FC Fakel Voronezh

Russian football club

Football club

Fakel Voronezh

Full name| Football club «Fakel» Voronezh
Nickname(s)| Факелоны
(Fakelony)
Founded| 1947; 77 years ago (1947)
Ground| Fakel Stadium
Capacity| 10,052
President| Roman Askhabadze
Head Coach| Dmitri Pyatibratov
League| Russian Premier League
2023–24| 11th
Website| Club website

FC Fakel Voronezh (Russian: Футбольный клуб "Факел" Воронеж) is a Russian professional football club based in Voronezh. Founded in 1947, the club has played in the Soviet Top League and the Russian Premier League. The club returned to the Russian Premier League in the 2022–23 season. The club holds the record for fan attendance in Eastern Europe.

## History

[edit]

The club was founded in 1947 at a then classified airplane plant. For reasons of secrecy, the team was not officially given a name and was referred to as the Voronezh city team. In 1959 the team became a part of Trud sports society and was renamed Trud Voronezh. In 1977 the team was renamed Fakel, meaning "Torch".

The team played in the Soviet League since 1954:

* 1954–1960 in Class B
* 1961 in Class A (Soviet Top League)
* 1962 in Class B
* 1963–1970 in Class A, Group 2
* 1971–1978 in Second League
* 1979–1984 in First League
* 1985 in Top League
* 1986–1987 in First League
* 1988 in Second League
* 1989–1991 in First League

* Top Division: 1961, 1985, 1992, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2022/23, 2023/2024, 2024/2025
* First Division: 1993, 1995–1996, 1998–1999, 2002–2003, 2005–2006, 2011–2012, 2015–2022
* Second Division: 1994, 2004, 2010, 2012–2015
* Russian Amateur Football League: 2007–2008

The best finish achieved by Fakel in the Premier League was 11th in 2023/2024. The club has won 3 Second Division titles.

Fakel has also experienced several short-lived name changes: to Fakel-Profsoyuz in 1992, Voronezh in 2002 and Fakel-Voronezh in 2002–2003.

Fakel and FC Yelets were excluded from the Russian Second Division for attempts to bribe and threaten the referee on 18 July 2009.[1] At the time of exclusion (21 August), Fakel were sixth with 31 points from 19 games, while Yelets were 16th with 9 points from 19 games.

A new club called FC Fakel Voronezh technically independent from the club that played in 2009 as FC Fakel-Voronezh Voronezh was founded in 2010 and played in the Russian Second Division (FSA Voronezh failed licensing for 2010 and the new Fakel was the only Voronezh professional team for 2010). It employed the manager and 6 players from the 2009 FC Fakel-Voronezh roster. The reserve team FC Fakel-d Voronezh played in the Amateur Football League in 2010 (view – FC Fakel-M Voronezh).

Before the 2011–12 season FC Saturn Moscow Oblast dropped out of Russian Premier League due to financial problems. FC Krasnodar replaced them in the Premier League, creating a vacancy in the Russian First Division. Despite only coming in 4th in their Russian Second Division zone in 2010, Fakel volunteered to take the First Division spot, and the Russian Football Union decided to promote the team. They were relegated back to the third level in the same 2011–12 season. They returned to the Russian Football National League in the 2015–16 season. Despite finishing in the relegation zone at the end of the 2017–18 season, the club was not relegated as other clubs ahead in the standings failed to obtain the league license for 2018–19.[2]

They finished in the relegation zone once again in the 2018–19 season, but due to failure of FC Sakhalin Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and FC Anzhi Makhachkala to acquire a 2019–20 license, they were not relegated.[3][4]

The 2019–20 season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia with Fakel once again in relegation spot. However, due to the pandemic, none of the teams, including Fakel, were relegated.

Fakel finished 2nd in the 2021–22 Russian Football National League to secure promotion to the Russian Premier League for the first time since the 2001 season.[5]

The club's return to the top division was marked by high attendance levels at home matches, fiery support from the stands and loud crowd singing of the biggest hits of Sektor Gaza, a famous local punk rock band. Fakel came 3rd by average attendance in the 2022–23 Russian Premier League just behind FC Zenit Saint Petersburg and FC Krasnodar.

Fakel finished their first season upon return in 14th place, qualifying for relegation play-offs against FC Yenisey Krasnoyarsk.[6] They managed to keep their Premier League spot after defeating Yenisey 3–0 on aggregate.[7]

Fakel fans in the Amateur League

## Current squad

[edit]

As of 12 September 2024[8]

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

| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

1  | GK |  RUS | Vitali Gudiyev
4  | DF |  RUS | Maks Dziov
5  | MF |  RSA | Thabo Cele
6  | MF |  NED | Dylan Mertens
7  | FW |  FRA | Mohamed Brahimi
8  | MF |  RUS | Abdula Bagamayev
9  | FW |  RUS | Aleksei Kashtanov (on loan from Ural Yekaterinburg)
10  | FW |  RUS | Ilnur Alshin
11  | MF |  MDA | Nichita Moțpan
13  | DF |  RUS | Igor Kalinin (on loan from Rostov)
15  | FW |  RUS | Vladimir Ilyin
17  | MF |  RUS | Nikolai Giorgobiani
| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

20  | FW |  RUS | Yevgeni Markov
21  | MF |  RUS | Mikhail Shchetinin (on loan from Lokomotiv Moscow)
22  | DF |  RUS | Igor Yurganov
23  | MF |  RUS | Vyacheslav Yakimov
31  | GK |  RUS | Aleksandr Belenov
33  | MF |  RUS | Irakli Kvekveskiri (captain)
47  | DF |  RUS | Sergei Bozhin
64  | FW |  RUS | Andrey Ivlev
72  | DF |  FRA | Rayan Senhadji
77  | MF |  RUS | Luka Bagateliya
88  | DF |  RUS | Vladislav Masternoy
92  | DF |  RUS | Sergei Bryzgalov

### Out on loan

[edit]

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

| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

-- | FW |  RUS | Matvey Ivakhnov (at Tekstilshchik Ivanovo until 30 June 2025)

## Reserve squad

[edit]

Fakel's reserve squad played professionally as FC Fakel-d Voronezh in the Russian Third League in 1997. It re-entered professional football as FC Fakel-M Voronezh for the 2020–21 season.

