Football Club Metalist Kharkiv, also known asFootball Club Metalist Kharkov orFC Metalist Kharkov (Ukrainian:Футбо́льний Клуб Металі́ст Ха́рків[metɐˈl(j)istˈxɑrkiu̯]), is a Ukrainian professionalfootball club based inKharkiv that plays in theUkrainian First League during the2023–24 season. It was revived five years after the original FC Metalist Kharkiv ceased operations. Founded in 1925, FC Metalist Kharkiv had worked its way up the rungs of theSoviet football system, eventually being promoted to theSoviet Top League in 1960. After a difficult period which included relegation, Metalist was promoted to the Top League again in 1982, where it remained until the league's dissolution.
Following the demise of Metalist Kharkiv in 2016, two new clubs were created in Kharkiv with variations of the Metalist club name. Since July 2016, a team named "SK Metalist Kharkiv" has been playing in theKharkiv Oblast Championship,[4] whose owner is Metalist owner Serhiy Kurchenko.[5] In August 2016, another club named "FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv" began to operate in theUkrainian Amateur Football League[6] with the stated intention of competing in the (professional)Ukrainian Second League as soon as possible.[6] "FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv" is owned by a company not linked with the original FC Metalist Kharkiv.[7][6]
In October 2017, a Ukrainian court confiscated (the original) Metalist Kharkiv from Kurchenko and placed it understate property.[8] At the time the club did not participate in any official sanctioned competitions.[8] Also in July 2020, former FC Metalist sports director Yevhen Krasnikov createdFC Metal Kharkiv which has since participated in the Ukrainian Second League. Earlier on 5 May 2020,Oleksandr Yaroslavskyi announced that he wishes to take care of the debts of the liquidated Metalist.[9][10][11][12] The return of Yaroslavskyi to football arose some criticism connected with politics of the city of Kharkiv.[13] After winning theSecond League in June 2021, it was confirmed that Metal will be renamed to Metalist and the old FC Metalist Kharkiv logo will be returned to the club, along with its brand and history.[14]
Following a season in the Ukrainian Premier League, in 2023 the revived Metalist was relegated back to the second tier where it struggled in performance as well as dealing with legal proceedings to claim back the Metalist heritage by paying off old debts.[15]
Metalist/Metallist (since 1967) – All-UnionZenit sports society (part of reinstating and separating from Avanhard)
FC Metalist Kharkiv was initially founded on 11 December 1925 asKhPZ (Kharkovskiy Parovoznyi Zavod – Kharkiv Steam Locomotive Factory), when a local locomotive construction facility (Kharkiv Steam-locomotive Factory, today theMalyshev Factory) provided funding and allowed use of its land to start a football club.[16] The first factory team however played under the name of "Parovoznik" since 1922.[17] A big impulse to development of football among factory teams was construction of the Traktor Stadium (todayMetalist Stadium) which was opened in September 1926.[17] The stadium was built on a directive ofAnastas Mikoyan (Minister of Foreign and Home Trade).[18] It was built by workers of the Lokomotive Factory and became the biggest in the city.[18] After the opening a team of KhPZ met with the city team ofDnipropetrovsk (renamed in previous month from Yekaterinoslav) tying the match in 2:2 with 8,000 spectators observing the match.[18][17] In August 1927, the stadium was hosting the Ukrainian Spartakiade final stage.[17]
Ten years later in 1935, the club won the city ofKharkiv championship,[16] which allowed the club to enter theUSSR Cup in the following season.[16] Until theWorld War II, the team was completely in shadow of some other Kharkiv teams such asFC Dynamo Kharkiv,FC Silmash Kharkiv, and others. Among notable players of the early period, it should be mentionedMykola Krotov who in 1927 moved to KhPZ from the Dynamo's predecessor Shturm Kharkiv.
Following World War II, the factory team joined theDzerzhinets sports society assuming its name and resumed playing in local competitions, promoting itself to the Second Group (Soviet Second Division) in 1947[16] only to be demoted three seasons later. In the first post-war decade the club was completely overshadowed by its another city rivalFC Lokomotyv Kharkiv which was member of the SovietLokomotiv sports society.
In 1956, Metalist asAvanhard returned to theSoviet Second League B[16] replacing its city rivals Lokomotyv Kharkiv. Many players from Lokomotyv joined the Avanhard factory team among which wereHeorhiy Borzenko, Mykola Uhraitskyi, Vitaliy Zub and others. Soon thereafter Avanhard was promoted first toSoviet First League in 1958, and later to theSoviet Top League in 1960. The club stayed in Top League for 4 seasons, but was demoted to First League in 1963, continuing its decline with demotion to Second League. In 1978, the club was promoted to the Soviet First League[16] and two years later, the club finished third in the competition narrowly missing promotion to the top flight. The following season, the club improved on their previous performance and won the Soviet First League outright to earn a spot in Soviet Top League.[16] The club sustained 10 seasons of the Soviet Top League with several successes on the domestic front. In 1983, Metalist was the runner-up in the USSR Cup (losing 1–0 toShakhtar Donetsk) and a few years later in 1988 would win the cup, beatingTorpedo Moscow 2–0.[16] As a result, Metalist Kharkiv earned a trip to theUEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Metalist only advanced to the last sixteen of the competition, beating Yugoslavian sideBorac Banja Luka and losing to the Dutch clubRoda JC.
