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Shakhtar Football Club | Fan

History overview

Shakhtar Donetsk
Club crest
Full name FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Nickname(s) Hirnyky (Miners); Kroty (Moles)[1]
Founded May 24, 1936
Ground Donbass Arena
(Capacity: 51,504)
Chairman Ukraine Rinat Akhmetov
Head coach Romania Mircea Lucescu
League Ukrainian Premier League
2008-09 Ukrainian Premier League, 2nd

Home colours
Away colours

History overview

The team has played under the following names: Stakhanovets (1936-1946), Shakhtyor (1946-1992) and FC Shakhtar (since 1992).

The club was originally formed in May 1936 and was initially named Stakhanovets which was the name of labor society and, in its turn, named after Aleksei Stakhanov, the Russian coal-miner in the Donbas, who became a propaganda celebbrity in 1935. The first team was based upon two other local teams, the participants of the All-Ukrainian Spartakiads: Dynamo Horlivka and Stalino. The first game was unofficial against Dynamo Odessa and took place on May 12, 1936 at Balitsky Stadium. The team of Donbas lost it 2:3 after scoring the first. Its first official game with Dynamo Kazan was even more disappointing, which they lost 1:4. Nonetheless, the selective job conducted constructively by the clubs administration allowed the club to compete successfully at the top level by the end 1930s. During the war championship of 1941 which was interrupted unexpectedly the club defeated the Soviet champions FC Dynamo Moscow and after about ten games was placing the fifth. The last game of that championship they played on June 24 two days after the start of the Great Patriotic War, [2] which they lost at home to Traktor Stalingrad.[3]

The All-Union coal mining society of Stakhanovet had changed its name in July of 1946 to Shakhtyor. The first success for the team was in 1951, under name of Shakhtyor when it took the third place in the USSR Championship.

In the 1960s, Shakhtar under Oleg Oshenkov’s coaching were three-time USSR Cup finalists, winning it twice in 1961 and 1962. The club was nicknamed "The Cup Team” due to Shakhtar’s success in vying for the trophy every year, however the Miners’ more notable achievements occurred later from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s.

In 1975, Shakhtar took 2nd in the USSR Championship and received the right to represent the Soviet Union in European competition. In 1978, Shakhtar finished third in the USSR Championship. A year later, the team finished second and its captain – striker Vitaliy Starukhin – was named the best player and the best forward in the USSR Championship (26 goals scored).

Shakhtar twice, in 1980 and 1983, brought home the crystal USSR Cup to Donbass and in 1983, it won the USSR Super Cup over then-domestic league champions Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.

In 1996, Rinat Akhmetov took over as president and subsequently invested heavily in the club [4].

In the newly independent Ukraine, Shakhtar along with Dynamo Kyiv became perennial first place competitors. In 1999, a Shakhtar Football academy was opened and now hosts football training for roughly 3000 children.

Shakhtar have, to date, appeared in all three editions of the First Channel Cup, winning the 2006 edition and finishing runners up in 2008.

For the last several seasons Shakhtar has the highest home attendance in a league, averaging at about 20,000 per game.

In 2009, they became only the second Ukrainian team to win a European competition, and the first to win the UEFA Cup, beating Werder Bremen in the final, with goals from Brazilians Luiz Adriano and Jadson.[5]

[edit] Stadium

The new Donbass Arena

FC Shakhtar has been playing most of its games at the RSK Olimpiyskiy stadium. The construction of a new stadium, Donbas Arena has finished and was opened on 29 August 2009. The stadium has a capacity of 50,149 and has been awarded a UEFA five star rating.

FC Shakhtar's old home, the central Shakhtar Stadium which was built in 1936, and was reconstructed four times, is currently being used by FC Shakhtar Reserves. The stadium received some major renovations, including the installation of bench seats in 2000, when FC Shakhtar made it to the Champions League Group Stage.

A mascot mole (moles is a nickname for the club) will entertain spectators during the home matches[1].

[edit] Logo history

The first logo of the club was designed in 1936, it featured a blue hexagon, with a red 'S' in the middle, crossed over by a jackhammer. In 1946, when the club was renamed, the logo was changed to black and white, with addition of club's name.

