Sabah FK (Azerbaijan)
Azerbaijani football club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sabah Futbol Klubu (pronounced [sɑbɑh]), commonly known as Sabah FK, Sabah FC, or simply Sabah, is a professional football club based in Masazir, Azerbaijan. The team plays in the Azerbaijan Premier League, the top tier of Azerbaijani football league system. Its home ground is the Bank Respublika Arena in Masazir.
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Tələbələr (The Students)
Qara-çəhrayılar (The Black-pinks)
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| Full name | Sabah Futbol Klubu | ||
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| Nicknames | Bayquşlar (The Owls) Tələbələr (The Students) Qara-çəhrayılar (The Black-pinks) | ||
| Founded | 8 September 2017 | ||
| Ground | Bank Respublika Arena | ||
| Capacity | 8.969 | ||
| President | Magsud Adigozalov | ||
| Manager | Valdas Dambrauskas | ||
| League | Azerbaijan Premier League | ||
| 2025–26 | 1st of 12 (champions) | ||
| Website | sabahfc | ||
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History
Sabah were formed on 8 September 2017, joining the Azerbaijan First Division for the 2017–18 season, in which they finished 5th. After the four teams above them in the league failed or declined promotion, Sabah were granted a license to participate in Azerbaijan Premier League on 12 May 2018.[1] Sabah won their first game 1–0 in the Azerbaijan Premier League, against Keşlə FK (currently known as Şamaxı FK), on 12 August 2018, thanks to a Marko Dević goal. Sabah went on to finish their first Premier League season in 7th position, avoiding relegation.[2]
On 16 September 2019, Elshad Ahmadov resigned as manager, with Igor Ponomaryov taking over on an interim basis.[3]
On 26 November 2019, Sabah announced that Željko Sopić had been appointed manager on an 18-month contract.[4] On 3 July 2020, Sopić resigned as manager.[5]
On 10 July 2020, Sabah signed a two-year contract with Vicente Gómez.[6] On 11 March 2021, Gómez left his role as Head Coach by mutual agreement, with Ramin Guliyev being placed in temporary charge.[7] At the end of the season, Guliyev was confirmed as the club's new head coach on a two-year contract[8] Guliyev resigned from his position on 21 October 2021,[9] with Murad Musayev being appointed as the club's new head coach on 30 October 2021, signing a two-year contract.[10]
On 1 February 2024, Sabah announced that Murad Musayev had left his role as head coach after his resignation had been accepted.[11]
On 5 March 2024, Sabah announced the appointment of Krunoslav Rendulić as their new head coach, on an 18-month contract.[12] Rendulić left Sabah on 25 November 2024 by mutual agreement, with Vasili Berezutski being appointed as his replacement on the same day to a two-and-a-half year contract.[13][14] On 14 June 2025, Berezutski left the club by mutual consent due to personal reasons.[15] On 20 June 2025, Sabah announced the appointment of Lithuanian Valdas Dambrauskas as the new head coach, signing a three-year contract.[16]
On 30 April 2026, Sabah secured the Premier League title for the first time in their history after Qarabağ lost 2–1 against Neftçi. On 13 May 2026, Sabah defeated Zira 2–1 to win the 2025–26 Azerbaijan Cup.[17]
Domestic history
| Season | League | Azerbaijan Cup | Top goalscorer | Manager | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | P | Name | League | |||
| 2017–18 | 2nd | 5th | 27 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 41 | 33 | 40 | Second round |  Arif Asadov | ||
| 2018–19 | 1st | 7th | 28 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 20 | 41 | 27 | Quarter-final |  Marko Dević |
8 | Elshad Ahmadov |
| 2019–20 | 1st | 6th | 20 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 27 | 21 | Quarter-final |  Ulysse Diallo  Amadou Diallo  Hendrick Ekstein |
3 | Elshad Ahmadov Igor Ponomaryov (interim)  Željko Sopić |
| 2020–21 | 1st | 5th | 28 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 28 | 38 | 29 | Round of 16 | Ramil Sheydayev |
