FC Artmedia Petržalka

Football club infobox
clubname = Artmedia Petržalka


fullname = FC Artmedia Petržalka
nickname = Engerau
founded = June 7, 1898
ground = Štadión Petržalka, Bratislava, Slovakia
capacity = 9,500 (for UEFA matches: 7,100)
chairman = flagicon|Slovakia Vladimír Bajan
manager =
league = Corgoň Liga
season = 2007-08
position = First Division, 1st (champions)
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leftarm1=FFFFFF|body1=FFFFFF|rightarm1=FFFFFF|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=FFFFFF
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leftarm2=006600|body2=006600|rightarm2=006600|shorts2=000000|socks2=FFFFFF

FC Artmedia Petržalka, also known as FC Artmedia Bratislava, is a Slovak football club from the Petržalka district of the capital, Bratislava.

History

* 1898 - Founded as "Pozsonyi Torna Egyesület"
* 1919 - Renamed "Pozsonyi Torna Egyesület"
* 1953 - Renamed "Kovosmalt Bratislava"
* 1956 - Renamed "Spartak Kovosmalt Bratislava"
* 1963 - Renamed "TJ Považské Strojárne Bratislava"
* 1965 - Renamed "Spartak Sklárske stroje Bratislava"
* 1974 - Renamed "TJ SKS Bratislava"
* 1976 - Renamed "TJ ZTS Petržalka"
* 1986 - Merged with "TJ Internacionál Slovnaft Bratislava" to form "TJ Internacionál Slovnaft ZŤS Bratislava", but split again in 1990.
* 1990 - Renamed "TJ ZŤS Petržalka"
* 1990 - (later) Renamed "1. FC Hydronika Petržalka"
* 1991 - Renamed "1. FC Petržalka"
* 1993 - Renamed "FK Artmedia Petržalka"
* 2005 - Renamed "FC Artmedia Bratislava"
* 2007 - Renamed "FC Artmedia Petržalka"

Honours

Domestic

* Slovakian League "(1993 - Present)"
** "Winners (2):" 2005,2008

* Slovenský Pohár "(Slovakian Cup)"
** "Winners (2):" 2004, 2008

* Pribina Cup "(Slovakian Super Cup)"
** "Winners (1):" 2005

Stadium

Artmedia plays their home matches at Petržalka Stadion. The pitch at the place of the stadium has been there for more than a hundred years. Even before World War II, the stadium was the venue of several international matches. Although destroyed during the war, new stands soon arose from the ruins of the old one and the stadium started to resemble its current look. Major changes have occurred in the last ten years, following improvements in Artmedia's footballing results. Stands behind goals were totally reconstructed and a ones were built along the pitch.

Today's estimated capacity is 10,000; however, it is impossible to give the exact value, because the older part of the stadium still remains for standing visitors. The average attendance of league matches at this stadium is somewhere above 4,000, one of the highest in Slovakia. However, the stadium does not meet some of the UEFA criteria, therefore the club has been forced to play its international matches elsewhere. Notably, they played their 2005-06 UEFA Champions League campaign at Tehelné pole, home venue of crosstown rivals Slovan Bratislava.

2005-06 European campaign

They famously reached the lucrative group stages of the UEFA Champions League in 2005-06 after wins over Kairat Almaty, Celtic and Partizan Belgrade. They beat Almaty 4-3 on aggregate in the 1st qualifying round despite a 2-0 defeat in the first leg. However it was on 27 July 2005 that they made their mark on the tournament, producing one of the shock results of Champions League history as they beat 2003 UEFA Cup finalists and 1967 European Cup winners Celtic 5-0 in the first leg of their Champions League 2nd qualifying round match. The stunned Celtic side could not quite recover, only managing to win the return leg 4-0, and Artmedia held on to progress in the tournament. On 23 August 2005 they clinched a place in the group stages after overcoming Serbian power Partizan Belgrade 4-3 on penalties after a 0-0 aggregate scoreline thus becoming the second Slovak club after 1. FC Košice 1997-98 to reach the coveted Champions League proper. Their success was even more remarkable considering Artmedia's entire annual budget is just over £1m.

Artmedia also made history by becoming one of the first two clubs ever to advance from the first qualifying round into the Champions League group stage. The other club to do so was 2004-05 winners Liverpool, who were given a special entry into the first qualifying round of the 2005-06 event, and joined Artmedia in the group stage.

Artmedia played their Champions League fixtures at the Tehelné pole ground of crosstown rivals Slovan Bratislava because their own ground does not meet UEFA standards for Champions League play.

On 28 September 2005, Artmedia made history once again by becoming the first Slovak side to collect a point in the Champions League group stage (in the eighth attempt by a Slovak side to do so). In another famous upset, they came back from a 2-0 first-half deficit to defeat 2004 Champions League winners Porto 3-2 at Porto's home ground.

Eventually, they finished third in the group, parachuting them into the UEFA Cup, but not before missing a late chance to score a goal in the return fixture against Porto, finishing in the group stages behind Inter Milan and Rangers.

In December 2005 the goalkepper Juraj Čobej underwent a complicated brain surgery attempting to remove a malign tumor. Fortunately, he has fully recovered and has already stood a firm ground in goal during the first rounds of the 2006-07 season.

Artmedia lost the home leg of their UEFA Cup round of 32 tie with Levski Sofia 1-0 and were knocked out of the tournament after an away defeat of 2-0.

After the successful season the coach Vladimír Weiss left to FC Saturn Ramenskoe. [http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/Kind=2/newsId=395059.html] Several players left the club as well (Ján Ďurica to FC Saturn Ramonskoe, Balázs Borbély to 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Blažej Vaščák to Treviso F.B.C.).

Results

* First qualifying Round: Artmedia - Kairat Almaty 0:2, 4:1
* Second qualifying Round: Artmedia - Celtic 5:0, 0:4
* Third qualifying Round: Artmedia - Partizan Belgrade 0:0, 0:0, 4:3 (penalty shootout)
* CL Group H - Artmedia - Inter Milan 0:1
* CL Group H - FC Porto - Artmedia 2:3
* CL Group H - Rangers - Artmedia 0:0
* CL Group H - Artmedia - Rangers 2:2
* CL Group H - Inter Milan - Artmedia 4:0
* CL Group H - Artmedia - FC Porto 0:0
* UEFA Cup Round of 32 - Artmedia - Levski Sofia 0:1
* UEFA Cup Round of 32 - Levski Sofia - Artmedia 2:0

Current squad

Famous players

* Ján Ďurica
* Marek Krejčí
* Filip Šebo
* Balázs Borbély

UEFA ranking

Club Ranking for 2007/2008 Euro Season (Previous year rank in italics, UEFA Club Coefficients in parentheses)
* 141 (14.447)
* 142 (14.390)
* 143 ("153") flagicon|Slovakia Artmedia Bratislava (14.070)
* 144 (13.846)
* 145 (13.400)
* [http://www.kassiesa.com/uefabackup/data/method3/trank2008.html Full List]

References

External links

* [http://www.fcartmedia.sk/ Official website] sk icon