FC Arsenal Kyiv
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| Full name | Football Club Arsenal Kyiv | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Cannoneers | ||
| Founded | 1925 | ||
| President | Oleksiy Kikireshko | ||
| Head coach | Serhiy Litovchenko | ||
| League | Ukrainian First League | ||
| 2015-16 | 6th in Second League | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Football Club Arsenal Kyiv (Ukrainian: Футбо́льний Клуб Арсена́л Ки́їв) is a Ukrainian football club based in Kiev. The original club was established in 1925, to which today's club traces its roots.
History
Soviet club
Created on July 14, 1925, as a multi-sports club of the Arsenal Factory in Kiev, before the World War II the club played mostly in regional competitions or amateur competitions for factory workers. In 1936 Arsenal Kiev took part in the Soviet Cup in football where it was eliminated after the first round of competition after a replay.[1]
After the World War II the club played in the Ukrainian Soviet competitions under the name of FC Mashynobudivnyk Kiev (the SC Arsenal Kyiv also used to have a hockey team, HC Zenit Kiev).[2] In 1958 Mashynobudivnyk won the competitions and was accepted to the Soviet Class B under the name of FC Arsenal Kiev. In 1959–1964 the club played in the Soviet Class B. During its last season in 1964 the club was renamed into FC Temp Kiev. After the season Arsenal was dissolved, while its players became part of Dynamo Kyiv.
In 1958 they won the Ukrainian SSR Championship under that name and were accepted to the Soviet Class B under the name of FC Arsenal Kiev. In 1959–1964 the club played continuously in the Soviet Class B. During its last season in 1964 the club was renamed into FC Temp Kiev. After the season, in 1964, Arsenal was dissolved, while its players became part of Dynamo Kyiv, the club was replaced by Dynamo-2 Kyiv in the Soviet Second League and ceased to exist.
Contemporary club origin
The origin of the contemporary Arsenal club is disputed; some consider it to be part of the CSKA Kyiv heritage, others – of FC Boryspil. In 1994 CSKA merged with FC Boryspil under the name CSKA-Borysfen Boryspil (soon thereafter – CSKA-Borysfen Kyiv). After a series of successful seasons FC Boryspil made its way from the Ukrainian Third League to the Ukrainian First League before the merge, while CSKA prior to that was relegated in two seasons from the Ukrainian First League to the Ukrainian Third League. The original CSKA team became a farm team (CSKA-2) of the merged CSKA-Borysfen. The newly merged team advanced to the top flight (from the First League to the Higher League) in one season. Since the 1995–96 season, the club has continuously competed in the top flight.
In 1996 CSKA-Borysfen went through another transformation when it split into two different clubs: CSKA Kyiv and Borysfen Boryspil. The management of CSKA-Borysfen decided to recreate a club in Boryspil, while CSKA was reorganized by the Ministry of Defense as the first team of CSKA. Simultaneously, the actual CSKA that was competing at the lower division won a promotion and was later reorganized as the second team, CSKA-2. Borysfen after competing at the amateur level of the Kyiv Oblast applied to enter the professional competitions and gained entry to the lower divisions of the championship.
The army-men also managed to appear in the domestic cup's finals twice (1998 and 2001), where they lost both times: first against city-rivals Dynamo Kyiv and then against Shakhtar Donetsk. The club's greatest achievements include a successful UEFA Cup run in the season of 2001–02, defeating the now defunct Finnish side Jokerit and Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade.
New epoch
In 2001-2007 FC Arsenal that originally was created as the Kiev's city team was funded by the Kiev City Administration until the dismissal of Oleksandr Omelchenko, after that the club was passed around through several private owners until it became bankrupt completely. Under the Omelchenko's guardianship Arsenal played at the main national football venue (today Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex) without any concerns, yet later it was "kicked out" of the capital and for sometime was forced to play in Boryspil or rent the Dynamo's home venues. Omelchenko who was a political opponent of Surkis brothers (Hryhoriy Surkis and Ihor Surkis) insisted that Dynamo should be playing at its home venue Lobanovsky Dynamo Stadium.
Its European competition season in 2001-02, the club played under the brand of CSKA while de-facto for the whole year was known as Arsenal.
In 2013 after selling of the club by Rabinovich to Onyshchenko, there started a promotional campaign for revival of historical heritage of another Sports Club Arsenal Kyiv that used to exist at the Kiev Arsenal Factory trying to connect the old sports club of 1925 with the newly created club of 2001.
