MFC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia (Ukrainian: Футбо́льний клуб «Металу́рг» Запорі́жжя [metɐˈlurɦ zɐpoˈr(j)iʒːɐ]) is a Ukrainian professional football club based in Zaporizhzhia.[1] Reestablished in 2017, it is a "phoenix club" of the original Soviet factory team Metalurh that existed in 1935–2016. The original club holds several historical records of the Soviet football, particularly while participating in the Soviet second tier (in 1971–1991 known as First League). The club has the highest number of seasons spent in the Soviet second tier as well as the highest number of tournament points it earned. The club also is a three-times champion of Ukrainian republican competitions.

Quick Facts Full name, Nickname(s) ...
FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia
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Full nameMunicipal Football Club Metalurh Zaporizhzhia
Nickname(s)The Cossacks
Founded1935
GroundSlavutych Arena
Capacity12,000
DirectorMaksym Lupashko
Head coachIllya Blyznyuk
LeagueUkrainian First League
2022–23Ukrainian First League, 4th of 16
Websitehttps://mfcmetalurg.com/
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Club logo used from 2005 to 2015

Following dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and until 2015 the club was a member of the Ukrainian top tier and on couple of occasions competed at European club competitions representing Ukraine.

In 2015, the original club went bankrupt and in 2016 the Ukrainian Premier League finally removed it from its competitions. In 2016, it was announced that another amateur club from Zaporizhzhia (FC Rosso-Nero Zaporizhzhia) has officially changed its name to FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia and intends to start participation at the Ukrainian Amateur Football League the same year.[2]

In 2018, the Rosso-Nero's Metalurh was denied license for professional league competitions, while the city-sponsored club was admitted to the Second League.

With Metalurh–Rosso Nero already competing, in May 2017 the mayor of Zaporizhzhia decided to form a separate city club which was formed based on the existing Metalurh sports school of Olympic Reserve. On 31 May 2017 the Zaporizhzhia city council approved the mayor's initiative and created the city's club Metalurh Zaporizhzhia.[3] On proposition of the Rosso-Nero's Metalurh to merge, the newly created club refused.

Youth Sports School of Metalurh Zaporizhya

Youth sports school is located right on the training fields of the main club, where before the Russian-Ukrainian war matches of the local championship of other sports schools were regularly held. this is the largest youth sports school in the city of Zaporizhya, as well as in the entire region.

History

Early years (1935–1946)

The history of Metalurg began in 1935 when a steel production company, Zaporizhstal, formed the football club 'Stal'. By the end of the year a local sports union gave Stal the status of a main club in the region. Throughout the 1930s, the team appeared regularly in domestic competitions and often played against clubs from the Soviet Top League, the most notable of which was Spartak Moscow. The tough times of World War II soon followed, however, bringing decline to both Zaporizhstal and its team. Nonetheless, in 1946 the club was revived and in 1949, Stal won the cup in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

USSR era (1946–1990)

In October 1949, the team was renamed to 'Metalurg'. In 1950 Metalurg debuts in the USSR Cup and in the round of 64 they defeated Lokomotiv Petrozavodsk with the score of 5–0, but go out in the next stage, losing 2–3 to Torpedo Stalingrad. However, the very next year club went to eighth-finals, notably defeating Dinamo Minsk 1–0 and Lokomotiv Moscow 4–0 on the way. In 1953, the club debuted in the USSR Championship after becoming the champion of Ukrainian SSR in 1952. From 1953 to 1962, Metalurg played in USSR Championship division 'B'.

In 1963 Metalurg won a place in USSR Championship division 'A' and had some moderate success. They stayed there until 1971, when in the 1970 season club secured a position in division 'A' and a place in the USSR First League. In their first season they came in fourth place, which became the club's highest achievement in the USSR Championships.

Ukrainian leagues (1991–2015)

In 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine became independent and Ukrainian Premier League was formed. Metalurh was among the founders of the League. The club has remained in the Vyshcha Liga for all 16 seasons with their highest achievement in the 1995–96 season, taking 5th place. The club's best performance in a domestic cup came in 2006, when Metalurh reached the final, there they met with Dynamo Kyiv and were beaten 2 goals to none, however this performance allowed them to enter the UEFA Cup next season. Zaporizhstal still remains as a largest club sponsor and actively finances most of club's expenses.

The club had always been in the top league, since the first season in 1992 until the 2010–11 season when they finished last position and were relegated to the Ukrainian First League. After one season in the Ukrainian First League the club was promoted back to the Ukrainian Premier League.[4] During the 2015–16 season on 2 March 2016, Metalurh was recognized as bankrupt on decision of the commercial court of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and a liquidation procedure was initiated.[5]

European history

Throughout its history in Ukrainian Premier League, Metalurh has entered the UEFA Cup on two occasions; the first in 2002–03 UEFA Cup after finishing fourth in the league the previous season. In the qualifying round they beat Maltese side Birkirkara 3–0 on aggregate, before losing 2–1 to English side Leeds United in the first round.

