FC Banants

Football club infobox
clubname = Banants


fullname = Football Club Banants Yerevan
nickname =
founded = 1992
ground = Banants Stadium, Yerevan
capacity = 6,000 | chairman = flagicon|Armenia Sargis Israelyan
manager = flagicon|Denmark Kim Splidsboel
league = Armenian Premier League
season = 2007
position = Armenian Premier League, 2nd
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=_blueshoulders|pattern_ra1=
leftarm1=FFFF30|body1=FFFF30|rightarm1=FFFF30|shorts1=0000fc|socks1=FFFF30
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_blueshoulders|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=0000fc|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=0000fc|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFFFF

FC Banants ( _hy. Ֆուտբոլային Ակումբ Բանանց Երևան), is an Armenian football (soccer) team, playing in the capital, Yerevan. The club plays in the Armenian Premier League and has won the Armenian Cup twice; in 1992 and 2007.

History

FC Banants was founded in 1992 in the city of Abovyan, before the start of the first Armenian National Championship. During the same year, the club won the first Armenian Cup. In 1995, the club was moved from Abovyan to Yerevan, however, due to financial problems, it did not participate in the league championships until the season of 2001. In the beginning of 2003, Banants merged with Spartak Yerevan, but was able to limit the name of the new merger to FC Banants. Spartak became Banants's youth academy and later changed the name to Banants-2. Because of the merger, Banants acquired many of Spartak's players, including one of its top players, Samvel Melkonyan. After the merger, Banants took a more serious approach and has finished in high ranks ever since. The club managed to lift the Armenian Cup in 2007.Experience is making way for youth for the 2008 season. The departures of Samvel Melkonyan, Ararat Arakelyan, Ara Hakobyan and Karen Simonyan – the spine of last season's team – have all moved abroad. And the striker from Uganda, Eugene Sepuya, has been sold to FK Vojvodina Novi Sad, instead another Ugandan international, Noah Kasule, has been signed. However the blow will be cushioned slightly with the acquisition of several seasoned professionals from Moldova, Romania and Georgia. The club have signed several players from Bulgaria, while national team midfielder Romik Khachatryan has been brought back home from Cyprus. In August 2008 the Danish coach Kim Splidsboel was hired for the rest of the season.

Achievements

* Armenian Cup: 2
**1992, 2007

Banants in European Cups

Managers

*2001-2005: flagicon|Armenia Oganes Zanazanyan
*2005-2006: flagicon|Armenia Ashot Barseghyan
*2006-2007: flagicon|Russia Nikolai Kiselev
*2007: flagicon|Czech Republic Jan Poštulka
*2007-2008: flagicon|Bulgaria Nikolay Kostov
*2008: flagicon|Bulgaria Nedelčo Matušev
*2008- : flagicon|Denmark Kim Splidsboel

External links

* [http://www.fcbanants.com/ Official Website]
* [http://www.ffa.am/en/teams/fcbanants/ Banants at FFA.AM]
* [http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/club=77866/domestic.html Banants at UEFA.COM]
* [http://www.eufo.de/football/arm/banaevan.htm Banants at EUFO.DE]
* [http://www.weltfussball.de/teams/fc-banants/ Banants at Weltfussball.de]
* [http://www.playerhistory.com/Default.aspx?page=club_details&clubID=16340 Banants at Playerhistory.com]
* [http://www.transfermarkt.de/de/verein/11411/fcbanants/uebersicht/startseite.html Banants at Transfermarkt.de]
* [http://www.national-football-teams.com/v2/club.php?id=85 Banants at National Football Teams.com]