Gandzasar (football club, Kapan)

• 1963-1989: "Lernagorts" Kafan
• 1989-1990: Kapan Kapan
• 1991-1993: “Syunik”
• 1995-1996: Kapan-81
• 1997-2003: “Lernagorts”
• since 2004 - Gandzasar

Foundation and first results (1963-1989)

Take off and take off. (1989-1993)

The Second Coming of Lernagorets (1995-2003)

Season 1995/96
After a year-long break in 1995, the club revives under the name "Kapan-81." The team is allowed to participate in the First League of the 1995/96 season . But before, the team took part in the Armenian Cup , where they started the rally from the 1/8 final stage. The rival was the capital “ Ararat ”, in the home game with which the team lost 0: 2, and in the away 1: 6. ^{[1] [2]} In the championship, the team finished the season with relatively equal indicators, taking 8th place in the table. ^[3]

Season 1996/97
In the 1996/97 season , the team started in the First League, connecting in October to the Armenian Cup . In the 1/16 final, the team met with the Nairit team, but because of the opponents' refusal, the match did not take place and Kapan-81 automatically went on. However, in the 1/8 finals, Kapan 81 already abandoned the match against Yerevan . ^[4] In the championship, the team performed worse than in the past, eventually taking 9th place. In the middle of the championship, the club regained the name “Lernagorts”. ^[five]

1997 season
In the 1997 season, the championship returns to the spring-fall system. Lernagorts, with 37 points, is in third place behind three points from the second, giving the right to a transitional match for the right to play in the Major League . This season the team became the best in terms of the best performance (63 goals) and the best difference between goals scored and conceded (+45). Also this season the team was the author of the best victory - 11: 0, in the game with SKA - “Arai” , and 11: 1 - with “ Armavir ”. ^[6]

1998 season
“Lernagorts” did not take part in the held Cup of Armenia ^[7] , and in the championship of the First League was a favorite. But in reality it didn’t. The team won half of the matches, two - drew, and lost the rest. As a result, the team was content with only 5th place in the table. ^[eight]

1999 season
As in the previous season, the team does not participate in the Armenian Cup . ^{[9] [10]} Once again, being one of the favorites for entering the Premier League, the team fails the season by taking 4th place in the final table of the championship. ^[11] At the end of 1999 , immediately three Premier League clubs (“ Yerevan ”, “ Erebuni ” and “ Dvin ”) were disbanded. Thus, the number of clubs rising has increased. Among them was Lernagorts, which was the last to be included in the Premier League.

Season 2000
The season began with matches of the 1/8 finals of the Armenian Cup for Lernagorets successfully. The team easily passed the abandoned Nairi match. In the quarter finals, the team was waiting for an opponent, which eventually became Yerevan “Ararat”. In the first match, which took place on the field of “Lernagorets”, a defeat was recorded with a score of 0: 4. A few days later, a return match was to take place, but Lernagorts did not appear at the match, thereby receiving a technical defeat of 0: 3. ^{[12] [13]} The team marked the return to the elite with an anti-record, losing in the 1st round of the away match against Shirak - 1:13. This anti-record is still the worst in the history of club statistics. It is also worth noting that in the first 12 rounds the team lost 11 times. In most cases, with a large score, not less than 0: 4. In this regard, in May, Felix Veranyan was dismissed, who was replaced by Garnik Asatryan . Throughout the championship, the team was on the verge of relegation, avoiding it in the 27th (penultimate) round because of the boycott of the championship by Dynamo Yerevan. ^{[14] [15]}

Season 2001
In the Armenian Cup “Lernagorts” even before the championship left the race at the first stage (1/8 finals). In a two-match confrontation with Karabakh , the team tied 1-1 at home and lost 2-3 away. ^{[16] [17]} The 2001 championship consisted of 13 teams, subsequently decreasing to 12. One team in the round was supposed to miss due to the lack of an opponent, and subsequently two teams. For Lernagorets, the championship began with the 2nd round (in the 1st round the team missed) with a match against the Pyunik Premier League debutant. And again, at the start of the championship, the team loses a lot, this time with a score of 0: 6. In the future, the team more or less straightened the situation, stopping away from departure. ^[18] Meanwhile, the management had to change the coaching staff twice. Garnik Asatryan was replaced in July by Arsen Chilingaryan , and in October the latter was replaced by Avetik Sargsyan . ^[19] In the match of the 23rd round, the club did not show up for the game against Shirak, which was to be held in Gyumri . In this regard, she was credited with a technical defeat. ^{[20] [21]}