The second time club had to wait 4 years to qualify again. After finishing as runners-up in the Ukrainian Cup in 2006, Metalurh secured a place in the 2006–07 UEFA Cup. The club entered the competition in the second qualifying round, Metalurh defeated Moldavian side Zimbru Chișinău 3–0 over two legs. However, Metalurh went out in the first stage, losing to Greek club Panathinaikos.

FC Metallurh based on FC Rosso Nero (2016–2018)

FC Rosso Nero was created in 2009 by Andriy Bohatchenko who owns a pizzeria with the same name in Zaporizhzhia. The first two seasons the club played in futsal (indoor football). In 2011, the club won the Zaporizhzhia city Cup and the beach football city league. In 2012, Rosso Nero were runners-up at 8x8 football (variant of association football popular in Russia). In 2014, the club became a city champions by beating the defending city champions Motor Zaporizhzhia. The victory inspired Rosso Nero to apply for the Second League of national competitions. In fall of 2015, when Metalurh Zaporizhzhia started the process for liquidation, Rosso Nero offered to pass the legendary club to them,[6] however no agreement was reached.

On 26 March 2016, in Zaporizhzhia held a meeting of non-governmental organization "Metalurh forever", at which it was decided to rename the "FC Rosso Nero" into "FC Metalurh". At the same meeting, the group adopted symbols and colors of the original club "Metalurh".[7][8] During the 2016–17 season the club was under suspicion from the FFU fair play committee.[9]

The club was denied in receiving certificate for the next season and was dissolved in June 2018.[10] The Metalurh—Rosso Nero performance was terrible. It played 65 games at professional level (3rd tier) winning 9, tying 3 and losing 53 games. Its goal tallies was 49 goals scored while allowing 237 (-188). The Metalurh—Rosso Nero also took part in Ukrainian Cup where it was eliminated at its earliest rounds on both occasions.

MFC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia (since 2017)

On 6 August 2017, a new municipal football club MFC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia started its participation in the 2017–18 Ukrainian Football Amateur League with an away game against Yarud at Azovets Stadium in Mariupol.[11] In 2016, the new club was established by the Zaporizhzhia city authorities based on a communal company "Tsentralnyi Stadion" (Central Stadium) which owns Slavutych Arena.[12][13][14][15][16]

Stadium

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Slavutych Arena

Throughout their history, the club has played in various stadiums around Zaporizhzhia, but in 2001 the Football Federation of Ukraine forbade Metalurh from playing in their home stadium, Tsentarlnyi Metalurh Stadium, due to security concern and the club was forced to play at the Avto ZAZ Stadium (which formerly belong to now-bankrupt Torpedo Zaporizhzhia). Soon after, the club's board approved plans to construct a brand new stadium for the team in place of the old one. Construction commenced in late 2004 and on 29 July 2006, Slavutych Arena was opened, in their first game on a new stadium Metalurh faced Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kyiv. The stadium is situated in a central part of the city, on a street that has been recently renamed after legendary Ukrainian player and coach Valery Lobanovsky.

The stadium is purposed for football only use and has a total capacity of 12,000 seats. It consists out of four separate stands, north, south, east and west, two of which are covered by a roof, stadium is equipped with a single, multi-colour screen with dimensions of 6x10m and a lighting system of 1400 lux. The pitch dimensions are 105х68 м. Lately it has often been used as a venue for the Ukrainian Premier League FC Zorya Luhansk, while Metalurh is forced to play at its own training base.[17][18] Metalurh Training Base is also known as Velykyi Luh (Great Meadow).

Club's crests and logos

Sponsors

The history of FC Metalurh dates back to a factory team 'Stal' that has been sponsored by one of the largest steel production companies in Ukraine, Zaporizhstal. The company has remained a sponsor of the club for over 70 years and now is a general sponsor of the club. The main partner of the club is OAO Zaporizhstalbud-1.

