ANNIVERSARY OF THE FLAGSHIP TEAM

The first club coming to mind when we remember Azerbaijani football is Neftchi. Blacks-n-Whites is going to celebrate its 80^th anniversary this year. The team has a track record of rich and significant events and major achievements.

Professional football club Neftchi, which represents Baku, is the most successful professional football club of the country.

Neftchi participated in all the championships of Azerbaijan, compared only with Garabagh FC of Aghdam. At the national scale, Neftchi is the holder of records - the team won 8 times in the Premier League of Azerbaijan, 6 times holder of the National Cup and twice the Super Cup. The team also became the owner of the Commonwealth Cup, and in 2012 for the first time in the history of national football, it won the right to play in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League.

The history of the club begins in the 30s of the last century. Since 1922, USSR championships were held with the participation of national teams of cities. And since 1937, it was decided to organize a championship with the participation of club teams. At that time, although there were teams representing several industries, the oil field seemed to be forgotten, although Baku has already become famous as a city of oil workers. Therefore, on March 18, 1937, the workers involved in oil industry created a football team. It did not take long to think about an appropriate name for it, Neftchi, which means ‘an oilman’. And since the Russian language was the dominant language of the country, the team was called Neftyanik, in Russian. The belonging of the team to the oil workers was also reflected in the equipment and emblem. The letter N against an oil tower on the emblem is the first letter of the club's name. Naturally, the basis of the form was also the color of "black gold". At that time, along with oil, cotton growing was also actively developing, and cotton was called "white gold." Therefore, it was decided to reflect in the form of the team also its color. Since then, Neftchi has remained faithful to black and white colors.

The first official match of Neftyanik took place on May 24, 1937. In the 1/64 finals of the USSR Cup, Neftyanik won Dinamo FC from Yerevan (1:0) in fron of 5,000 spectators. The goal scored by Pavel Shtyrlin in the 87^th minute was the first in the history of Neftchi.

The team, which has played since the USSR championships in the group G, took the 11^th place among 12 participants. In the same year, in the matches for the USSR Cup, Neftchi, although he won in 1/64 and 1/32 finals in the Dynamo teams from Yerevan and Batumi, lost in the 1/16 finals from the fight, losing to the Tbilisi Dynamo. In 1938-1941, Neftchi participated in the championships of Azerbaijan and Transcaucasia.

With the start of the Second World War, the players also went to the front. Mirmehdi Aghayev, who defended the colors of the club during the pre-war period, was killed in the war. By the end of the war, the team was restored. In 1944, Neftchi returned to the championship of Azerbaijan, and a year later it became a national champion. In 1946, Neftchi played in the 2^nd Southern subgroup of the USSR championship. In 1947, Neftchi ranked the 4^th strongest team of its group. The next season, the 17-year-old Alakbar Mammadov played for the team for the first time.

In 1949, it was decided to expand the major league. Therefore, Neftchi made its debut in Group A. The renewed team consisted of the then famous referee Tofig Bahramov and Alakbar Mammadov. The first group match was against the Air Force team at the then Lenin Stadium (now Ismet Gayibov Stadium). In this historic match, the team won with a score of 1:0. The first goal in group A of the championship of the USSR was recorded by Viktor Anoshkin.

The start of the championship was sensational - Neftchi took the lead after five rounds. However, very soon the inexperienced team finished the season in 14^th place. At the initiative of the secretary of the ideological department of the Central Committee, Jafar Jafarov, the team was renamed. Instead of Neftyanik, it became known as Neftchi.

In 1966, Neftchi achieved one of its greatest successes in the USSR championships. It became the first and only Azerbaijani club that managed to climb to the highest league of the USSR championship, which was once called the "small European championship". Under the leadership of Ahmad Aleskerov, the team won bronze medals.

Fans of football have witnessed a bright game Neftchi and after the restoration of Azerbaijan's independence. It is no accident that in 1992 it became the owner of gold medals of the first national championship of the country. The team was coached by Ahmad Aleskerov. Another success came three years later. In 1995, Neftchi, led by Vagif Sadikhov, defeated all rivals in the fight for the Cup of Azerbaijan. And the 1995/1996 season can be called one of the most unforgettable in the history of the club. This season Neftchi finished with a "golden double" - won the national championship and became the owner of the Cup. This success was achieved thanks to the efforts of coaches Vagif Sadikhov, Asif Aliyev and Kazbek Tuayev.