Redefinition (2004-2005)

After the merger of Lernagorets with Yerevan 's Ararat , the leaders of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine decided in 2004 on the next creation of a club in Kapan, which would continue the story of the past. Participation in the newly created club began, as expected under the rules, in the First League . It is noteworthy that the team spent their home games not in Kapan, but in Yeghegnadzor . ^[22] With 57 points, the team won the small bronze medals of the championship , which do not give the right to increase. In the next season, it again takes third place, however, due to a change in the rules, the team gets into a butt game with the team that took the penultimate place in the Premier League . ^[23] The rival in the transitional match was Chirac . The match took place on October 22 , with a score of 5: 1, the club from Gyumri celebrated the victory. ^[23] However, the club was still transferred to the tower with the team of Yerevan United , thereby increasing the number of Premier League clubs to 11. ^[24]

Speeches in the Elite (2006 -present )

2006 season
The performance of "Gandzasar" in the first season in the elite, from the point of view of a beginner, can be defined as positive. Thanks to the victory in the last round, over a direct competitor for the fifth place, which was “Kilikia”, “Gandzasar” took the place in the middle of the table according to the season results. Gandzasar’s top scorer Arthur Kocharian , at 32, with 14 goals, took 4th place in the list of scorers, along with 33-year-old Armen Shahgeldyan . In the same season, the club establishes a duplicate team and declares it to the championship of the First League. ^[25] In the Cup, the team easily passed the barrier in the person of Miki-2 - 3: 1 and 4: 0. Ahead of the "Gandzasar" was waiting for the main team of " Miki ". In the home game, “Gandzasar” in the 14th minute led in the long run, but this quick goal was the only one in the match. In the return game, Mika restored parity already in the 9th minute, took the lead on the 26th, and in the 76th minute reached the next round. ^[26]

2007 season

In February 2007, the team was headed by Suren Barseghyan , and on March 22, the start for Gandzasar began in the Cup of the country , where a newcomer to the Kapan club became a rival, the newly created Bentonit club. In the first match, the Kapanians defeated their opponent - 1: 0, and in the second match, held in Ijevan , they lost from the 69th minute 0: 2, having failed to print the gates of the impudent newcomer. By the sum of two meetings - 1: 2, Gandzasar dropped out of the tournament at the first stage of the rally. ^[27] Recently, the team had personnel problems, they were decided to solve with the help of newcomers. The club has developed a lack of sports ambition. He adhered to the motto "The main thing is not victory, but participation", instead of the plans for the season. In the championship , the team's direct competitors were Chirac and Ulysses , with whom they fought and won the palm in absentia for 5th place. ^[28] During the championship, the club was replaced by three mentors. In May, Barseghyan was replaced by his assistant Abraham Khashmanyan , who led the team until June. In mid-June, the team was led by experienced Samvel Petrosyan . ^[29] The contract with the mentor was concluded before the end of the season, with the possibility of extension if successful. ^[30] As a result, the contract with Petrosyan was extended. The club’s top scorers of the season was Arthur Kocharyan (8 goals), who shared 7th place in the dispute with a scorer with Miki player Alex. ^[31]

2008 season
In the 2008 season, at the draw of the championship and the Cup ^[32] on March 4, Pyunik-2 became the rival of Gandzasar. The team twice defeated the opponent - 3: 0 and 5: 0. In the quarter finals, there was a remarkable coincidence of the last season, when having passed the double team, the club got to the base. But if last season the team lost the class, then this showed the character in the game with the current champion - “ Pyunik ”, 0-0 in the sum of two matches. On a penalty - 1: 4, Pyunik players celebrated the semi-final, and Gandzasar, in turn, complained about the unrealized penalty kick by Claudio Gomez and Alexander Petrosyan . ^{[33] [34]} It is worth noting that at the beginning of the season the club acquired a living legend of Armenian football , unfading Arsen Avetisyan . ^[35] In the championship, the team failed the first half of the first round, a relatively crucial moment was the victory against the champion “Pyunik” - 1: 0. The team began to show, along with the result, the game that the head coach of the club Samvel Petrosyan inspired the players. It was under his leadership that for the first time in history, Kapanese became winners of the championship, having won bronze medals, as well as participating in the 2009/10 European League . ^{[36] [37]} The city began to double fan for the club, which is the representative of the entire southern region of Armenia.

