Gabala FC
Squad
Ermin Zec2015current
Oleksiy Antonov2015current
Oleksiy Hai2015current
Sergei Zenjov2015current- Badri Kvaratskheliacurrent
Branimir Subašić2010–2011
Deon Burton2010–2012
Terry Cooke2010–2011
Collins John2011–2011
Mahir Shukurov2011–2012
Dejan Kelhar2012–2013
Oumar Kalabane2012–2014- Abdulwaheed Afolabi2013–2014
Cristian Pulhac2013–2014- Ifeanyi Emeghara2013–2013
Lorenzo Ebecilio2013–2014
Adrian Ropotan2014–2015
Kamran Agayev2014–2015
Leonardo da Silva Souza2014–2015
Marat Izmailov2014–2014
Pavol Farkaš2014–2015
Ruslan Abishov2014–2014
George Mihai Florescu2015–2015
Mikhail Sivakow2015–2015- Ruslan Abishov2015–2015
Vagif Javadov2015–2015
Vüqar Nadirov2015–2015
Nika Kvekveskiri2016–2017
Rauf Aliyev2018–2019
Isnik Alimi2021–2023
Gabala FC is an Azerbaijani professional football club based in Qabala, competing in the Azerbaijan Premier League since 2006.
The club has been a runner-up in the Azerbaijan Premier League three times.
Gabala FC has won the Azerbaijan Cup twice, in 2019 and 2023.
Biography
Formation
Gabala FC, originally founded as Goy Gol on July 3, 1995, began its journey in the Azerbaijani football scene. The club was registered in Gabala by the Ministry of Justice on September 1, 2005, and soon after, the AFFA recognized it as a professional team. In the summer of 2006, the team relocated to Qabala and underwent a name change to Gilan PFK, eventually becoming Qəbələ PFK on August 31, 2007.
Early Challenges and Management Changes
The club faced various challenges in its early years, including a series of managerial changes. Notably, former Arsenal defender Tony Adams was appointed as manager on May 10, 2010, signing a lucrative £1 million per year deal. Under his leadership, Gabala finished 7th in the Azerbaijan Premier League during his first season. However, Adams resigned in November 2011 due to personal issues, leading to a period of instability with several managers, including Fatih Kavlak and Ramiz Mammadov, struggling to improve the club's standing.
Rise to Prominence
A significant turning point came in 2013 when Yuri Semin took over as manager, leading Gabala to qualify for European competitions for the first time in their history. The club made headlines in the 2015-16 season by becoming the third Azerbaijani team to reach the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, defeating notable teams like Dinamo Tbilisi and Panathinaikos along the way. Gabala has also been a consistent performer in domestic competitions, finishing as runners-up in the Azerbaijan Premier League three times and winning the national cup twice, in 2019 and 2023.
Recent Developments
After competing in the Azerbaijan First Division, Gabala FC is set to return to the Azerbaijan Premier League for the 2025-26 season following their promotion in 2024-25. The club continues to build on its legacy, aiming for further success both domestically and in European competitions.
Collected from open sources (3) · facts link to sources · AI-processed
Gallery
Career & Clubs
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. 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. In his first season in charge Gabala finished in 7th place in Azerbaijan Premier League. In November 2011, Adams resigned as Gabala's coach due to family problems. 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. On 29 May 2013, Yuri Semin was appointed as the new manager after signing a £1 million per year deal with the club. 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. 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…
- League
- Azerbaijan First Division
- League
- Azerbaijan Premier League
Legacy
Azerbaijan League Runners-up (2): 2016–17, 2017–18 Azerbaijan Cup Winners (2): 2018–19, 2022–23 Runners-up (3): 2013–14, 2016–17, 2017–18 Azerbaijan First Division Winners (2): 2005–06, 2024–25
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Qəbələ İdman Klubu, 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.
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
…