Skonto FC

Football club infobox
clubname = Skonto FC


fullname = Skonto Football Club
nickname =
founded = 1991, as "Forums-Skonto"
ground = Skonto Stadions, Riga
capacity = 9,000
chairman = Guntis Indriksons
manager = Paul Ashworth
league = Virsliga
season = 2007
position = Virsliga, 4th
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pattern_la2=_whiteshoulders|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=_whiteshoulders
leftarm2=0000FF|body2=0000FF|rightarm2=0000FF|shorts2=0000FF|socks2=0000FF

Skonto FC is a Latvian football club, founded in 1991. The club plays at the Skonto Stadions in Riga. Skonto won the Virsliga in the first 14 seasons of the league's existence, and often provides the core of the Latvia national football team.

History

Skonto FC was founded in 1991. 14 years in a row it won the Latvian champion title, and only in the season 2005 it finished second after FK Liepājas Metalurgs, exchanging the gold medal for the silver one. In 2006, Skonto FC finished third in a close contest between FK Liepājas Metalurgs and FK Ventspils. Skonto FC players are among sevenfold Latvia’s Cup winners, acquiring the Cup most recently in 2002.

Skonto FC was by no means among the favourites in the first years after its establishment, and the champion’s title had to be won in a fierce competition both with Olimpija from Liepāja and RAF from Jelgava – even then an additional game was required since the regular championship in 1992 was insufficient to determine the winner of the season. In the same 1992 season, Skonto FC made its debut in the Champion’s League by winning the best Faroe Islands team Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag. After the season, the coach replacement was made and Aleksandrs Starkovs took the post instead of Marks Zahodins.

For the following 10 years in local championships none of the rivals were able to offer considerable resistance to FC Skonto. For two seasons in turn the team did not lose a single match, surpassing the closest rivals by more than 20 points in the final standings, ensuring the regular award long before the end of the championship.

During the 1998 season, Skonto FC reached the victory with the biggest gap in goals in its history by crashing FK Valmiera with the score 15:2. During these years Skonto FC rightfully became the basic player source for the national team. Māris Verpakovskis, Marians Pahars, Aleksandrs Koļinko, Vitālijs Astafjevs, Igors Stepanovs, Imants Bleidelis, Juris Laizāns, Mihails Zemļinskis, Valentīns Lobaņovs, Andrejs Rubins and many others grew up in Skonto FC.

Exciting battle for the Latvian championship’s title saw its manifestation again in season 2001 when Skonto FC players had a two point deficit before the final round to the leading team FK Ventspils, and they had to face a tough game in Liepāja against FK Liepājas Metalurgs – the team which also was cherishing hopes of becoming the champions. FK Ventspils players didn’t withstand the strain then, whereas Skonto FC showed the spirit of champions.Over the last seasons FK Liepājas Metalurgs and FK Ventspils has been in close pursuit of Skonto FC players, their attempts in last two years proving to be successful. It has to be noted that in 2004, the head coach, Aleksandrs Starkovs – one of the essential pillars of the club - left Skonto FC by accepting the proposal to work in FC Spartak Moscow nine-fold champion team of Russia. The leadership of the team was entrusted to Jurijs Andrejevs, his long-term assistant, but after the loss against Rabotnicki, of the Republic of Macedonia, Skopje in the UEFA Champions League qualification tournament, he resigned from the post. Jurijs Andrejevs was replaced by Paul Ashworth, who had previously worked with FK Ventspils, FK Rīga and the Russia’s Premier League club FC Rostov.

The first major victory of Skonto FC players in Euro Cups was gained in 1994, when considering the outcome of two matches they defeated the Scottish club Aberdeen, the former European Supercup winner. Not less significant for Skonto FC was 1999 when it managed to take away the first point in a fixture with prominent London Chelsea FC, in its home field with draw 0:0. Skonto FC also played against Spanish FC Barcelona and Internazionale.

The defender Mihails Zemļinskis has made 252 appearances, the largest number of matches played in the ranks of Skonto FC during the Latvian championships. His 52 games played in Eurocups are also the highest number within the team. Mihails Miholaps has been the best scorer in Skonto FC at all of the times. He has scored 155 goals in 216 Latvia’s championships games, but 18 goals in 38 Eurocup competitions.

In the last two seasons, Skonto FC is becoming younger – experienced players are exchanged by Youth Football centre Skonto trainees - Aleksandrs Cauņa, Ivans Lukjanovs, Raivis Hščanovičs, Deniss Petrenko, Sergejs Kožans, Oļegs Laizāns and others are the names which will appear in this season's club protocols.

Honours

* Virslīga champions (14)
** 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

* Latvian Soviet Republic champions (1)
** 1991

* Latvian football Cup winners (7)
** 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002

* Latvian football Cup finalists (6)
** 1991, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2006

* Livonia Cup winners (3)
** 2003, 2004, 2005

Participation in Latvian Championships

* 2007 - 4th
* 2006 - 3rd
* 2005 - 2nd
* 2004 - Champions
* 2003 - Champions
* 2002 - Champions
* 2001 - Champions
* 2000 - Champions
* 1999 - Champions
* 1998 - Champions
* 1997 - Champions
* 1996 - Champions
* 1995 - Champions
* 1994 - Champions
* 1993 - Champions
* 1992 - Champions
* 1991 - Champions

