# Shafa Baku FK

Shafa Baku FK (Azerbaijani: Şəfa Futbol Klubu), was an Azerbaijani football club from Baku. They were founded in 1998, and were promoted to the Top League the same year. In 2001 the club won the Azerbaijan Cup, beating Neftchi Baku 2–1 in the final. During the 2001–02 season they played their home games in Buzovna and finished in second place during the regular season. However, they finished bottom of the "Championship ground" round.
The club withdrew from the Top League during the winter break of the 2004–05 season due to financial problems. Their remaining games were awarded to the opposition as 3–0 wins, and the club finished bottom of the table.

## History

The foundation of the club was laid in 1998.
1998/1999 season. From the very first game of the first season, the club began to gain experience. Of course, Shafa was a new club in the league. On August 15, 1998, the club's first game was against Shamkir, a 2–0 defeat. The club scored its first goal in the second game, on September 9, through the gate of Kepaz. Later, the club began to suffer successive defeats. 2–6 against "Kepaz", 3–0 against "Dinamo", etc. The club got its first win on November 11 with a 4–0 defeat against the "Dalgic" club. Then the winless streak continued again. When it was the turn of the game again for "Dalgic" club, it won another 4–0... Finally, the club finished in 12th place with 14 points in its first season.
2000-2001 season. This season was very important for the club. Despite the defeats, the club came into the limelight with big victories. On August 20, 2000, the club won against "Qarabag" club with a score of 3–1, on September 17, 2000, against "Shahdag" club, 4–1, on March 11, again against "Karabakh" club,2-1, against Araz club won with a score of 4–0. In the last game, the club won against "Kepaz" with a score of 3–2. In this season, the total of 20 games ends with 10 wins, 1 draw and 9 losses. As a result, the club finished the season in the 4th place.
2001-2002 season. This season was more important than other seasons. In the opening game of the league, the club won 3–1 against "Kepaz". Then the club was happy with a 2–0 victory against the "Turan" club. The next 4 games were silent, 2 defeats and 2 draws. The club suffered a big defeat against "Shamkir", "Araz" club and "Turan" club. The club made up for its 2–1 defeat against "Qarabag" with a 2–1 score at the end of the league, following its tradition.
2003/2004 season. This season, the club has become a nightmare in the eyes of opponents, attracting attention with 8 wins in a row. "Shafa" scored 20 goals in 8 games. The biggest victory of the club was 7–1 against Adliya club. But this season was also difficult for the club. After the 1–0 defeat against Karabakh, they almost missed a victory in the second half of the league with consecutive defeats.
2004/2005 season. In this season, the club was already completely weakened due to financial problems, it was already taking a step backwards in the league with the big defeats it received. In February 2005, the defeat gave way to technical defeats. The club did not play any games until the last game of the season. Sponsor issues etc. it paved the way for the deepening of the club's crisis. As a result, the club finished last in the league with 7 points.

## Azerbaijan Cup Championship

Shafa made his first appearance in the Azerbaijan Cup in the 1/8 finals against the Lokomotiv club representing Imishli. Shafa, who scored a total of 10 goals in two games, played in the semi-final against Shahdag. Although this game was a bit more intense, due to consecutive victories of 3–0, 2–1, they qualified for the next stage. In the semi-final match against Dinamo Baku, Shafa drew 0–0 in the first match, but in the second match, with a one-goal difference, 3–2, it was one step away from the cup. In the final, the club won against Neftchi club with a score of 2–1. Thus, the club won its first trophy and was awarded the title of Azerbaijan Champion.

### National

* Azerbaijan Cup
    Winners (1): 2000–2001

## Domestic league and cup history

| Season | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | Azerbaijan Cup | Top League goalscorer | Top League goalscorer |
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Azerbaijan Cup | Name | Total |
| 1998–99 | 1st | 12 | 26 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 24 | 54 | 14 | Quarter-finals | Səbuhi Sadiqov Zaur Hashimov | 6 |
| 1999–2000 | 1st | 7 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 32 | 31 | Quarter-finals | Ramin Nasibov | 4 |
| 2000–01 | 1st | 4 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 27 | 26 | 31 | Winners | Elçin Rəhmanov | 4 |
| 2001–02 | 1st | 6 | 32 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 41 | 32 | 49 | Quarter-finals | Zaur Tagizade | 12 |
| 2003–04 | 1st | 6 | 26 | 12 | 3 | 11 | 40 | 23 | 39 | Quarter-finals | Sənan Qurbanov | 12 |
| 2004–05 | 1st | 18 | 34 | 2 | 1 | 31 | 16 | 95 | 7 | 1/16 | Amadi Luki | 4 |

## European cup history

| Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
| 2001/02 | UEFA Cup | 1 | | Olimpija Ljubljana | 0–3 | 0–4 | 0–7 |

## Notable players

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

### Azerbaijan

* Murad Aghakishiyev
* Tarlan Ahmadov
* Elnur Allahverdiyev
* Ramin Guliyev
* Aftandil Hajiyev
* Zaur Hashimov
* Ramal Huseynov
* Emin Imamaliev
* Fizuli Mammedov
* Ruslan Musayev
* Samir Musayev
* Rashad Sadiqov
* Mahir Shukurov
* Zaur Tagizade
* Muhammed Mammadli