6 |  Vicente Gómez Ramin Guliyev (interim) |
| 2021–22 | 1st | 5th | 28 | 12 | 5 | 11 | 42 | 34 | 41 | Quarter-final |  Joy-Lance Mickels[a] |
11 | Ramin Guliyev  Murad Musayev |
| 2022–23 | 1st | 2nd | 36 | 25 | 6 | 5 | 75 | 24 | 81 | Quarter-final | Joy-Lance Mickels[a] |
17 | Murad Musayev |
| 2023–24 | 1st | 3rd | 36 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 50 | 40 | 58 | Quarter-final |  Davit Volkovi Anatoliy Nuriyev |
6 | Murad Musayev Ruslan Qafitullin (interim) Krunoslav Rendulić |
| 2024–25 | 1st | 5th | 36 | 10 | 18 | 8 | 50 | 46 | 48 | Winners |  Jesse Sekidika |
11 | Krunoslav Rendulić Vasili Berezutski |
| 2025–26 | 1st | 1st | 33 | 24 | 6 | 3 | 75 | 25 | 78 | Winners |  Joy-Lance Mickels[a] |
19 |  Valdas Dambrauskas |
European record
- As of match played 28 July 2026
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| UEFA Europa League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| UEFA Conference League | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 18 | 15 |
| Total | 18 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 30 | 22 |
| Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | UEFA Europa Conference League | 2Q |  RFS |
2–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 |
| 3Q |  Partizan |
2–0 | 0–2 (a.e.t.) | 2–2 (4–5 p) | ||
| 2024–25 | UEFA Conference League | 2Q |  Maccabi Haifa |
3–6 (a.e.t.) | 3–0 | 6–6 (3–2 p) |
| 3Q |  St Patrick's Athletic |
0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | ||
| 2025–26 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q |  Celje |
2–3 | 3–3 (a.e.t.) | 5–6 |
| UEFA Conference League | 2Q |  Petrocub Hîncești |
4–1 | 2–0 | 6–1 | |
| 3Q |  Levski Sofia |
0–2 | 0–1 | 0–3 | ||
| 2026–27 | UEFA Champions League | 1Q |  The New Saints |
2–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 |
| 2Q |  KuPS |
1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 3Q |  Aarhus |
Colours and badge
Shirt sponsor and kit manufacturer
| Years | Manufacturer | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2017–2018 | Joma | none |
| 2018–2020 | Macron | Bank Respublika |
| 2020– | Nike |
Stadium
The club play their home games at the Bank Respublika Arena in Masazır, which has a capacity of 8.969.[18]
Players
Current squad
- As of 2 August 2026[19]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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For recent transfers, see Transfers summer 2026.
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Reserve team
Sabah-2 plays in the Azerbaijan Reserve League.
Club officials
Management
| Position | Staff[20][21] |
|---|---|
| Founder | Yagub Huseynov |
| President | Magsud Adigozalov |
| Supervisory Board Member | Yagub Huseynov Firudin Gurbanov Igor Ponomaryov Rahman Hajiyev Rauf Khalilov |
| Chief executive officer | Ramin Hasanov |
| General Manager | Nasimi Musayev |
| Director of sport | Igor Ponomaryov |
| Press secretary | Elnur Hamidov |
Coaching staff
| Position | Name[22] |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Valdas Dambrauskas |
| Assistant head coach |  Valerio Zuddas |
| Goalkeeping coach | Justinas Gasiūnas |
| Fitness coach | Domagoj Peric |
| Video analyst | Oleksandr Panchuk Nikita Vasyukhin |
Honours
Club records
Most appearances
- As of match played 28 July 2026
| Name | Years | League | Azerbaijan Cup | European | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amin Seydiyev | 2020–2026 | 161 (4) | 14 (2) | 10 (0) | 185 (6) |
| 2 | Joy-Lance Mickels | 2021–2023, 2024–Present | 110 (57) | 17 (7) | 16 (10) | 143 (74) |
| 3 | Aleksey Isayev | 2020–2024, 2025–Present | 119 (14) | 12 (0) | 8 (1) | 139 (15) |
| 4 |  Bojan Letić | 2022–2026 | 104 (5) | 8 (0) | 13 (2) | 125 (7) |
| 5 | Anatoliy Nuriyev | 2022–2026 | 98 (11) | 10 (1) | 10 (0) | 118 (12) |
| 6 | Elvin Camalov | 2021–2025 | 98 (2) | 9 (0) | 6 (0) | 113 (2) |
| 7 | Jesse Sekidika | 2023–2026 | 86 (17) | 11 (3) | 10 (1) | 107 (21) |