Establishment of Arsenal Kyiv
After the 2000 financial crisis at CSKA, the club, as a state company of the Sports Committee of Ministry of Defense, had its budget cut and was on the brink of being dissolved. The Kyiv city government on the initiative of Oleksandr Omelchenko bought the club in 2001 reorganizing it under the name of 'Arsenal', grandfathering everything from CSKA Kyiv. The First League second team CSKA-2 Kyiv continued to be affiliated with the Ministry of Defense and once again became the primary team of the Army football club, FC CSKA Kyiv.
While under the city government's ownership, Arsenal struggled financially, resorting to loaning many of its first team's squad players. The city had decreased funding to the club significantly as it sought to reduce its numerous sports holdings. In May 2007, it was announced that the club would be demoted due to financial issues, however soon afterwards it was revealed that Arsenal would be purchased by Ukrainian oligarch, Vadim Rabinovich. The new owner started actively financing the club and its transfers. In January 2009 the Mayor of Kiev Leonid Chernovetskyi bought Arsenal Kyiv for 1 hryvnia from Rabynovich; Chernovetskiy's 30-year-old son Stepan became the club's president. The following year Rabynovich bought the club back due to the poor management.
Bankruptcy
In January 2013 the owner Rabynovych stated that the club could be liquidated.[3] During the next month it was announced that Ukrainian oligarch Oleksandr Onyschenko was ready to finance the club and claimed that he had paid all the debts.[3] He also accused the previous leadership of the club of not passing the documents for signing the agreements on the transfer of corporate rights to the club.[3] On 29 August, Rabynovych stated that he had resigned from the post of club president.[3] The next day Onyschenko stated that due to the (then) present situation he could decide not to help the club.[3] On 24 October Onyschenko stated that he had stopped financing Arsenal.[3] The next day Arsenal failed to appear for a 2013–14 Ukrainian Premier League match against SC Tavriya Simferopol.[3] On 28 October 2013 it again failed to appear for a 2013–14 Ukrainian Cup match against FC Nyva Ternopil.[3] The next day general director Viktor Holovko announced that the club was filing for bankruptcy and withdrawing from competitions as it was unable to find any sponsors.[3][4][5]
On 15 November 2013 FC Shakhtar Donetsk Chairman Rinat Akhmetov announced that after financial help from the other teams in the league; the Arsenal squad would be able to complete its 2013–14 (Ukrainian Premier League) season.[6] But the next day Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk refused to (re)play the (16th round) match Arsenal had earlier failed to appear for (due to its bankruptcy).[6] As a result, 29 October 2013 was the date the club lost its professional status.
Reorganization in 2014
The Arsenal team that was re-founded in 2001 went bankrupt in late 2013,[3] but the club was soon reformed and currently plays as an amateur team in the Kiev City League competition.[7][8]
In January 2014 an initiative group of former club players and fans with the help of Kiev businessman and rally driver Oleksiy Kikireshko re-established the club as FC Arsenal-Kyiv.
After its last game of the 2014 Kiev city championship on November 9, 2014, which was won by FC Arsenal-Kyiv, the club's president Kikireshko announced that the club submitted a preliminary application on participation in the Ukrainian Second League for the 2015–16 Ukrainian Second League season.[9] and it was accepted. the Ukrainian Second League.[10]
The club appointed Andriy Annenkov in February 2014[11] but resigned after an unsuccessful start to a new season on 8 August 2015.[12]
Supporters and Rivalries
Arsenal supporters are very strongly tied to the anti-fascist movement and in the majority hold strong left-wing views. They maintain friendly relations with Partizan Minsk and SV Babelsberg who have similar political beliefs. Their arch rivals are the majority nationalist and right-wing Dynamo Kiev, with whom they contest the Kiev derby. They also have a rivalry with the other Kiev team, CSCA Kiev, not only along political lines but also due to the controversial intertwining of the two club's histories. Other fierce rivals are Karpaty Lviv and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.[13]
Football kits and sponsors
