PFC Spartak Plovdiv
| File:Spartak Plovdiv logo.png | ||||
| Full name | Professional Football Club Spartak Plovdiv 1947 | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Гладиаторите (The Gladiators) | |||
| Founded | 15 November 1947 | |||
| Ground | Todor Diev Stadium Plovdiv, Bulgaria | |||
| Capacity | 3,500 | |||
| Chairman | Georgi Kolev | |||
| Manager | Stefan Uchikov | |||
| League | Southeast Third League | |||
| 2021–22 | A RFG Plovdiv, (promoted) | |||
| Website | Club website | |||
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PFC Spartak Plovdiv (Bulgarian: ПФК Спартак Пловдив) is a Bulgarian football club based in Plovdiv, which currently plays in the third tier of Bulgarian football, the Third League. The club was established in 1947 and folded its senior team in 2016, before being 'refounded' in 2017. Spartak currently plays its home matches at the 3,000-seat Todor Diev Stadium in the Kichuk Parizh district of Plovdiv. The stadium is named after the club's all-time greatest player Todor Diev.
Established in 1947, following the communist takeover in Bulgaria, Spartak was first enrolled in the second tier in 1952, before achieving promotion to the A Group a year later. In the following years, Spartak established itself as a force in the first tier. In 1958, Spartak won its first major trophy, the Bulgarian Cup, beating Minyor Pernik in the final. Spartak Plovdiv’s greatest achievement came in 1963, however, when the team surprisingly won the Bulgarian league. The following year, Spartak participated in the Balkans Cup, where the team finished as runner-up.
Following these achievements, Spartak was dissolved in 1967 to the surprise of many, when the club was merged into Botev Plovdiv. The team was re-founded in 1982 as an independent club, starting from the third tier. In 1995, Spartak returned to the top level of Bulgarian football, 28 years after its last appearance in the A Group. Spartak survived only two seasons, however, and it was relegated in 1997. After that, the team suffered financial problems and has been playing in lower leagues mostly since then.
History
Spartak was founded on 15 November 1947, after being evolved from three earlier Plovdiv clubs – Levski, Septemvri and Udarnik. The club name is a reference to the Roman slave hero Spartacus. This reference also explains the club's nickname – The Gladiators (Bulgarian: Гладиаторите). The first team colours of the club were chosen the same year, and soon Spartak was characterized by a blue, red and white check jersey.
The 1950s and 1960s were Spartak's golden age, spending that time in the A PFG. The club has been once champions of Bulgaria (in 1963), coming second the previous year, and Bulgarian Cup winners (in 1958).
The club participated in the European Cup competition for the first time in 1963-64 against FK Partizani Tirana (0:1, 3:1) and vs PSV (0:1, 0:0). The second continental participation was in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1966-67 vs S.L. Benfica (1:1, 0:3). In 1964, Spartak reached the Balkans Cup final, losing to FC Rapid București after two legs – 1:1 at home and 0:2 away.
In 1967 Spartak was merged with SSK Akademik and Botev Plovdiv into a new club – AFD Trakia. An independent Spartak did not re-emerge until 1982. The club spent the period from 1982 to 1994 in the second and third divisions. In the 1993–94 season Spartak finished 2nd in B PFG, and qualified again for the A PFG, after 27 years of absence from top football. But two seasons later, the team relegated again to B PFG. The club merged in 1998 with Komatevo Sokol`94 and were renamed Spartak-S`94. This remained the club's official name till the 2001–02 season.
Spartak dissolved its senior squad in 2016, due to financial problems. In 2017, the club was restored, starting from the fourth tier of football, Regional A OFG Plovdiv. In the same year, the club introduced an updated crest, displaying the helmet of Spartacus, after whom the club is named. In 2020, the club promoted to the Third League, but was relegated the next season. After one year, Spartak again reached the Third League.
League positions
Honours
Domestic
European
Runners-up (1): 1964
Players
- As of 1 August 2020[1]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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European record
| Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
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| 1963–64 | European Cup | Preliminary round |  Albania
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FK Partizani Tirana | 3–1 | 0–1 | 3–2 |
| First round |  Netherlands
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PSV Eindhoven | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | ||
| 1966–67 | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | Second round |  Portugal
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S.L. Benfica | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–4 |
Kit manufacturers
References
External links |
- Pages using the EasyTimeline extension
- CS1 Bulgarian-language sources (bg)
- Articles with short description
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- Articles containing Bulgarian-language text
- FC Spartak Plovdiv
- Association football clubs established in 1947
- Football clubs in Bulgaria
- 1947 establishments in Bulgaria
- Association football clubs disestablished in 2016
- 2016 disestablishments in Germany