FC Sheriff Tiraspol

Football club infobox
clubname = FC Sheriff


fullname = Fotbal Club Sheriff
nickname =
founded = 1997
ground = Sheriff Stadium
Tiraspol, Transnistria (Moldova)
capacity = 14,300 | chairman = Victor Gusan
manager = flagicon|Belarus Leonid Kuchuk
league = Divizia Naţională
season = 2007-08
position = 1st
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=F0D040|body1=F0D040|rightarm1=F0D040|shorts1=F0D040|socks1=F0D040
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=000000|body2=000000|rightarm2=000000|shorts2=000000|socks2=000000

FC Sheriff Tiraspol (in Cyrillic: "ФК Шериф Тирасполь") is a Moldovan football club, playing in the city of Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria. The team is sometimes referred to as simply FC Sheriff and should not be confused with FC Tiraspol which is a different (and competing) team.

History

The club was founded in 1997 by the Sheriff company, which in 2002 constructed the luxurious Sheriff Stadium in Tiraspol to serve as the team's home ground.

It has dominated Moldovan football since 2001, winning all the championship titles in the Divizia Naţională since then.

The team also won the Moldavian Cup five times 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006 and 2008.

The team won the Commonwealth of Independent States Cup in 2003, becoming the first team from Moldova to win an international title.

FC Sheriff was the first club in Moldova to sign contract players from Brazil and Africa. [ [http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/node/280 More Brazilian players signed to FC Sheriff ] ] From the 2001/2002 season onwards, the club has tried to reach the group stage in the UEFA Champions League every year, but failed in the second qualifying round every time.

Fans and rivals

The team has a big fan base across the Transnistria region, and the team has friendly relations with all the teams from that region. The team has a natural rivality with FC Tiraspol as a competing large club from the same city.

With the Moldovan non-Transnistrian teams, Sheriff has rival relations, and in those matches many fans of the team hold banners calling for independence of Transnistria from Moldova.

Achievements

*Divizia Naţională: 8:: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

*Moldavian Cup: 5:: 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008

*CIS Cup: 1:: 2003

Current squad

"As of August 16, 2008:"

Outgoing Transfers 2008/2009

Incoming Transfers 2008/2009

Coaching staff

* Main trainer: flagicon|Belarus Leonid Koutchouk
* Goalkeeper coach: Anatolie Migul
* Fitness trainer: Nicolae Rusu

References

External links

* [http://www.fc-sheriff.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.pridnestrovie.net/sports.html Description and photos, FC Sheriff stadium]
* [http://www.tiraspoltimes.com/node/280 More Brazilian players signed to FC Sheriff]