| Years[14] | Football kit | Shirt sponsor | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| pre-2001 | Refer to CSKA Kyiv | ||
| 2001–2002 | Nike | ukrgasbank | as Arsenal Kyiv |
| 2003–04 | adidas | ||
| 2004–07 | Nike | – | |
| 2007–09 | lotto | – | |
| 2009–10 | Nike | – | |
| 2010–13 | News One | ||
| 2013– | – | ||
Presidents
- 1993 – 1995 NPF Geoton Boryspil (Dmytro Zlobenko)[15] as FC Boryspil
- 1995 – 2001 Central Sports Club of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as (team merged with CSKA Kyiv)
- 2001 – 2007 Kiev city administration (Oleksandr Omelchenko)
- 2007 – 2013 Vadym Rabinovych
- 2013 – 2013 Oleksandr Onyshchenko
- 2014 Oleksiy Kikireshko
Players
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours
- As "Mashynobudivnyk Kiev"
- Championship of the Ukrainian SSR
- Winners (2): 1954, 1958
- As "FC Boryspil"
- Ukrainian Second League
- Winners (1): 1993-94
- As "CSKA-Borysfen"
- Ukrainian First League
- Runner up (1): 1994-95
- As "CSKA Kyiv"
- Ukrainian Cup
- Runner up (2): 1998, 2001
League and cup history
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Arsenal Kyiv (2011–2013)
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Domestic Cup | Europe | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-2001 | Refer to CSCA Kyiv | ||||||||||||
| 2001–02 | 1st | 12 | 26 | 6 | 5 | 15 | 18 | 28 | 23 | 1/4 finals | UC | 2nd round | Name changed to Arsenal |
| 2002–03 | 1st | 5 | 30 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 25 | 56 | 1/4 finals | |||
| 2003–04 | 1st | 9 | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 38 | 44 | 37 | 1/8 finals | |||
| 2004–05 | 1st | 9 | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 30 | 33 | 37 | 1/16 finals | |||
| 2005–06 | 1st | 12 | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 31 | 39 | 35 | 1/4 finals | |||
| 2006–07 | 1st | 14 | 30 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 28 | 44 | 30 | 1/32 finals | |||
| 2007–08 | 1st | 6 | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 42 | 36 | 42 | 1/8 finals | |||
| 2008–09 | 1st | 11 | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 26 | 33 | 32 | 1/8 finals | |||
| 2009–10 | 1st | 7 | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 44 | 41 | 42 | 1/16 finals | |||
| 2010–11 | 1st | 9 | 30 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 36 | 38 | 37 | 1/2 finals | |||
| 2011–12 | 1st | 5 | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 44 | 27 | 51 | 1/4 finals | |||
| 2012–13 | 1st | 8 | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 34 | 41 | 39 | 1/4 finals | EL | 3rd qual round | |
| 2013–14 | 1st | — | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 31 | 10 | 1/8 finals | Expelled [18] | ||
| Club reformed in 2014 | |||||||||||||
| 2014[19] | 5th | 10 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 22 | 25 | Amateur Cup | also participated in the Kiev city championship | ||
| 2015–16 | 3rd | 6 | 26 | 13 | 4 | 9 | 37 | 30 | 43 | 1/16 finals | Promoted[20] | ||
| 2016–17 | 2nd | 1/16 finals | |||||||||||
European competitions
Arsenal Kyiv appeared in the European competitions for the first time as CSKA Kyiv in 1998 (1998–99 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup) in away game against the Irish Cork City F.C. which CSKA lost 1-2. The first two qualifications to European competitions were achieved by reaching the final of Ukrainian Cup in 1998 and 2001. During that time Arsenal Kyiv was known as CSKA Kyiv.
The first appearance in the European competitions under Arsenal brand the club made in 2012.
CSKA Kyiv
| Season | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | Qualifying round |  Cork City |
2–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 |
| First Round |  Lokomotiv Moscow |
0–2 | 1–3 | 1–5 | |
| Season | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Qualifying round |  FC Jokerit | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 |
| First round |  Red Star Belgrade | 3–2 | 0–0 | 3–2 | |
| Second round | .svg.png){kind=small} Club Brugge K.V. | 0–2 | 0–5 | 0–7 | |
Arsenal Kyiv
| Season | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggr. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Third qualifying round |  ND Mura 05 | 0–31 | 2–0 | 2–3 |
- Notes
- Note 1: UEFA awarded Mura 05 a 3–0 win due to Arsenal Kyiv fielding a suspended player in the first leg. The original match had ended in a 3–0 win for Arsenal Kyiv.