In 1997, Neftchi was awarded the title of the national champion for the third time. Nevertheless, having combined the points scored by the main and junior teams, AFFA awarded the gold medals to Garabagh FC. However, justice triumphed, and UEFA, recognizing the champion of Neftchi, granted the flagship team a possibility to play in the Champions League. In 1999, Neftchi coached by Kazbek Tuayev, once again won the Cup of Azerbaijan.

After the election of Sadig Sadigov as the president of Neftchi FC, the team has made further progress. After a 6-year hiatus in 2011, the flagship team coached by Arif Asadov became the champion of Azerbaijan for the sixth time, securing this title for three more rounds before the end of the championship. In 2012, the team repeated the success. This time the team was coached by Boyukaga Hajiyev.

Having won a ticket to the Champions League as the winner of the 2011/2012 season, Neftchi entered the fight from the second stage and defeated the Zestafon FC, the Georgian champion. Although our flagship team lost to Israeli club Kiryat Shmona at the next stage, but got the opportunity to play at the play-off stage of the Europa League. After winning Apoel of Cyprus in two matches (1:1 and 3:1), Neftchi became the first club in the history of Azerbaijani football, which won the right to play in the group stage of European cups.

In the season of 2012/2013, the third consecutive and second under the leadership of Boyukaga Hajiyev took place the Neftchi championship, and also the victory in the Cup of Azerbaijan. Thus, the club became the first team in the history of Azerbaijani football, which has made a "golden double" three times.

Neftchi has always supplied high-profile players to national football. Anatoly Banishevsky, who was selected by UEFA as the strongest football player of Azerbaijan in the 20^th century, was also a member of this club. Having received an invitation for a career in a number of strong clubs, Banishevsky remained loyal to Neftchi. Here's how a famous football player explained this decision in his memoirs: Neftchi is the love of my life. My heart was always beating with this team. Although I received invitations from a number of clubs in the Soviet Union, I refused. If I were reborn, I would again choose Neftchi. Every day spent in this club is a pleasant memory."

One of the famous football players of the 80-year-old club is Kazbek Tuayev. In his interview with R+, football veteran told about his favorite team: "I'm happy that I was playing for this team. Now there are many clubs in Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, Neftchi has its own special place. The team embodies the history of the country's football. At that time, one could not show weak performance in Neftchi. Either you demonstrate a top-notch performance, showing respect for the history of the club, or leave it. This team played a huge role in the development of national football."

One of the famous players of the team and the holder of the Shohrat Order, Iskender Javadov, who was No.11 of the team, recalls the past years with pleasure. "Not every football player could play for Neftchi. When I was a child, I was a fan of the three players: Markarov - Banishevsky - Tuayev. Later, my biggest dream to become a football player of Neftchi has come true. We were happy to see the team bus in town. Mentally imagined its salon. We dreamed and thought about whether we would ever enter it? For a number of reasons, my arrival in Neftchi took place somewhat late. But I still remember with joy the years spent in it. To play for a team together with Banishevsky, Tuayev was a dream of every football player in Azerbaijan," said Javadov.

Neftchi is a football asset and national brand of Azerbaijan. It is no accident that for many years it was known outside the country. The oldest team of the country will celebrate its 80^th anniversary under the leadership of Chingiz Abdullayev, who heads the Supervisory Board. Although Neftchi, whose main trainer is Elkhan Abdullayev, lost the chances to win the gold medals of the championship in a jubilee year for himself, the team continues to fight for the Cup of Azerbaijan.

The chairman of the Supervisory Board, People's Writer of Azerbaijan Chingiz Abdullayev said about the 80^th anniversary of Neftchi FC: "Neftchi is the property of Azerbaijan. It is the first created in the country. I am happy that I manage this team, which was in many ways the first. I manage a team I have been a fan of for all my life. I wish the 80-year-old Neftchi great victories. This season, the team has almost completely refreshed. Now our main goal is to win a ticket to Eurocups. I am ready to continue to work for the sake of multiplying the glory of Neftchi. We will work hard to improve the level of the team. I would like to see Neftchi in the group stage of the Champions League."

Neftchi has prepared a plan of events on the occasion of the 80^th anniversary. These events, which will continue throughout the year, have already started. At the match of the national championship with Inter, Neftchi came out to the filed in a uniform of 50s. Before the game, instead of the hymn of the Professional Football League, the famous football march of past years was sounded. In the coming days, Neftchi intends to gather in Baku all veteran football players and coaches living abroad. 

One can talk much about this 80-year-old team. We wish the “elder child” of 100-year-old Azerbaijani football, Neftchi FC, bright victories and new achievements. May its fans be always proud of their favorite team.