Participation in Champions League

* 2005
** Qualifying Phase 1
*** Jul 13 Rabotnicki Skopje (Macedonia) 0:6
*** Jul 20 Rabotnicki Skopje 1:0
* 2004
** Qualifying Phase 1
*** Jul 14 Rhyl (Wales) 4:0
*** Jul 21 Rhyl 3:1
** Qualifying Phase 2
*** Jul 28 Trabzonspor (Turkey) 1:1
*** Aug 04 Trabzonspor 0:3
* 2003
** Qualifying Phase 1
*** Jul 16 Sliema Wanderers (Malta) 0:2
*** Jul 23 Sliema Wanderers 3:1
* 2002
** Qualifying Phase 1
*** Jul 17 Barry Town (Wales) 5:0
*** Jul 24 Barry Town 1:0
** Qualifying Phase 2
*** Jul 31 Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) 0:0
*** Aug 07 Levski Sofia 0:2
* 2001
** Qualifying Phase 1
*** Jul 11 F'91 Dudelange (Luxembourg) 6:1
*** Jul 18 F'91 Dudelange 0:1
** Qualifying Phase 2
*** Jul 25 Wisla Kraków (Poland) 1:2
*** Aug 01 Wisla Kraków 0:1
* 2000
** Qualifying Phase 1
*** Jul 11 FK Shamkir (Azerbaijan) 2:1
*** Jul 18 FK Shamkir 1:4
* 1999
** Qualifying Phase 1
*** Jul 14 Jeunesse d'Esch (Luxembourg) 2:0
*** Jul 21 Jeunesse d'Esch 8:0
** Qualifying Phase 2
*** Jul 28 Rapid Bucureşti (Romania) 3:3
*** Aug 04 Rapid Bucureşti 2:1
** Qualifying Phase 3
*** Aug 11 Chelsea (England) 0:3
*** Aug 25 Chelsea 0:0
* 1998
** Qualifying Phase 1
*** Jul 22 FC Dynamo Minsk (Belarus) 0:0
*** Jul 29 FC Dynamo Minsk 2:1
** Qualifying Phase 2
*** Aug 12 Inter Milan (Italy) 0:4
*** Aug 26 Inter Milan 1:3
* 1997
** Qualifying Phase 1
*** Jul 23 Valletta FC (Malta) 1:2
*** Jul 30 Valletta F.C. 2:0
** Qualifying Phase 2
*** Aug 13 Barcelona FC (Spain) 2:3
*** Aug 27 Barcelona FC 0:1
* 1996
** Qualifying Phase 1
*** Jul 23 Valletta FC (Malta) 1:2
*** Jul 30 Valletta F.C. 2:0
** Qualifying Phase 2
*** Aug 13 Barcelona FC (Spain) 2:3
*** Aug 27 Barcelona FC 0:1
* 1993
** Preliminary round
*** Aug 18 Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia) 0:1
*** Sep 01 Olimpija Ljubljana 1:0 (11:10 on penalties)
** First round
*** Sep 15 Spartak Moscow (Russia) 0:5
*** Sep 29 Spartak Moscow 0:4
* 1992
** Preliminary round
*** Aug 19 KÍ Klaksvík (Faroe islands) 3:1
*** Sep 02 KÍ Klaksvík 3:0
** First round
*** Sep 15 Lech Poznań (Poland) 0:2
*** Sep 29 Lech Poznań 0:0

Participation in UEFA Cup

* 2007
** First Qualifying Phase
*** Jul 13 Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) 1:1
*** Jul 27 Dinamo Minsk 0:2
* 2006
** First Qualifying Phase
*** Jul 13 Jeunesse d'Esch (Luxembourg) 2:0
*** Jul 27 Jeunesse d'Esch 3:0
** Second Qualifying Phase
*** Aug 10 Molde FK (Norway) 0:0
*** Aug 24 Molde FK 1:2
* 1999
** First Round
*** Sep 16 Widzew Lódz (Poland) 1:0
*** Sep 30 Widzew Lódz 0:2
* 1998
** First Round
*** Sep 15 FC Dynamo Moscow (Russia) 2:2
*** Sep 29 FC Dynamo Moscow 2:3
* 1997
** First Round
*** Sep 15 Real Valladolid (Spain) 0:2
*** Sep 29 Real Valladolid 1:0
* 1996
** Preliminary round
*** Jul 17 Newtown FC (Wales) 4:1
*** Jul 24 Newtown FC 3:0
** Qualifying round
*** Aug 06 Malmö FF (Sweden) 0:3
*** Aug 20 Malmö FF 1:1
* 1995
** Preliminary round
*** Aug 08 Maribor Branik (Slovenia) 1:0
*** Aug 22 Maribor Branik 0:2
* 1994
** Preliminary round
*** Aug 09 Aberdeen FC (Scotland) 0:0
*** Aug 23 Aberdeen FC 1:1 (Skonto won on away goals)
** First round
*** Sep 13 SSC Napoli (Italy) 0:3
*** Sep 27 SSC Napoli 1:1

Players

Current squad

"As of April 27, 2008"Fs player | no=10 | nat=Latvia

Reserves squad

Famous players

* Marians Pahars
* Māris Verpakovskis
* Aleksandrs Koliņko
* Igors Stepanovs
* Vitalijs Astafjevs
* Andrejs Rubins
* Mihails Zemlinskis
* Andrejs Štolcers
* Edgaras Jankauskas
* Audrius Kšanavičius

konto coaches

* Marks Zahodins (1991 - 1992)
* Aleksandrs Starkovs (1993 - 2004)
* Jurijs Andrejevs (2004 - 2005)
* Paul Ashworth (2005 - pašlaik)

External links

* [http://www.skontofc.lv Official website] lv icon