# FC Gandzasar Kapan

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. 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. 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 | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | League | National Cup | Top goalscorer | Top goalscorer | Manager |
| Season | Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | National Cup | Name | League | Manager |
| 2004 | Armenian First League | 3rd | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 52 | 32 | 57 | no participation | | | |
| 2005 | Armenian First League | 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 | Armenian Premier League | 5th | 28 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 35 | 31 | 39 | First round | Artur Kocharyan | 8 | Souren Barseghyan Abraham Khashmanyan Samvel Petrosyan |
| 2008 | Armenian Premier League | 3rd | 28 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 39 | 27 | 47 | Quarter-final | Alexander Petrosyan | 9 | Samvel Petrosyan |
| 2009 | Armenian Premier League | 5th | 28 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 32 | 47 | 38 | Quarter-final | Arsen Avetisyan | 14 | Samvel Petrosyan Avetik Sargsyan Slava Gabrielyan |
| 2010 | Armenian Premier League | 6th | 28 | 8 | 3 | 17 | 24 | 45 | 27 | Quarter-final | Artur Kocharyan | 8 | Slava Gabrielyan Albert Sarkisyan |
| 2011 | Armenian Premier League | 3rd | 28 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 31 | 16 | 46 | Quarter-final Quarter-final | Arsen Avetisyan | 5 | Abraham Khashmanyan |
| 2012–13 | Armenian Premier League | 3rd | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 48 | 37 | 67 | Semi-final | Dhiego Lomba Farias | 9 | Abraham Khashmanyan Avetik Sargsyan Samvel Sargsyan Sevada Arzumanyan |
| 2013–14 | Armenian Premier League | 5th | 28 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 36 | 31 | 35 | Runner-up | Narek Beglaryan | 8 | Sevada Arzumanyan Stepan Baghdasaryan Serhiy Puchkov |
| 2014–15 | Armenian Premier League | 7th | 28 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 31 | 44 | 29 | Quarter-final | Gegham Harutyunyan Vasil Palagnyuk | 6 | Serhiy Puchkov Samvel Petrosyan |
| 2015–16 | Armenian Premier League | 4th | 28 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 35 | 27 | 45 | Semi-final | Gegham Harutyunyan Narek Beglaryan | 5 | Samvel Petrosyan Ashot Barseghyan |
| 2016–17 | Armenian Premier League | 2nd | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 38 | 24 | 57 | Semi-final | Gegham Harutyunyan | 12 | Ashot Barseghyan |
| 2017–18 | Armenian Premier League | 3rd | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 43 | 34 | 43 | Winner | Gegham Harutyunyan | 12 | Karen Barseghyan Ashot Barseghyan |
| 2018–19 | Armenian Premier League | 6th | 32 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 38 | 33 | 38 | Quarter-final | Gegham Harutyunyan | 8 | Ashot Barseghyan Armen Petrosyan |
| 2019–20 | Armenian Premier League | 9th | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 25 | 29 | 25 | Semi-final | Gegham Harutyunyan | 6 | Armen Petrosyan |
| 2020–21 | Armenian Premier League | 10th | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | 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 | Armenian First League | 3rd | 33 | 22 | 4 | 7 | 85 | 33 | 70 | Semi-final | Alen Karapetyan | 24 | Tigran Gevorgyan |
| 2023-24 | Armenian First League | 1st | 28 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 69 | 17 | 74 | Second round | | | |

### 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) |
| 2012–13 | UEFA Europa League | 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

* Armenian Premier League
** Runners-up: 2016–17
** Third place: 2008, 2011, 2012–13, 2017–18
* Armenian First League
** Winners: 2023-24
** Runners-up: 2022-23
** Third place: 2021-22
* Armenian Cup
** Winners: 2017–18
** Runners-up: 2013–14
* Armenian Super Cup
** Runners-up: 2018

## 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 m$^2$.
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 |
| 16 | MF | ARM | Grigor Muradyan |
| 17 | DF | USA | Luke Merrill |
| 18 | FW | RUS | Grisha Paronyan |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 19 | MF | ARM | Gevorg Matevosyan |
| 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

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

* Albert Sarkisyan (1 February 2006 – 1 December 2006)
* Souren Barseghyan (2007)
* Abraham Khashmanyan (2007)
* Samvel Petrosyan (2007–09)
* Slava Gabrielyan (1 July 2009–10)
* Albert Sarkisyan (20 April 2010 – 20 December 2010)
* Abraham Khashmanyan (2010–12)
* Samvel Sargsyan (24 May 2012 – 12 September 12)
* Sevada Arzumanyan (8 September 2012 – 14 April 2014)
* Serhiy Puchkov (30 April 2014 – 2 December 2014)
* Ashot Barseghyan (11 March 2015 – 12 July 2017)
* Karen Barseghyan (13 July 2017 – 26 March 2018)
* Ashot Barseghyan (26 March 2018 – 30 April 2019)
* Armen Petrosyan (1 May 2019 – 3 November 2020)
* Tigran Gevorgyan (1 May 2021 – )