Ukrainian variation of the club crest 1997-2007

Later in the middle of the 60s logo depicted two crossed hammers and a writing Shakhtar 'Donetsk' in the circle. About the same time the crest was added to the kit and remained there since, except for several seasons, in the beginning of 1990s.

In 1989, an artist, Viktor Savilov, on the event of the club restructuring offered a draft variant of a logo with elements of the ball and a pitch. Some time later the logo was remodelled into the present one. The emblem was added to the kit in 1997.[6]

In 2008, during the presentation of club's new stadium Shakhtar's new logo was unveiled. For the first time in over 30 years, traditional symbols of the club "Crossed Hammers" were present on the crest.

[edit] Former uniforms

Stakhanovets
Shakhtar 50's
Since 1961


[edit] Rivalry

Shakhtar's biggest rival is Dynamo. The match between them is called the Ukrainian derby . The stadiums in Kyiv and Donetsk are full for matches between the two teams. The other rivalry with Metalurh Donetsk is local and although not as significant as games against the rivals from the capital games between two Donetsk teams have been proclaimed as the Donbass Derby, named after the region that Donetsk is situated in.

Among the extinguished rivalries are the games against FC Spartak Moscow and FC Dinamo Tbilisi that took place at times of the Soviet Top League.

[edit] Club song

Lyrics by: K.Arsenev; Music: I.Krutoiy

Glory to you, Shakhtar!
Heavens of football stars
Will always be on your side,
And the light of your best dreams
Is shining from above.

Refrain:

Beauty of green fields, that's for you, Shakhtar.
My fate is in your hands, you are the best, Shakhtar.
And for you, Shakhtar, the medal of my love
Will always shine on pitch where you are,
And forever will protect you from defeat
The brightest football star!

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros have a song called Shakhtar Donetsk on the album Global A Go-Go.

[edit] Honours

UEFA Cup won by Shakhtar

[edit] USSR/Ukraine

[edit] Official

Winner

2002, 2005, 2006, 2008
1995, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2008
2005, 2008
1961, 1962, 1980, 1983
1983

Runner-Up

1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009
2003, 2007, 2009
2004, 2006, 2007
1975, 1979
1963, 1978, 1985, 1986
1980, 1985

[edit] Europe

Winner

2009

Runner-Up

2009

[edit] Non-official

2006
2007
2009

[edit] Non-football

On May 26, 2009 Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko decorated the FC Shakhtar players, coaching staff and the management with various Ukrainian honor titles.[7][8]

[edit] Current squad

As of 27 September 2009.
The Cyrillic-based names of players, although not in the accordance to the official decision of the Verkhovna Rada (Decision #9 of April 19, 1996)[9] for the Ukrainian-English transliteration, are transliterated in accordance to the official website of the FFU.

No.
Position Player
3 Czech Republic DF Tomáš Hübschman
4 Serbia MF Igor Duljaj
5 Ukraine DF Oleksandr Kucher
7 Brazil MF Fernandinho (vice-captain)
8 Brazil MF Jádson
11 Brazil MF Ilsinho
12 Ukraine GK Rustam Khudzhamov
13 Ukraine DF Vyacheslav Shevchuk
14 Ukraine MF Vasyl Kobin
17 Brazil FW Luiz Adriano
18 Poland MF Mariusz Lewandowski
19 Ukraine MF Oleksiy Gai
21 Ukraine FW Oleksandr Gladkiy
22 Brazil MF Willian

No.
Position Player
23 Ukraine MF Konstantyn Kravchenko
24 Ukraine FW Ruslan Fomin
26 Romania DF Răzvan Raţ
28 Ukraine MF Oleksiy Polyanskiy
30 Ukraine GK Andriy Pyatov
32 Ukraine DF Mykola Ischenko
33 Croatia MF Darijo Srna (captain)
35 Ukraine GK Yuriy Virt
36 Ukraine DF Oleksandr Chyzhov
44 Ukraine DF Yaroslav Rakytskiy
55 Ukraine DF Volodymyr Yezerskiy
77 Nigeria FW Julius Aghahowa
90 Ukraine FW Vitaliy Vitsenets
99 Brazil DF Leonardo