FC Gandzasar Kapan

Gandzasar Kapan
Full nameFC Gandzasar Kapan
Nickname(s)Արջեր Arjér (The Bears)
Founded2004 (2004)
GroundGandzasar Stadium, Kapan
Capacity3,500
OwnerZangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine CJSC
Executive DirectorVardan Djhanyan
Head CoachKaren Barseghyan[1]
LeagueArmenian Premier League
2024–2510th of 11 (Relegated)
Websitefcgandzasarkapan.am

FC Gandzasar Kapan is an Armenian football club based in the town of Kapan, Syunik Province. The team plays in Armenian Premier League. The club headquarters are located on 18 Garegin Nzhdeh street, Kapan.[2] The Gandzasar Kapan Training Centre is located at the eastern outskirts of the town of Kapan.

The club is under the ownership of Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine Closed Joint-Stock Company since 25 February 2015.

History

The club was founded in 2004 and made their debut in the Armenian football league system in the 2004 Armenian First League competition. They spent 2 years playing in the Armenian First League before getting promoted to the Armenian Premier League for the 2006 season.

As of 2024–25 season, Gandzasar Kapan will play in the Armenian Premier League, the top division in Armenian football. The home ground of team is the Gandzasar Stadium.

The club also runs a reserve team known as Gandzasar Kapan-2, which played in the First Division.

On 3 November 2020, Gandzasar Kapan announced that they were withdrawing from the Armenian Premier League and Armenian Cup due to the ongoing financial constraints relating to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Armenia and the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.[3][4] They are currently playing in the Armenian First League, having entered in 2021–22 season. Following a 3rd-place finish in 2022–23 season (after FC West Armenia and BKMA Yerevan-2) Gandzasar stayed in the First League for the 2023–24 season. After playing 26 games (out of 28) in 2023–24 season, Gandzasar were officially declared champions and therefore directly promoted to the Armenian Premier League for 2024–25 season (this will be their first season in the Premier after withdrawing in 2020)

Domestic history

Season League National Cup Top goalscorer Manager
Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Name League
2004 Armenian First League 3rd 30 17 6 7 52 32 57 no participation
2005 3rd 24 16 3 5 62 24 51 First Round
2006 Armenian Premier League 5th 28 7 3 18 28 60 24 Quarter-final Artur Kocharyan 15 Vladimir Petrosyan
Albert Sarkisyan
2007 5th 28 11 6 11 35 31 39 First round Artur Kocharyan 8 Souren Barseghyan
Abraham Khashmanyan
Samvel Petrosyan
2008 3rd 28 13 8 7 39 27 47 Quarter-final Alexander Petrosyan 9 Samvel Petrosyan
2009 5th 28 12 2 14 32 47 38 Quarter-final Arsen Avetisyan 14 Samvel Petrosyan
Avetik Sargsyan
Slava Gabrielyan
2010 6th 28 8 3 17 24 45 27 Quarter-final Artur Kocharyan 8 Slava Gabrielyan
Albert Sarkisyan
2011 3rd 28 12 10 6 31 16 46 Quarter-final
Quarter-final
Arsen Avetisyan 5 Abraham Khashmanyan
2012–13 3rd 42 18 13 11 48 37 67 Semi-final Dhiego Lomba Farias 9 Abraham Khashmanyan
Avetik Sargsyan
Samvel Sargsyan
Sevada Arzumanyan
2013–14 5th 28 8 11 9 36 31 35 Runner-up Narek Beglaryan 8 Sevada Arzumanyan
Stepan Baghdasaryan
Serhiy Puchkov
2014–15 7th 28 7 8 13 31 44 29 Quarter-final Gegham Harutyunyan
Vasil Palagnyuk
6 Serhiy Puchkov
Samvel Petrosyan
2015–16 4th 28 11 12 5 35 27 45 Semi-final Gegham Harutyunyan
Narek Beglaryan
5 Samvel Petrosyan
Ashot Barseghyan
2016–17 2nd 30 17 6 7 38 24 57 Semi-final Gegham Harutyunyan 12 Ashot Barseghyan
2017–18 3rd 30 11 10 9 43 34 43 Winner Gegham Harutyunyan 12 Karen Barseghyan
Ashot Barseghyan
2018–19 6th 32 10 8 14 38 33 38 Quarter-final Gegham Harutyunyan 8 Ashot Barseghyan
Armen Petrosyan
2019–20 9th 22 6 7 9 25 29 25 Semi-final Gegham Harutyunyan 6 Armen Petrosyan
2020–21 10th Withdrew First Round
2021–22 Armenian First League 3rd 28 10 7 11 38 47 37 did not enter Orbeli Hambardzumyan 6 Tigran Gevorgyan
2022–23 3rd 33 22 4 7 85 33 70 Semi-final Alen Karapetyan 24 Tigran Gevorgyan
2023-24 1st 28 24 2 2 69 17 74 Second round
2024–25 Armenian Premier League 10th 30 2 4 24 16 73 10 Quarter-final Bertrand Mani 3 Karen Barseghyan

