FC Ararat Yerevan

Ararat Yerevan

Full name	Football Club Ararat Yerevan
Nickname(s)	White Eagles
Founded	May 10, 1935 (1935-05-10)
Ground	Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium,[1] Yerevan
Ground Capacity	14,403
Owner	Vartan Sirmakes & Hrach Kaprielian
Chairman	Hrach Kaprielian
Manager	Arkady Andreasyan
League	Armenian Premier League
2015–16	5th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

Football Club Ararat Yerevan (Armenian: Ֆուտբոլային Ակումբ Արարատ Երևան), commonly known as Ararat Yerevan, is an Armenian football club based in Yerevan. Currently, they play at the Armenian Premier League. Ararat Yerevan are the most popular football club in Armenia.

Since 1999, the club is owned by the Switzerland-based Armenian businessmen Vartan Sirmakes and Hrach Kaprielian.

History

In 1935 a football team was established in Yerevan by Spartak sports society. The first time the team participated in the competitions of the national level. The first trophy of the club was the Armenian SSR Cup in 1940. In the next 4 years soccer was not played because of World War II.

In 1944 games of USSR Cup were resumed, and Spartak participated. A match was set up with their main rivals, fellow FC Dinamo Tbilisi. However, the match was not played through the fault of Yerevan.^[2][3] In 1947 the team becomes silver medalist in the second league of the Transcaucasian region. The team finished just one point behind the ODL from Tbilisi. In this championship, Spartak, in a home match against Tbilisi Wings of the Soviets, showed the best result at the time, beating them by the score 7:1.^[4][5] In Season 1948 Spartak was to start in the first group (the Premier League at the time), but after 30 games along with 15 other clubs had been withdrawn. All 16 clubs have continued to participate in the league below. Spartak have spent the next season in the second group, improved their performance and won the competition in the South Zone. The team won 13 matches out of 18. However, the first place in the zonal group did not guarantee promotion. According to the regulations of the USSR Championship, the winners of zones in the second league should have played each other in the final stage. At this stage, 6 teams participated. Games between the teams went into a circle. After 5 games Spartak has settled on the third place, which ensured the club a place in the first group.^[6][7]

Hrazdan Stadium, the home ground of Ararat Yerevan between 1971 and 2015

In 1949 at Spartak participated for the first time in the Soviet Top League. The team performed poorly, finishing 12th. In the first two rounds the team lost, but in the 3rd round victory was recorded in a home game against the Air Force (Moscow).^[8] To beat the team was able representatives of the second half of the table, and twice on the road. There were 3 major defeat: the double-0–6 from Moscow Lokomotiv and CDKA, and once 1–6 – from Tbilisi "Dynamo". However, despite the poor performance, the club remained in the top league for next season, as the latter two dropped out of the club, ranked 17th and 18th place in the standings.^[9][10] Cup battles ended at the first stage, against the Dynamo "from Stalinabad.^[11] In 1950 season, Spartak began to act more liberated. The first lesion was detected only in the fourth round of the Leningrad "Zenit". The team scored 31 points with team-mates from Kiev, but on goal difference in the Class "B" sunk Spartak. In the Soviet Cup team started with a 1/128 final. Having weak rivals in 1/16-oy stumbled on rivals in the face Dynamo Kiev. In the hard game, which was held in Kiev, Spartak celebrated victory 3–2. In 1/8 final meeting with "Dynamo," Moscow and lost with a score of 0–7.^[12]

In 1960–63, 1966–91 the team participated in the Soviet Top League. In 1973 "Ararat" won the Soviet Cup. In 1971 1976 (Spring) years became a silver medalist championship, and in 1975 again won the USSR Cup.

In total the team participated in 33 Soviet Top League seasons, playing 1,026 matches, of which they won 352, drew 280, lost 394, scored 1,150 goals and conceded 1,306. By 1975 the team participated in the lottery three European Cups. In the last USSR Championship in 1991, the team was finished in seventh place.

Soviet championships

FC Ararat logo during the Soviet era.