Football kits and sponsors

More information Years, Football kit ...
Years[20] Football kit Shirt sponsor
1999–04 Umbro Zaporizhstal
2004–05 Lotto
2005–06 Lotto/Adidas
2006–09 Adidas
2009–10 Nike/Adidas
2010–11 Nike
2012–13 Nike -
2013–14 Adidas
2016–17 Joma UNIQA
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Honours

Players

Current squad

As of 13 October 2024[21]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

More information No., Pos. ...
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Coaching staff

  • Head coach – TBA

League and Cup history

Soviet Union

Ukraine

FC Metalurh (Rosso-Nero)

MFC Metalurh

Soviet Union

More information Season, Div. ...
Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Domestic Cup Europe Notes
1950 4th
(Republican)
4 1/32 finals
1951 4 1/8 finals
1952 1 1/64 finals Won championship game, Champion of Ukraine
1953 2nd
(Class B)
3 (Group 3) 14 6 3 5 34 26 15 1/8 finals In play-offs Metalurh Odesa 1–4
and Torpedo Rostov/Donu 4–5
1954 3 (Group 3) 22 11 5 6 34 24 27 1/32 finals
1955 8 (Group 1) 30 13 6 11 37 33 32 1/32 finals
1956 3 (Group 1) 34 21 4 9 54 35 46
1957 8 (Group 1) 34 14 11 9 41 34 39 1/16 finals
1958 2 (Group 2) 30 17 5 8 55 29 39 1/64 finals
1959 6 (Group 1) 28 14 4 10 40 30 32
1960 2nd
(Group B of UkrSSR)
1 (Group 2) 36 25 9 2 78 29 59 1/128 finals Won championship play-off over Sudnobudivnyk
Lost promotion play-off to FC Shakhtar Donetsk
1961 4 (Group 2) 36 15 12 9 50 37 42 1/128 finals Lost play-off to SKA Lviv, placed 8th overall
1962 2 (Group 2) 24 13 5 6 42 21 31 1/64 finals Qualified for promotion group
6 10 1 5 4 13 22 7 promotion group
1963 2nd
(Class A Second Group)
4 34 12 17 5 36 17 41 1/8 finals
1964[22] 8 (Group 2) 26 7 12 7 19 16 26 1/32 finals Qualified for Relegation group
17 38 11 17 10 35 25 39 Relegation group
1965[23] 14 (Group 1) 30 8 9 13 28 37 25 1/32 finals Qualified for Relegation group
28 46 11 15 20 44 60 37 Relegation group
1966 7 (Group 2) 34 12 12 10 35 28 36 1/32 finals
1967 2 (Group 2) 38 18 14 6 50 24 50 1/128 finals Qualified for play-off for teams placed 2nd
4 4 2 1 1 6 5 5 Won the group for the 2nd placed teams
1968 9 (Group 2) 40 14 15 11 52 42 43 1/64 finals
1969 7 (Group 3) 42 15 14 13 49 35 44 1/32 finals Relegated
1970 3rd
(Class A Second Group)
1 (Zone 1) 42 26 10 6 73 33 62 1/64 finals Promoted, Champion of Ukraine
1971 2nd
(First League)
4 42 16 14 12 51 39 46 1/16 finals
1972 14 38 13 7 18 45 49 33 1/8 finals
1973 6 38 14 6 18 62 53 34 1/16 finals 5 other draws included as losses[24]
1974 13 38 11 12 15 42 50 34 1/16 finals
1975 13 38 11 13 14 47 45 35 1/16 finals
1976 13 38 14 8 16 38 40 36 1/16 finals
1977 16 38 11 11 16 35 48 33 1/16 finals
1978 14 38 10 14 14 39 47 34 1/32 finals
1979 10 46 19 8 19 69 65 46
1980 20 46 15 11 20 57 67 41
1981 13 42 16 14 16 57 51 44 -2 pts draw overlimit
1982 12 42 17 7 18 54 42 41
1983 5 42 21 8 13 66 46 50 1/32 finals
1984 5 42 18 12 12 57 43 48 1/16 finals
1985 7 (West Zone) 20 7 5 8 17 25 19 1/64 finals Qualified for Group B
13 18 9 3 6 32 27 21 Group B (13–22 places)
1986 12 46 17 11 18 59 54 45 1/16 finals
1987 9 42 14 12 16 54 53 40 1/8 finals
1988 17 42 12 13 17 30 43 36 1/32 finals -1 point, draw overlimit
1989 7 42 17 12 13 55 40 46 1/64 finals
1990 3 38 19 14 5 58 30 52 1/16 finals Promoted
1991 1st
(Top League)
13 30 9 7 14 27 38 25 1/64 finals
1992 league competition discontinued 1/16 finals
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Ukraine