2009 season

In late February, on the occasion of Mika’s refusal to participate in the Turkmenbashi Cup ^[38] , the FFA decided to allow Gandzasar to participate. As a result, the team reached the semifinals, where they lost. In the match for 3rd place, the team made a loss 1–2 to Ashgabat . ^[39] Unlike the previous season, the draw for the upcoming season took place on February 25, 2009 , on which the championship calendar and rivals in the Armenian Cup were determined. In the quarter finals, the club made it to Ulysses Yerevan. The first match was held in Artashat at the City Stadium ^[40] , in which Ulysses virtually deprived the chance of Gandzasar exit - 1: 4. In the return game, which took place at the Ganzasar stadium in Kapan, Gandzasar failed to score the required three points. They managed to score only a prestige goal in the 39th minute, the author of which was Arsen Avetisyan. ^{[41] [42]} It did not matter for the club to start the national championship. The team was defeated in the first five rounds, followed by difficult victories, flimsy draws and periodic defeats. ^[43] In the end, the club management decided to fire Samvel Petrosyan. In early June, he left his post, and Avetik Sargsyan became the acting head coach. ^[44] For a long time, Sargsyan did not manage to manage the team, as the leadership urgently began to look for a coach for the club. The way out was found in Stepanakert , where the Lernain Artsakh team was led by Slava Gabrielyan , who without hesitation agreed to raise the sinking ship in the person of Gandzasar. ^[45]

In early July, before the debut in the Europa League, the club changed its logo. The debut itself took place on July 16, 2009 in the Dutch city ​​of Breda at the Rat Verleg stadium against the NAC club. The first historical composition of Gandzasar: Levan Bubuteishvili, Valery Aleksanyan, Armen Tatintsian, Karen Zakaryan, David Hanishvili, Mikheil Simonyan, Artashes Antonyan, Virgin Marshavel, Ara E. Khachatryan, Leandro Santos Pinto, Arsen Avetisyan. In the first half, the team was slightly inferior to the opponent both in class and in physical condition, as a result of which the team missed the ball in the 24th minute of the match. After the break, the class nevertheless outweighed and the hopes of the Kapan team to get to the next round were crossed out by the NAC players. Within 15 minutes, starting from the 55th minute, the team conceded 5 goals. ^[46] In the return game, already held in Kapan, he was also lost by Gandzasar, this time with a score of 0: 2. ^[47]

Review of Ganzasar matches in Europa League:

After the departure from European cups, “Gandzasar” in the next round of the championship wins a strong-willed victory over the applicant for the gold medal “Mika”. Thereby increasing the gap from the pursuers. For 10 rounds before the end of the championship, the club broke away from the nearest pursuer by 10 points, protecting itself from the relegation zone, but the club did not give a fight for the top places, since here the distance was similar to the outsiders. Having completed the task of maintaining a residence permit, the team played the championship in the last rounds, finishing the season on the 5th line. ^[43] Arsen Avetisyan, who scored a hat-trick in the game against Shirak in the last round, did not have one goal before the title The best scorer of the Armenian championship . Having scored 14 goals, Avetisyan shared the 2nd line in the list of scorers with Boti Demel from “Mika”. ^[48]

2010 season
As a season earlier, the team began participating in the Turkmenbashi Cup. Unlike last year’s performance, the team didn’t leave the group, gaining only one point in three matches and finally taking the last place in the group. ^[49] In the draw of the championship calendar and the Cup of Armenia on March 5, 2010, Ulysses became the club’s rival. ^[50] In a two-match duel, the opponent turned out to be stronger, having outplayed Gandzasar - 3: 1 in the sum of two matches. ^[51] In the championship, the team at the beginning acted faded and did not show what was expected of it before the start of the season. In view of this, information has leaked to the press that the former Kapan team mentor, and now assistant coach, Albert Sargsyan has replaced Slava Gabrielyan. Soon, club executive director Vladik Arakelyan denied this information. ^[52] Ultimately, Sargsyan still succeeded Gabrielyan. This rearrangement was the first of the season. ^{[53] The} place taken at the end of the championship turned out to be the worst during the stay in the elite. After it became known that UEFA has prepared a document stating that the head coaches of the Major Leagues of countries should have a category “A” license. Albert Sargsyan, who led the team at that time, did not have this license. Later it became known that the club is looking for a specialist for this position, and Abraham Khashmanyan is the main applicant. On December 20, Khashmanyan signed a one-year contract with Gandzasar ^[54] .