## Notable players

[edit]

Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Fakel.

Russia/USSR

* Viktor Losev
* Valeri Shmarov
* Valery Karpin
* Aleksandr Filimonov
* Lyubomir Kantonistov
* Fyodor Kudryashov
* Ilya Lantratov
* Arseniy Logashov
* Artyom Makarchuk
* Yevgeny Morozov
* Andrei Novosadov
* Maksim Osipenko
* Ivan Saenko
* Roman Vorobyov

* Valery Yesipov
* Anton Zabolotny

Europe

* Qurban Qurbanov
* Anton Amelchenko
* Radaslaw Arlowski
* Eduard Boltrushevich
* Andrei Kovalenko
* Vitali Lanko
* Yuri Shukanov
* Ihar Tarlowski
* Oļegs Aleksejenko
* Oļegs Karavajevs
* Juris Laizāns

* Raimonds Laizāns
* Ivans Lukjanovs
* Aivaras Laurišas
* Edgaras Jankauskas
* Andrius Jokšas
* Pavelas Leusas
* Andrius Sriubas
* Emilian Dolha
* Nemanja Pejčinović
* Andriy Yudin

Asia

* Valeriy Gorbach
* Andrey Akopyants
* Igor Kichigin
* Vladimir Shishelov

|
|

## Coaching staff

[edit]

Position  | Staff

|

Manager |  Dmitri Pyatibratov
Assistant Manager |  Aleksei Rebko
First-Team Coach |  Valeri Klimov
Goalkeeper Coach |  Vladimir Sychyov
Fitness Coach |  Dmitry Sorokin
Team Leader |  Stanislav Sukhina
Physiotherapist |  Alexey Muzalevsky
Masseur |  Alexey Melnikov
Vladimir Yakushin
Administrator |  Ruslan Taratukhin
Vladimir Kopaev

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "ФАКЕЛ-ВОРОНЕЖ" И "ЕЛЕЦ" ИСКЛЮЧЕНЫ ИЗ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОЙ ЛИГИ. НО ИХ "ДЕЛО" НЕ ЗАКРЫТО (in Russian). Sport-Express. 22 August 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2009.
2. ^ Клубы ФНЛ получили лицензии (in Russian). Russian National Football League. 30 May 2018.
3. ^ "Сахалин" выиграл первенство ПФЛ в зоне "Восток", но не сыграет в ФНЛ [Sakhalin won the PFL East zone, but will not play in the FNL] (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 28 May 2019.
4. ^ "Анжи" не будет выступать в ФНЛ в следующем сезоне [Anzhi will not play in the FNL next season] (in Russian). Sport Express. 29 May 2019.
5. ^ ""ТОРПЕДО" – ПОБЕДИТЕЛЬ ОЛИМП-ФНЛ, "ФАКЕЛ" СТАЛ ВТОРЫМ" (in Russian). Russian Football National League. 21 May 2022.
6. ^ "«Пари НН» и «Факел» сыграют в переходных матчах за места в Мир РПЛ-2023/24" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 3 June 2023.
7. ^ ""Пари НН" и "Факел" сохранили места в РПЛ" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 10 June 2023.
8. ^ According to the Premier League website

## External links

[edit]

* Official website (in Russian)

* v
* t
* e

Russian Premier League teams

2024–25 teams|

* Akhmat Grozny
* Akron Tolyatti
* CSKA Moscow
* Dynamo Makhachkala
* Dynamo Moscow
* Fakel Voronezh
* Khimki
* Krasnodar
* Krylia Sovetov Samara
* Lokomotiv Moscow
* Orenburg
* Pari NN
* Rostov
* Rubin Kazan
* Spartak Moscow
* Zenit Saint Petersburg

Former teams|

* Amkar Perm
* Arsenal Tula
* Baltika Kaliningrad
* Chernomorets Novorossiysk
* Dynamo Stavropol
* KAMAZ Naberezhnye Chelny
* Rotor Volgograd
* Saturn Ramenskoye
* Shinnik Yaroslavl
* SKA-Khabarovsk
* Sochi
* Sokol Saratov
* Spartak Nalchik
* Tekstilshchik Kamyshin
* Torpedo Moscow
* Tyumen
* Ufa
* Ural Yekaterinburg
* Uralan Elista
* Yenisey Krasnoyarsk

Defunct teams|

* Alania Vladikavkaz
* Anzhi Makhachkala
* Asmaral Moscow
* Kuban Krasnodar
* Lada-Tolyatti
* Lokomotiv Nizhny Novgorod
* Luch Vladivostok
* Mordovia Saransk
* Moscow
* Okean Nakhodka
* Sibir Novosibirsk
* Tambov
* Tom Tomsk
* Torpedo-ZIL Moscow
* Tosno
* Volga Nizhny Novgorod
* Zhemchuzhina-Sochi

*[No.]: Number
*[Pos.]: Position
*[GK]: Goalkeeper
*[DF]: Defender
*[MF]: Midfielder
*[FW]: Forward
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template