After thedissolution of the Soviet Union and the formation of an independent Ukraine, Metalist joined the inaugural season of theUkrainian Premier League in 1992. The club finished in fifth place, an achievement it would never top until the2006–07 season, finishing in fifth place three more times since, the most notable coming during the2001–02 season. The club finished with 40 points, on a par withMetalurh Zaporizhzhya andDnipro Dnipropetrovsk for a three-way tie. Metalist was expected to take fourth place (and subsequently compete in theUEFA Cup) by virtue of having the best three-way, head-to-head record among the three teams (which is the official tie-breaker to be used in domestic competitions), but following a protest by Metalurh Zaporizhzhya and an arbitrary decision by PFL (the administrative body of the UPL), Metalurh Zaporizhzhya was awarded fourth place on the grounds that it had better head-to-head records independently against either side.[19]
Following unsuccessful protests from Metalist, a disheartened management, team and fan base would see the club finish bottom in the following season and earning a demotion to theUkrainian First League. However, the club would return to the UPL after one season and following a financial crisis and a takeover of the club byUkrSibbank ownerOleksandr Yaroslavsky, steady investment would see Metalist show improvement and balanced performance. Yaroslavsky sold the club to new ownerSerhiy Kurchenko late in December 2012.[20]Kurchenko left Ukraine in February 2014 following the2014 Ukrainian revolution and his current whereabouts are unknown.[21]
In the2006–07 season, Metalist finished third place in the league, qualifying for the2007–08 UEFA Cup, their second appearance in aUEFA competition. They were drawn against English clubEverton. The first leg, away atGoodison Park, ended in a 1–1 draw while Everton won the second leg 3–2, eliminating Metalist.
Metalist's next European competition was the2008–09 UEFA Cup. The club beatBeşiktaş 4–2 on aggregate in the first round to qualify for the group stage, where they were grouped withGalatasaray,Olympiacos,Hertha BSC andBenfica. Metalist finished top of the group, beating Galatasaray, Olympiacos and Benfica, whilst drawing 0–0 with Hertha. In the round of 32, Metalist defeated Italian clubSampdoria 3–0 on aggregate, setting up for an all-Ukrainian round of 16 tie againstDynamo Kyiv. After losing inKyiv 1–0, Metalist won the return leg 3–2, but were eliminated on theaway goals rule.
When the competition was re-branded as the Europa League for the2009–10 season, Metalist beatCroatian sideHNK Rijeka 4–1 on aggregate in the third qualifying round before losing 2–1 on aggregate toAustrian sideSturm Graz, despite holding them 1–1 inGraz. The following season, they finished second inGroup I behind Dutch giantsPSV Eindhoven, thus qualifying for the round of 32 where they were thrashed 6–0 on aggregate byBayer Leverkusen. They reached the quarter-finals the following season, beating Olympiacos on away goals in the round of 16, but falling toSporting CP. The following season, they then faced Bayer Leverkusen again—after beating Leverkusen 2–0 on 22 November 2012, Metalist finished above the side on head-to-head points (13), as they both finished on 13 points and had played out a goalless draw at theBayArena. In the round of 32, Metalist then faced English clubNewcastle United. After holding them to a goalless draw atSt James' Park in the first leg on 14 February,Shola Ameobi scored a penalty sent Newcastle through 1–0 on aggregate.
In August 2013, UEFA disqualified Metalist from all 2013–14 UEFA competitions.[22][nb 1]
It is believed thatSerhiy Kurchenko bought the club from Yaroslavskyi at the end of 2012 for $100 million, supposedly.[3] According to Kurchenko, he invested into the club around $270 million,[3] but ran out of Ukraine in 2014.[3] Since then, financing of the club was stopped.[3]
On 22 April 2016, the FFU Committee announced that Metalist would not be allowed to participate in professional competitions because of its debts to its players.[25][26] On 16 May 2016, the FFU Appeal Committee left in force the decision of the FFU Football Clubs Attestation Committee of 22 April 2016 and refused in issuing attestation for the next season for the club by declining its appeals.[27] Metalist owed in salary to its players 32 millionEuros with 5 million toCleiton Xavier in particular.[1] In June 2016Nashi Groshi were informing thatNational Police of Ukraine opened criminal proceedings and asked the court on access to the Metalist salaries data.[3] According to the Kominternivskyi District Court of Kharkiv, Metalist debt to its players and personnel exceeds over₴30 million.[3]
In July 2016, a team named SK Metalist Kharkiv started playing in theKharkiv Oblast Championship.[4] "SK Metalist Kharkiv" is owned by the same man under whose watch Metalist Kharkiv was expelled from the professional leagues: Serhiy Kurchenko.[5] In 2016 Kharkiv Oblast Championship, the club competed under the name UPhC Olimpik – SC Metalist and placed the last place.[28] UPhC Olimpik is a team of theKharkiv State College of Physical Culture 1.