More information Season, Div. ...
Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Ukrainian Cup Europe Notes
1992 1st
(Top League)
11 18 6 6 6 20 19 18 14 finals
1992–93 7 30 10 9 11 38 35 29 14 finals
1993–94 16 34 9 6 19 26 49 24 18 finals
1994–95 9 34 11 10 13 47 42 43 18 finals
1995–96 5 34 16 4 14 49 42 52 14 finals
1996–97 8 30 12 5 13 48 44 41 12 finals
1997–98 9 30 10 7 13 40 44 37 116 finals
1998–99 8 30 12 6 12 46 43 42 12 finals
1999–00 6 30 12 8 10 43 35 44 18 finals
2000–01 8 26 8 8 10 27 31 32 18 finals
2001–02 4 26 11 7 8 25 22 40 18 finals
2002–03 15 30 6 8 16 22 41 26 116 finals UC 1st round
2003–04 11 30 8 8 14 26 40 32 14 finals
2004–05 10 30 8 11 11 25 32 35 18 finals
2005–06 8 30 11 6 13 32 40 39 Runner-up
2006–07 7 30 10 10 10 25 32 40 116 finals UC 1st round
2007–08 7 30 9 9 12 24 32 36 116 finals
2008–09 1st
(Premier League)
7 30 12 9 9 29 30 45 116 finals
2009–10 9 30 10 5 15 31 48 35 14 finals
2010–11 16 30 6 6 18 18 40 24 14 finals Relegated
2011–12 2nd
(First League)
2 34 24 4 6 77 32 76 14 finals Promoted
2012–13 1st
(Premier League)
16 30 1 8 21 12 64 11 116 finals
2013–14 14 28 2 6 20 19 54 12 18 finals
2014–15 7 26 6 8 12 20 40 26 18 finals
2015–16 14 26 0 3 23 7 50 3 116 finals Expelled[25]
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FC Metallurh based on FC Rosso Nero

More information Season, Div. ...
Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Ukrainian Cup Europe Notes
2016 4th
(Amateur League)
3 6 2 2 2 5 6 8 Admitted
2016–17 3rd 16 32 7 2 23 35 104 23 164 finals
2017–18 3rd "B" 12 33 2 1 30 14 133 7 164 finals Dissolved[26]
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MFC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia

More information Season, Div. ...
Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Ukrainian Cup Europe Notes
2017–18 4th "C" 4 16 9 4 3 39 18 31 14 finals (amateurs) Admitted
2018–19 3rd
(Second League)
2 27 18 2 7 54 24 56 132 finals Promoted
2019–20 2nd
(First League)
15 30 6 4 20 28 58 22 132 finals Lost playoffs; Relegated
2020–21 3rd
(Second League)
3 22 13 4 5 42 20 43 132 finals
2021–22 1 19 13 6 0 34 7 45 132 finals Promoted
2022–23 2nd
(First League)
4 28 11 8 9 35 32 41 None Promotion play-offs
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European record

FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia participates in European competitions on few occasions since 2002 after playing its first game against Birkirkara F.C.

More information Season, Competition ...
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2002–03 UEFA Cup QR Malta Birkirkara F.C. 3–0 0–0 3–0
1R England Leeds United 1–1 0–1 1–2
2006–07 UEFA Cup 2Q Moldova Zimbru Chișinău 3–0 0–0 3–0
1R Greece Panathinaikos F.C. 0–1 1–1 1–2
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Officials

  • 1957 – 1959 Aleksandr Timofeev (nachalnik komandy)
  • 1971 Viktor Zhylin (nachalnik komandy)
  • 1972 Petro Stupakov (nachalnik komandy)
  • 1973 – 1974 Nikolay Farafonov (nachalnik komandy)
  • 1974 – 1977 Hryhoriy Vul (nachalnik komandy)
  • 1978 – 1980 Viktor Beloblotskyi (nachalnik komandy)
  • 1978 Viktor Malakhovskyi (administrator)
  • 1980 – 1981 Yuriy Sevastianenko (nachalnik komandy)
  • 1981 – 1991 Viktor Mezheiko (nachalnik komandy)
  • 1981 – 1982 Anatoliy Semykopenko (administrator)
  • 1989 – 1991 Hennadiy Zhyzdik (president)
  • 1991 – 2006 Viktor Mezheiko (president)
  • 1993 – 1994 Hryhoriy Vul (nachalnik komandy)
  • 1994 – 1997 Oleksandr Tomakh (general director)
  • 1998 – 2001 Oleksandr Tomakh (technical director)
  • 2002 – 2006 Andriy Kurhanskyi (vice-president)
  • 2006 – 2012 Andriy Kurhanskyi (president)
  • 2012 – 2015 Andriy Shevchuk (president)
  • 2013 – 2015 Oleksandr Tomakh (sports director)
  • 2014 – 2017 Mike Snoei (sports/technical director)
  • 2016 – 2018 Andriy Bohatchenko (president/Rosso Nero)

Managers


FC Metallurh based on FC Rosso Nero

MFC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia

See also

References

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