By 1945–47, Ararat swept the Armenian SSR League and by 1949 had won promotion into the Soviet Top League. The team played in the Top League in 1949–50, 1960–63, and 1965–91. In 1971, Ararat finished second in the Top League. In 1973 they won the Top League and the Soviet Cup (in a memorable final game against Dynamo Kyiv). They won the cup again in 1975. In 1971 and 1976 Spring (there were two Soviet championships in 1976 — Spring and Fall) they were the league runners-up. In 1974–75 Ararat competed in the European Cup, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to defending and eventual champions Bayern Munich 2–1 on aggregate (0–2 in Munich and 1–0 in Yerevan). Since their debut in the European tournaments in 1972, they have won 16 of their 36 matches with 4 draws.

Ararat in 1973 final	Ararat in 1975 final

Modern history

Dzoraghbyur Training Centre

Since the 1991 dissolution of Soviet Union, Ararat has attained the Armenian Championship only once in 1993 and won four silver prizes (1997, 1999, 2000 and 2008) and one bronze prize (1994). In addition, the club has won the Armenian Cup five times (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 2008) and were finalists in 2001 and 2007. They also were very close to taking the Armenian title in 2007, however the unexpected resignation of head coach Varuzhan Sukiasyan changed the atmosphere on the team and the club ended up in fourth place. In March 2008, former coach Varuzhan Sukiasyan returned to take charge of the team again. After failing to take the title from Pyunik in 2008, Varuzhan Sukiasyan left the club.

The club headquarters are located on Agatangeghos street 2, Yerevan.^[13]The club's Dzoraghbyur Training Centre is located in the Dzoraghbyur village of Kotayk Province, at the eastern outskirts of Yerevan.

In August 2016, Arkady Andreasyan was appointed as the clubs manager.^[14]

Domestic history

• Due to the 1995 season being a transitional season, there was no official winner of championship.
• Ararat Yerevan were expelled before start of the season..

European history

^[15]

Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate 1972–73 UEFA Cup 1R EPA Larnaca 1–0 1–0 2–0 2R Grasshopper Zürich 4–2 3–1 7–3 3R Kaiserslautern 2–0 0–2 2–2 (4–5 p) 1974–75 UEFA European Cup 1R Viking Stavanger 4–2 2–0 6–2 2R Cork Celtic 5–0 2–1 7–1 QF Bayern Munich 1–0 0–2 1–2 1975–76 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1R Anorthosis Famagusta 9–0 1–1 10–1 2R West Ham United 1–1 1–3 2–4 1994–95 UEFA Cup PR CSKA Sofia 0–0 0–3 0–3 1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Q GKS Katowice 2–0 0–2 2–2 (5–4 p) 1R Dynamo Moscow 1–0 1–3 2–3 1997–98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Q Dinamo Batumi 0–2 3–0 3–2 1R Copenhagen 0–2 0–3 0–5 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup Q Bacău 1–0 1–0 2–0 1R Sint-Truiden 0–2 1–3 1–5 2000–01 UEFA Cup Q Košice 2–3 1–1 3–4 2001–02 UEFA Cup Q Hapoel Tel Aviv 0–2 0–3 0–5 2005 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R Neuchâtel Xamax 1–3 0–6 1–9 2007 UEFA Intertoto Cup 1R Shakhtyor Soligorsk 2–0 1–4 3–4 2008–09 UEFA Cup 1Q Bellinzona 0–1 1–3 1–4

Competition GP W D L GF GA UEFA Champions League 6 5 0 1 14 5 UEFA Europa League 0 0 0 0 0 0 UEFA Cup 14 6 2 7 15 5 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 12 4 1 5 19 17 UEFA Intertoto Cup 8 3 0 5 7 21 Total 40 18 3 18 55 48 Biggest Win in UEFA Competition: 17/09/1975, Ararat 9–0 Anorthosis, in Yerevan Biggest Defeat in UEFA Competition: 23/06/2007, Shakhtyor 4–1 Ararat, in Soligorsk Club Appearances in UEFA Competition: 12 Player with Most UEFA Appearances: Aleksei Abramian and Norik Mesropian – 16 appearances Top Scorer in UEFA Club Competitions: Eduard Markarov – 12 goals

Honours

• Soviet Top League/Armenian Premier League (2):

1973, 1993

• Soviet First League (1):

1965

• Soviet Cup/Armenian Cup (7):

1973, 1975, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2008

• Armenian Supercup (1):

2008

• IFA Shield (1):