Since March 2017, FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv plays its home matches at theMetalist Stadium; where Metalist Kharkiv used to play its home games.[32]
On 28 April 2017 the FFU Control and Disciplinary Committee (CDC) implemented sanctions against 14 players of the FC Metalist Kharkiv on petition of the FFU Committee on ethics and fair play. Most players were restricted from conducting any activity related to football between six months to a year. Sanctions of three out of those 14 players exceeded that period up to three years and included such players as Yevhen Malyk (2yrs), Dmytro Skarzhynskyi (3yrs), and Oleksandr Medvedev (3yrs).[33]
(The original) Metalist Kharkiv was in October 2017 confiscated by a Ukrainian court from Kurchenko and placed under state property.[8] At the time the club did not participate in any official sanctioned competitions.[8] In August 2017, all assets of the late Metalist including its non-material assets and corporate rights of PAT "FC Metalist", TOV "Metalist Holding", and TOV "Metalist-Arena" were transferred to the state property when to the assets of Viktor Yanukovych associates on petition of the Prosecutor General was implemented the procedure of special confiscation.[2] The approximate value of the assets accounted for about $220 million, $65 million of which is the actual property of FC Metalist.[2] Decision about the confiscation was adopted by the Sosnivskyi District Court of Cherkasy, while its public promotion was carried out by Prosecutor GeneralYuriy Lutsenko.[2]
On 22 December 2017 it became known that among creditors who filed claims against the club are Kharkivoblenerho, Kharkivgaszbut, town of Vysochansk, Metalist Stadium, Cyprus off-shore company Hensley Capital Limited (a founding company of the club),State Fiscal Service inKharkiv Oblast. In addition, the club indebted about ₴846 million to its former playing and non-playing staff.[34]
For undetermined reason the Metalist property was never transferred to the Assets Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) which is a state agency in management of recovered property.[2] Instead, on 11 April 2018 theCabinet of Ukraine ordered the property to be transferred under administration of theKharkiv Oblast State Administration (seeGovernor of Kharkiv Oblast).[2]
A new team based inKharkiv and namedMetal was founded in 2019[35] by former vice-president ofDynamo Kyiv and former sportive director of Metalist Yevhen Krasnikov. Metal debuted in theUkrainian Second League in the2020–21 season.[36] Along withOleksandr Kucher as the head coach, Metal was joined by former head coach ofMetalist 1925 KharkivOleksandr Pryzetko.[37] After winning the Second League in June 2021, Metal was renamed Metalist, and the old logo returned to the club, along with its brand and history.[14]Oleksandr Yaroslavsky, who was in charge of the old club from 2005 to 2012, became the president of the new club.[38]
On 18 October 2023, a former player of MetalistDavid Caiado filed a new case with CAS against the revived club to recover his salary compensation (CAS 2022/A/9288).[39] David Caiado played for Metalist in 2015. The club has appealed denying its relationship to the original club in hope to avoid paying owed compensations.[40]
As Metalist Stadium was one of the venues forUEFA Euro 2012, the management decided to reconstruct and expand the arena and turn it into a modern recreational and leisure facility. In May 2008, Metalist Arena was the venue for2008 Ukrainian Cup Final.
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.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Metalist Kharkiv participates in European competitions since 1988, when they played their first game againstBorac Banja Luka. From 2007 to 2014, however, the club continuously participated on annual basis with variable successes. This ended when Metalist failed to qualify.
^On 14 August 2013 UEFA announced that Metalist was banned from the2013–14 UEFA Champions League due to an ongoing match fixing investigation related to match fixing arising from a game played againstFC Karpaty Lviv in April 2008.[23] The club appealed the decision at theCourt of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but it rejected Metalist's request, disqualifying the club from European 2013–14 competitions on 16 August 2013.[23] The club was on the verge of competing in thequalifying phase of the tournament at the time of the decision.[24] The CAS announced its final decision on Metalist's complaint on 28 August 2013 (thus one day after the club's final match in the qualifying phase of the tournament would have taken place); it upheld UEFA's decision to disqualify Metalist from European competitions.[22][24]
^The club was renamed from FC Metal Kharkiv to FC Metalist Kharkiv