Managers
Oleh Kuznetsov (July 1, 2001 – June 30, 2002)- Vyacheslav Hroznyi (July 1, 2002 – June 30, 2004)
- Oleksandr Baranov (July 1, 2004 – Nov 1, 2005)
- Oleksandr Zavarov (Nov 10, 2005 – Jan 28, 2010)
- Vyacheslav Hroznyi (Jan 28, 2010 – April 16, 2010)
- Yuriy Bakalov (interim) (April 22, 2010 – May 18, 2010)
- Yuriy Bakalov (May 18, 2010 – May 29, 2011)
Leonid Kuchuk (June 2, 2011 – Dec 31, 2012)- Yuriy Bakalov (Jan 5, 2013 – Nov 21, 2013)
- Serhiy Zakarlyuka (Nov 22, 2013 – Jan 31, 2014) (caretaker)
- Andriy Annenkov (Feb 1, 2014 – Aug 8, 2015)
References
- ↑ Soviet Union Cup 1936
- ↑ Ukrainian Hockey. tribuna.com. 27 July 2013
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Arsenal Kyiv director general says club out of all competitions, bankruptcy procedures launched, Interfax-Ukraine (1 November 2013)
FC Arsenal (Kyiv) starts bankruptcy procedure, drops out of competition, says director, Interfax-Ukraine (31 October 2013) - ↑ ЗАЯВЛЕНИЕ ГЕНЕРАЛЬНОГО ДИРЕКТОРА ФК "АРСЕНАЛ" (КИЕВ) ВИКТОРА ГОЛОВКО [Announcement of the general director of FC Arsenal Kyiv Viktor Holovko] (in Ukrainian). FC Arsenal Kyiv. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- ↑ Киевский Арсенал снимается с чемпионата [Kiev Arsenal is withdrawing from competitions] (in Ukrainian). ua-football.com. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
- 1 2 PRESS: Owners of Ukrainian Premier League clubs willing to help FC Arsenal Kyiv financially, Interfax-Ukraine (16 November 2013)
(Russian) "Днепр" не поддержал предложение реанимации "Арсенала" "Dnipro" does not supported the resurrection of "Arsenal", Gazeta.ua (17 November 2013) - ↑ Киевский "Арсенал" возвращается на футбольное поле [Arsenal Kyiv returns to the football pitch] (in Russian). terrikon. 24 April 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ↑ Киевский "Арсенал" снова в строю! [Arsenal Kyiv again in uniforms]. Official Arsenal Kyiv website (in Russian). 27 April 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
- ↑ "Arsenal kyiv submitted a preliminary application on participation in the Second League". UA-Football (in Russian). 10 November 2014.
- ↑ http://futbolgrad.com/resurrection-arsenal-kiev/
- ↑ http://www.ua-football.com/ukrainian/news/1398594206-v-schastlivom-sozdan-novyy-kievskiy-arsenal-investor-kikireshko.html
- ↑ http://www.ua-football.com/ua/ukrainian/2a/1439364188-zmi-annenkov-podav-u-vidstavku-arsenal-ocholit-chervenkov.html
- ↑ http://futbolgrad.com/ukrainian-ultras-where-two-wings-collide/
- ↑ Jerseys of Ukrainian clubs
- ↑ History of CSKA Kyiv. CSKA of Ukraine website
- ↑ First team squad – FC Illichivets Mariupol website
- ↑ Team squad – Ukrainian Premier League website
- ↑ On 29 October 2013, the general director of FC Arsenal Kyiv Viktor Holovko announced that the club is filling for bankruptcy and withdrawing from competitions as it was unable to find any sponsors. "Arsenal Kyiv director general says club out of all competitions, bankruptcy procedures launched". Interfax-Ukraine. 1 November 2013."FC Arsenal (Kyiv) starts bankruptcy procedure, drops out of competition, says director". Interfax-Ukraine. 31 October 2013.
The General Assembly of the Ukrainian Premier League was unable to reach a quorum and hence no decision was made on the expulsion of the club from the UPL.Гендиректор УПЛ пояснив, чому Данілов не приїхав на Загальні збори [General Director of UPL explained why Danilov did not come to the General Assembly] (in Ukrainian). ua-football.com. 18 December 2013. (18 December 2013)
On 12 February 2014 Arsenal Kyiv was officially expelled from the league and all club's results were annulled."Decision #53 League Directory" (PDF) (in Ukrainian). 12 February 2014. - ↑ Kutsenko, V. Results of regional championships of Ukraine 2014. Center and North. UA-Football. 22 December 2014
- ↑ Originally, as per competition regulations the top three teams were promoted from the 2015–16 Ukrainian Second League. (Ukrainian) "Друга ліга, 24-й тур:"Черкаський Дніпро" та "Оболонь-Бровар" виходять у першу лігу!" [Second league, Round 24: Cherkaskyi Dnipro and Obolon-Brovar enter First League]. Professional Football League of Ukraine. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
However, prior to the season commencing at the Conference of the PFL in preparation for the season the committee decided to expand the competition to eighteen teams and include the fourth, fifth and sixth placed teams. (Ukrainian) "В Першій лізі можуть стартувати 18 команд" [18 teams may compete in the First League]. UA-Football. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
External links
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