1978

Other notable achievements

• Soviet Top League

runner-up: 1971, 1976

• Soviet Cup

runner-up: 1954, 1976

• European Cup

Quarter-finalist: 1974–75

• European Cup Winners' Cup

1/16 finalist: 1975–76

• UEFA Cup

1/16 finalist: 1972–73

Current squad

As of 28 October 2016^[16]

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 Gevorg Prazyan 3 DF Gevorg Poghosyan 5 DF Vardan Arzoyan 6 DF Argishti Petrosyan 7 MF Davit Markosyan 8 DF Yuri Gareginyan 9 MF Mher Sahakyan 10 FW Marat Daudov 11 MF Rafayel Ghazaryan 12 GK Karen Israelyan 14 DF Hakob Loretsyan

No. Position Player 15 MF Sergey Mkrtchyan 17 MF Gegham Tumbaryan 18 MF Petros Ter-Petrosyan 19 MF Sarkis Metoyan 20 DF Rafayel Safaryan 21 MF Ruslan Avagyan 22 GK Poghos Ayvazyan 77 GK Aram Ayrapetyan (captain) GK Arman Meliksetyan FW Norik Avdalyan MF Aram Loretsyan MF Karen Avoyan

Managers

Name Nat From To Vramshapuh Merangulyan 1935 1938 Suren Atanesyan March 1939 Oct 1939 Yuri Yesenin March 1940 Oct 1944 Viktor Andreev March 1945 Oct 1945 Mikhail Sushkov March 1946 Oct 1946 Viktor Grechishnikov March 1947 Oct 1947 Hayk Andreasyan March 1948 June 9, 1949 Boris Apukhtin June 1949 July 1949 Viktor Filipov July 1949 Oct 1949 Gleb Ryabikov March 1950 June 7, 1951 Ilya Evranov June 8, 1951 Dec 1951 Hayk Andreasyan March 1952 Oct 1954 Abraham Dangulov March 1955 Oct 1956 Hayk Andreasyan March 1957 Oct 1957 Boris Smyslov March 1958 Oct 1960 Hayk Andreasyan March 1961 July 1961 Anatoliy Akimov Aug 1961 July 1962 Arutyun Kegeyan Aug 1962 Dec 1962 Hayk Andreasyan Jan 1963 Sept 28, 1963 Alexander Abramov Oct 2, 1963 Dec 1963 Georgiy Zharkov March 1964 Oct 1964 Artyom Falyan March 1, 1965 Jan 2, 1968 Eduard Grigoryan March 1968 Oct 1968 Oleksandr Ponomarov March 1969 Oct 1970 Nikolay Glebov March 1971 Oct 1972 Nikita Simonyan Jan 1, 1973 Dec 31, 1974 Victor Maslov March 1975 Oct 1975 Eduard Markarov March 1976 Oct 1977

Name Nat From To Nikolay Gulyayev March 1978 July 1978 Leonid Zakharov Aug 1978 Oct 1978 Yozhef Betsa March 1979 Oct 1981 Arkady Andreasyan March 1982 Oct 1983 Nikita Simonyan Jan 1, 1984 June 30, 1985 Leonid Zakharov June 1985 June 1986 Arkady Andreasyan July 1986 June 1989 Nikolay Kazaryan July 1989 Oct 1989 Armen Sarkisyan March 1990 Oct 1994 Samvel Darbinyan March 1995 Oct 1995 Arkady Andreasyan Jan 1996 Nov 2003 Sevada Arzumanyan Nov 2003 Nov 2004 Abraham Khashmanyan Nov 2004 June 2006 Varuzhan Sukiasyan June 2006 July 2007 Dušan Mijić July 2007 March 2008 Varuzhan Sukiasyan March 2008 Dec 31, 2008 Ashot Kirakosyan Dec 2008 March 2009 Arkady Andreasyan March 2009 Jan 2010 Tigran Yesayan Jan 2010 Dec 2010 Arkady Andreasyan Jan 2011 Feb 2012 Albert Safaryan Feb 2012 July 2012 Abraham Khashmanyan July 2012 April 26, 2014 Dušan Mijić July 4, 2014 Sept 26, 2014 Samvel Darbinyan Sept 26, 2014 Dec 1, 2014 Suren Chakhalyan Dec 13, 2014 April 14, 2015 Varuzhan Sukiasyan April 28, 2015 August, 2016 Arkady Andreasyan August, 2016 present

References

External links

• Official website