European history

As of match played 19 July 2018
Competition Pld W D L GF GA GD
UEFA Europa League 12 2 0 10 8 27 –19
Total 12 2 0 10 8 27 –19
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2009–10 UEFA Europa League 2Q NAC Breda 0–2 0–6 0–8
2012–13 UEFA Europa League 1Q EB/Streymur 2–0 1–3 3–3 (a)
2Q Servette 1–3 0–2 1–5
2013–14 UEFA Europa League 1Q Aktobe 1–2 1–2 2–4
2017–18 UEFA Europa League 1Q Mladost Podgorica 0–3 0–1 0–4
2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1Q Lech Poznań 2–1 0–2 2–3

Honours

Stadium

The club play their home games at the Gandzasar Stadium, also known as Kapan City Stadium, which has a capacity of 3,500. It is situated at the centre of the town of Kapan, on the left bank of Voghji River.

At the beginning of 2017 the team temporarily moved to the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan due to renovation works at the Gandzasar Stadium.

Youth academy

Gandzasar Kapan run their own youth training academy in the town of Kapan since its inauguration in May 2013. Being home to natural-grass as well as artificial-turf training pitches, the centre occupies an area of 35,000 m2.

In addition to Kapan, the club also runs a football school in the Shengavit District of the capital Yerevan.

Players

Current squad

As of 11 March 2024

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  RUS Grigori Matevosyan
2 DF  ARM Yura Manukyan
3 MF  JPN Takafumi Sawada
4 DF  ARM Vahe Muradyan
5 DF  JPN Shunto Kanda
6 DF  ARM Vaspurak Minasyan
6 FW  ARM Vrezh Chiloyan
7 FW  CMR Bertrand Mani
8 MF  ARM Sargis Shahinyan
9 MF  ARM Karen Davtyan (on loan from Urartu)
10 MF  ARM Alen Tatintsyan
11 MF  ARM Erik Soghomonyan
12 MF  NGA Michael Ndidi
14 MF  NGA Ofoeke Chibuike Emmanuel
15 DF  USA Amin Mizyed
17 DF  USA Luke Merrill
18 FW  RUS Grisha Paronyan
19 MF  ARM Gevorg Matevosyan
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 DF  GHA Simon Obonde
21 DF  ARM Arman Asilyan
22 GK  RUS Tigran Vopanyan
23 MF  ENG Abiodun Adeyemi
24 FW  GHA Israel Nana Opoku
26 DF  SEN Ousmane Faye
27 DF  ARM Ruben Karagulyan
28 MF  ARM Armen Kirakosyan
29 DF  ARM Suren Zakaryan
30 FW  ARM Ashot Kocharyan
31 FW  NGA Auwal Adamu Mohammed
33 MF  ARM Vahagn Hayrapetyan
88 MF  ARM Davit Barseghyan (on loan from Ararat-Armenia)
99 FW  CIV Seydou Koné
MF  ARM Artak Yedigaryan (captain)
FW  GHA Edwin Gyasi
FW  UKR Roman Rostokin

Gandzasar Kapan-2

Gandzasar Kapan-2
Founded2006 (2006)
GroundGandzasar Kapan Training Centre,
Kapan
OwnerZangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine CJSC
Executive DirectorGarnik Aghababian
ManagerAshot Manucharyan
LeagueArmenian First League
2016–174th

FC Gandzasar Kapan's reserve squad played as Gandzasar Kapan-2 in the Armenian First League. They played their home games at the training field with artificial turf of the Gandzasar Kapan Training Centre.

Personnel

Management

Position Name
Executive Director Vardan Djhanyan
Deputy Director Arthur Margaryan
Press Secretary Spartak Petrosyan

Technical staff

Position Name
Head coach Tigran Gevorgyan
Assistant coach Norayr Tamrazyan
Assistant coach Tigran Ivanyan
Goalkeepers Coach Tigran Ghazaryan
Doctor Ara Aramyan

Managerial history

See also

References

  1. ^ "«Սյունիք» ՖԱ նորանշանակ գլխավոր մարզիչ Արամ Ոսկանյանի հարցազրույցը" [Interview with Aram Voskanyan, the newly appointed head coach of FC Syunik] (Video) (in Armenian). Retrieved 8 July 2025 – via Facebook.
  2. ^ "Clubs". www.ffa.am. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Բաց նամակ "Զանգեզուրի Պղնձամոլիբդենային կոմբինատ"". facebook.com/gandzasarkapanfc (in Armenian). FC Gandzasar Kapan Facebook. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Գանձասար-Կապանը պաշտոնական նամակ է ուղարկել ՀՖՖ". ffa.am/ (in Armenian). Football Federation of Armenia. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
  5. ^ RSSSF Armenia (and subpages per year)
  6. ^ "FC Shirak achievements". fcshirak.am. Archived from the original on 24 May 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2019.