 | 16 | 51 | 15 | Quarter-finals | Rahid Amirguliyev | 4 | |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | UEFA Cup | 1Q | FC Nistru Otaci | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–5 | |
| 2007–08 | UEFA Champions League | 1Q |  NK Dinamo Zagreb | 1–1 | 1–3 (aet) | 2–4 | |
| 2008–09 | UEFA Cup | 1Q |  Lech Poznań | 0–1 | 1–4 | 1–5 | |
| 2010–11 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q | Olimpia | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 (a) | |
| 2011–12 | UEFA Europa League | 2Q |  Maccabi Tel Aviv | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | |
| 2012–13 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q |  Nõmme Kalju | 2–2 | 2–0 | 4–2 | |
| 2Q | Lech Poznań | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | |||
| 2013–14 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q |  Sliema Wanderers | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | |
| 2Q | Maccabi Haifa | 0–8 | 0–2 | 0–10 |
The club's crest includes stockless anchor with a football ball. The badge shaped like traditional compass with white-green background elements.
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.
See main article: Lankaran City Stadium.
| Stadium Name: | Lankaran City Stadium |
| Nickname: | Fırtınalar Meydanı (Arena of Storms) |
| Location: | Lankaran, Azerbaijan |
| Broke Ground: | 2005 |
| Opened: | 11 August 2006 |
| Owner: | Khazar Lankaran |
| Operator: | Khazar Lankaran |
| Cost: | $15 million |
| Tenants: | Khazar Lankaran (2006–present) |
| Seating Capacity: | 15,000 seated |
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 (Arena of Storms), named after club's local supporters Fırtına fan group.[17] [18]
On 17 July 2009, UEFA approved stadium for the usage during international football matches.[19] The stadium hosted its first senior international match on 5 September 2009, between Azerbaijan and Finland.[20]
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.[21] The club's supporters are also known as the Fırtına(Storm) the first established independent fan club in Azernaijan. Fan club's first president Ravan Bashirov also been appointed as vice- president of Khazar Lankaran FC. .[22] [23]
See main article: Böyük Oyun. 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 (The Great Game).[24] [25] [26]
Winners (1): 2006–07
Winners (3): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2010–11
Winners (1): 2013
Winners (1): 2008
Lists of the players with the most caps and top goalscorers for the club, as of 30 August 2014 (players in bold signifies current Khazar player). Zaur Ramazanov is the club's all-time top scorer with 33 goals in 69 games.[27]
| + Top Ten Highest Goalscorers | |||||
| Player | Period | Appearances | Goals | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zaur Ramazanov | 2005–08; 2011 | 69 | 33 | |
| 2 | Ivan Tsvetkov | 2008–10 | 50 | 22 | |
| 3 | Rahid Amirguliyev | 2006–present | 189 | 20 | |
| 4 | Mario Sergio | 2008–10 | 58 | 18 | |
| 5 |  Oktay Derelioğlu | 2004–05 | 17 | 16 | |
| 6 | Branimir Subašić | 2011–13 | 51 | 14 | |
| 7 | Rashad Abdullayev | 2004–09 | 116 | 12 | |
| 8 | Mbilla Etame | 2013–14 | 35 | 11 | |
| 9 | Allan Lalín | 2009–11 | 43 | 11 | |
| 10 |  Sadio Tounkara | 2011–present | 81 | 11 |
| + Top Ten Players With Most Appearances | |||||
| Player | Period | Caps | Goals | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rahid Amirguliyev | 2006–present | 189 | 20 | |
| 2 | Radomir Todorov | 2007–10; 2012–13 | 136 | 1 | |
| 3 | Kamran Agayev | 2006–13 | 122 | 0 | |
| 4 | Alim Qurbanov | 2004–12 | 121 | 11 | |
| 5 | Rashad Abdullayev | 2004–09 | 116 | 12 | |
| 6 | Elnur Abdullayev | 2011–present | 109 | 10 | |
| 7 | Adrian Scarlatache | 2011; 2012–2015 | 96 | 11 | |
| 8 | Sadio Tounkara | 2011–present | 81 | 11 | |
| 9 | Adrian Piț | 2011–14 | 75 | 8 | |
| 10 | Emin Quliyev | 2005–09 | 70 | 10 |
The following managers have all won at least one trophy when in charge of FK Khazar Lankaran:
| Name | Period | Trophies |
|---|---|---|
| Agaselim Mirjavadov | 2007–09 | Azerbaijan Premier League, Azerbaijan Cup (2), CIS Cup |
 Mircea Rednic | 2010–11 | Azerbaijan Cup |
| John Toshack | 2013 | Azerbaijan Supercup |
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.[28] Khazar have also featured on several occasions in meykhana.[29] [30]