| 8 |  Kaheem Parris | 2023–2024, 2024–Present | 80 (12) | 12 (2) | 12 (3) | 104 (17) |
| 9 | Tellur Mutallimov | 2022–Present | 87 (4) | 12 (1) | 4 (0) | 103 (5) |
| 10 |  Jon Irazabal | 2022–2025 | 85 (5) | 6 (1) | 8 (0) | 99 (6) |
Top goalscorers
- As of match played 28 July 2026
| Name | Years | League | Azerbaijan Cup | European | Total | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joy-Lance Mickels | 2021–2023, 2024–Present | 57 (110) | 7 (17) | 10 (16) | 74 (143) | 0.52 |
| 2 | Jesse Sekidika | 2023–2026 | 17 (86) | 3 (11) | 1 (10) | 21 (107) | 0.2 |
| 3 | Davit Volkovi | 2022–2024 | 16 (63) | 2 (4) | 1 (4) | 19 (71) | 0.27 |
| 4 | Oleksiy Kashchuk | 2022–2023 | 18 (39) | 0 (2) | 0 (0) | 18 (41) | 0.44 |
 Pavol Šafranko | 2024–2026 | 10 (39) | 2 (5) | 6 (10) | 18 (54) | 0.33 | |
| 6 | Kaheem Parris | 2023–2024, 2024–Present | 12 (80) | 2 (12) | 3 (12) | 17 (104) | 0.16 |
| 7 | Emmanuel Apeh | 2022–2024 | 11 (65) | 4 (6) | 1 (4) | 16 (75) | 0.21 |
| 8 | Aleksey Isayev | 2020–2024, 2025–Present | 14 (119) | 0 (12) | 1 (8) | 15 (139) | 0.11 |
| 8 | Veljko Simić | 2025–2026, 2026–Present | 11 (28) | 1 (6) | 3 (4) | 15 (38) | 0.39 |
| 10 | Anatoliy Nuriyev | 2022–2026 | 11 (98) | 1 (10) | 0 (10) | 12 (118) | 0.1 |
Managerial statistics
- As of match played 28 July 2026
| Name | Nat. | From | To | Duration | P | W | D | L | GS | GA | %W | Honours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arif Asadov | Azerbaijan |
8 September 2017 | 1 July 2018 | 296 days | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 41 | 36 | 39.29 | (Promotion) | |
| Elshad Ahmadov | Azerbaijan |
1 July 2018 | 16 September 2019 | 1 year, 77 days | 35 | 8 | 8 | 19 | 25 | 47 | 22.86 | ||
| Igor Ponomaryov (Interim) | Azerbaijan |
16 September 2019 | 26 November 2019[4] | 71 days | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 37.50 | ||
| Željko Sopić | Croatia |
26 November 2019[4] | 3 July 2020 | 230 days | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 27.27 | ||
| Vicente Gómez | Spain |
10 July 2020[23] | 11 March 2021[24] | 244 days | 20 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 20 | 29 | 20.00 | ||
| Ramin Guliyev (Interim) | Azerbaijan |
11 March 2021[24] | 26 May 2021[8] | 76 days | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 33.33 | ||
| Ramin Guliyev | Azerbaijan |
26 May 2021[8] | 21 October 2021[9] | 224 days | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 0.00 | ||
| Ilkin Huseynov (Interim) | Azerbaijan |
21 October 2021 | 30 October 2021 | 9 days | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 100.00 | ||
| Murad Musayev | Russia |
30 October 2021[10] | 1 February 2024[11] | 2 years, 94 days | 87 | 48 | 16 | 23 | 157 | 88 | 55.17 | ||
| Ruslan Qafitullin (Interim) | Azerbaijan |
1 February 2024[11] | 5 March 2024[12] | 33 days | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 50.00 | ||
| Krunoslav Rendulić | Croatia |
5 March 2024[12] | 25 November 2024[13] | 2 years, 152 days | 29 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 18 | 10 | 44.83 | ||
| Vasili Berezutski | Russia |
25 November 2024[14] | 14 June 2025[15] | 201 days | 28 | 10 | 13 | 5 | 39 | 32 | 35.71 | Azerbaijan Cup (1) | |
| Valdas Dambrauskas | Lithuania |
1 July 2025 | 1 year, 34 days | 49 | 33 | 10 | 6 | 104 | 44 | 67.35 | Azerbaijan Premier League (1) Azerbaijan Cup (1) |
- Notes:
P – Total of played matches
W – Won matches
D – Drawn matches
L – Lost matches
GS – Goal scored
GA – Goals against
%W – Percentage of matches won
Nationality is indicated by the corresponding FIFA country code(s).
Transfers
The top transfer was agreed in July 2026 when 20 years old French forward Aaron Malouda moved to Basel for a fee €3.00 million.
Record transfers
| Rank | Player | To | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Aaron Malouda |  Basel | €3.00 million | 2026[25] |
| 2. | Aleksey Isayev | Qarabağ | €0.45 million | 2024[26] |
| 3. | Joy-Lance Mickels |  Al-Faisaly | €0.30 million | 2023[27] |