2011 season
In the middle of the season, a conflict arose. In the match of the 15th round between “Gandzasar” and “Ulysses” Khashmanyan replaced Arthur Kocharyan . Kocharian, unhappy with this action, pointedly expressed his dissatisfaction with the team coach after his replacement ^[55] . A verbal skirmish occurred between the player and the coach. Khashmanyan in one of his interviews expressed the removal of Kocharyan from the team ^[56] . Kocharyan himself considered this statement premature and wanted to continue to play for Gandzasar ^[57] . В итоге конфликт удалось решить по-средством исполнительного директора команды Владика Аракеляна. Кочарян попросил прощения перед командой и болельщиками, признал своё неспортивное поведение, связав это с напряжением в чемпионате. Хашманян посчитал инцидент исчерпанным, учитывая все заслуги Кочаряна ^[58] .

Сезон 2012/13
«Гандзасар», под руководством Хашманяна, во-второй раз в своей истории завоевал бронзовые медали чемпионата. Тактические действия Хашманяна приносили результаты и в следующем сезоне. Команда шла в пелотоне за лидером « Микой ». Однако, после завершения первого круга Хашманян, по собственному желанию, разорвал контракт с клубом. Данное решение стало сюрпризом для лиц футбольной и околофутбольной деятельности, ввиду положительных результатов, которые показывала команда.

«Это мое решение, и в своей отставке я никого не виню. „Гандзасар“ — крепкая, хорошо укомплектованная команда. Желаю ей удачи, — заявил в интервью официальному сайту УЕФА Хашманян. — Хочу немного отдохнуть, так как напряжение не спадало аж с начала прошлого сезона. Благодарен всем игрокам и остальным, кто работал со мной и помогал достичь результата».

— UEFA.com ^[59]

Домашней ареной клуба является стадион « Гандзасар » ( арм. մարզադաշտ „Գանձասար“ ) — многоцелевой стадион в Капане . Расположен в центре города на берегу реки Вохчи (Вохджи). До 2008 года назывался «Лернагорцем». Переименование стадиона последовало вследствие переименования ФК «Лернагорц» в ФК «Гандзасар» в 2004 году. Летом 2009 года прошли отделочные работы трибуны, по причине участия «Гандзасара» в предстоящей Лиге Европы . Вместимость трибун составляет 3 500 зрителей. Посещаемость стадиона является самой высокой на протяжении последних сезонов чемпионата Армении по футболу . Рядом со стадионом расположена база клуба «Гандзасар».

• Чемпионат Армянской ССР
  •   Чемпион (2): 1989, 1991
• Кубок Армянской ССР
  •   Победитель (1): 1963
• Премьер лига
  •   Вице-чемпион (1): 2016/17
  •   Бронзовый призёр (3): 2008 , 2011 , 2012/13
• Кубок Армении
  •   Победитель (1): 2017/18
  •   Финалист (1): 2013/14
• Первая лига
  •   Третье место (2): 2004 , 2005

Крупнейшие победы и поражения

Самые крупные победы: В чемпионате Армении :

• «Лернагорц» — СКА-«Араи» Эчмиадзин — 11:0 (1997 год) (в первой лиге)
• «Сюник» — «Лори» Ванадзор — 6:1 (1992 год)

В кубке Армении :

• «Гандзасар» — «Пюник-2» Ереван — 5:0 (2008 год)

Самые крупные поражения: В чемпионате Армении :

• «Ширак» Гюмри — «Лернагорц» — 13:1 (2000 год)

В кубке Армении :

• «Арарат» Ереван — «Капан-81» — 6:1 (1995/96 год)

В европейских кубках:

• НАК Бреда ( Нидерланды ) — «Гандзасар» — 6:0 (2009 год)

• Директор —   Максим Акопян
• Исполнительный директор —   Владик Аракелян
• Пресс-секретарь —   Ашот Асатрян
• Главный менеджер —   Ваан Даниелян

Data as of January 24, 2016

• Club official website (armenian)
• Profile on the website of the football federation (rus.)
• Profile on ru.uefa.com (Russian)
• Profile at www.transfermarkt.co.uk
• Profile at int.soccerway.com (Russian)
• Profile at www.footballdatabase.eu
• Profile at www.weltfussballarchiv.com
• Profile at www.national-football-teams.com
• Profile on eufo.de (German)
• Profile on KLISF (inaccessible link) (Russian)