Futbolo klubas Panevėžys, commonly known asPanevėžys, is a Lithuanian professionalfootball club from the city ofPanevėžys. The team currently plays inA Lyga, the top tier ofLithuanian football.
The city ofPanevėžys has a long history of football in Lithuania. Until 2014, the city was represented by 7-time title winnersFK Ekranas. However, FK Ekranas was unable to meet the financial criteria to participate in the 2015 season and lost eligibility to participate in theA Lyga. The club was declared bankrupt. To fill the void,FK Panevėžys was established at the beginning of 2015, right before the new season started.[1] The club made its debut in theI Lyga (second tier), finishing its first season in eighth place.[2] In 2016, the club improved its performance and finished in fifth place.[3]
In 2017, Panevėžys aimed to win theI Lyga and return a club from the city ofPanevėžys to theA Lyga. However, the start of the season was disastrous, which resulted in the resignation of the head coachVirginijus Liubšys. Eventually, the club finished 10th in the league table. In the 2018 season under new coachAlexandru Curteian, FK Panevėžys achieved their goal of winning the I Lyga and achieved promotion to theA Lyga for the first time in history. They finished their first season in the top flight (2019 A Lyga) in 5th position.[4]
Former Lithuania national team coachValdas Urbonas took over the club for the2022 season.[6] After a successful start to the season, Panevėžys was in first place in the table after 14 matches played. After a series of weak performances, the club dropped to third place, leading to the dismissal of Urbonas in September 2022.[7] Urbonas was replaced by Italian nationalGino Lettieri. At the end of the2023 season, Panevėžys secured first place in the league, 12 points ahead of second-place team FK Žalgiris, becoming a Lithuanian champion for the first time in history.[8]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
