PFC Marek Dupnitsa
Encyclopedia
PFC Marek Dupnitsa is a Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

 club from the town of Dupnitsa. It was founded in 1947 after the unification of four other local clubs - Atletic, Slavia, ZHSK and Levski. Its home matches take place at the Bonchuk Stadium
Bonchuk Stadium
Bonchuk Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Dupnitsa, Bulgaria. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home field of PFC Marek Dupnitsa. The stadium has seating capacity for 16,050 people....

.

Address

  • Sports complex Bonchuk
  • Dupnitsa 8000 Bulgaria
  • phone: +359 (701)320 07
  • fax: +359 320 07
  • e-mail: marek@satline.net

Early history (1919–1947)

The people of Dupnitsa saw football being played for the first time by foreign troops staying in the city during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. Over the next several years, 4 football clubs were created in Dupnitsa - Slavia, Levski, ZHSK and Athletic. In 1923, the teams of Dupnitsa participated in the formation of Southwest Football League and between 1935 and 1944 the clubs from Dupnitsa often participated in the finals of the national tournaments. By 1944 each of the four teams already had its own stadium.

Marek (1947-1970)

In 1947 Slavia, Levski, ZHSK and Athletic decided to merge into one club, who was named Marek. This name is the nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....

 for Stefan "Stanke" Dimitrov, a local hero of the Communist party. Marek is an abbreviation which contains the first letters of Stefan Dimitrov's nickname - Marxist, Antifascist, Revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...

, Emigrant, Communist.

In 1948 Marek became a part of the newly created first division of Bulgarian football, Bulgarian A PFG, finishing eighth out of ten clubs in season 1948-49, but the team was relegated to the 2nd division, B PFG, in 1950.

Marek subsequently won promotions to the Bulgarian A PFG in 1952 and 1956, followed by immediate relegation to B PFG the following seasons, 1953 and 1957, respectively.

During these years, Marek's greatest achievement was 5th place in the Bulgarian A PFG during the 1960/1961 season. The team's coach at that time was Lyuben Petrov.

Up until the mid-1970's, Marek bounced back and fourth between the 1st and 2nd divisions of Bulgarian football.

Success in Bulgaria and Europe (1975-1981)

The biggest successes for Marek came in the late 1970s and the early 1980s when the team finished third in its domestic league in 1977 and won National Cup
Bulgarian Cup
The Bulgarian Cup is a Bulgarian annual football competition. It is the country's main cup competition and all officially registered Bulgarian football teams take part in it. It is sponsored by the Bulgarian Corporate Commercial Bank....

 (The Cup of the Soviet Army, as it was called at the time) in 1978, by defeating the overwhelming favorites of CSKA Sofia
PFC CSKA Sofia
PFC CSKA Sofia , commonly known as CSKA or CSKA Sofia is a professional football club based in Sofia, Bulgaria. The club was officially founded on May 5, 1948. CSKA's abbreviation stands for Central Sports Club of the Army...

 by the score of 1:0 in front of 75.000 spectators at Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...

, Bulgaria.

During the 1976-1977 season, Marek defeated the giant PFC CSKA Sofia
PFC CSKA Sofia
PFC CSKA Sofia , commonly known as CSKA or CSKA Sofia is a professional football club based in Sofia, Bulgaria. The club was officially founded on May 5, 1948. CSKA's abbreviation stands for Central Sports Club of the Army...

 twice, home and away, with the scores 2:1 and 3:1. That season Marek led the league for several rounds and at the end the team fought tooth and nail with Slavia Sofia for the third place in the table. Marek won the decisive game against Slavia Sofia in Dupnitsa by the score 1:0, and finished in 3rd place, winning the bronze medals. This is Marek's best finish to date in the top flight of Bulgarian football.

In this period the team also played in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

: UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

, Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...

, and Intertoto Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...

. The most famous games are against mighty Bayern München
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....

 (a 2:0 victory), against Ferenzvaros
Ferencvárosi Torna Club
Ferencvárosi TC or FTC , simply known as Ferencváros, nicknamed Fradi , is a sport club in Hungary, founded in 1899 by Ferenc Springer and a group of local residents of Budapest's ninth district, Ferencváros. Ferencváros is best known for winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1964-65 in 1965 by...

 of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...

 (a 3:0 victory), and against Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...

 of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 (a 3:2 victory). The Aberdeen squad was led by the now-legendary coach Sir Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...

. The return leg in Scotland was tied 0:0 until late in the game, when substitute Gordon Strachan
Gordon Strachan
Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...

 scored a goal and led his team to a 3:0 victory. The club also competed in the 1980 Intertoto Cup against IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, the club has won 18 national championship titles, five national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups....

 (2:3,1:4) - a team that won the UEFA Cup just a year later;B 93 Copenhagen
Boldklubben 1893
Boldklubben af 1893 is a Danish football club currently playing in the Danish 2nd Division East. They play at the 7,000 seat Østerbro Stadion in Østerbro, Copenhagen.-Achievements:* Danish championship titles :...

 (2:0,2:3), and Austria Salzburg (4:2, 2:2) to finish second in the group. The following season Marek once again competed in the Intertoto Cup-against Stuttgarter Kickers
Stuttgarter Kickers
Stuttgarter Kickers is a German association football club that plays in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, founded on 21 September 1899 as FC Stuttgarter Cickers...

 (0:1,0:2), Viking F.K.
Viking F.K.
Viking Fotballklubb is a Norwegian football club from the city of Stavanger. The club was founded in 1899 as football was becoming increasingly popular...

 (1:2,0:3), and Willem II Tilburg
Willem II Tilburg
Willem II , also known as Willem II Tilburg, is a football club based in Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands. The team was founded on 12 August 1896 as Tilburgia...

(0:1,1:4)-and finished last in its group.

Stadium and fans:
The team is known for its loyal supporters and the local stadium "Bonchuk Stadium
Bonchuk Stadium
Bonchuk Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Dupnitsa, Bulgaria. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home field of PFC Marek Dupnitsa. The stadium has seating capacity for 16,050 people....

" is infamous for being a difficult place for visiting teams. "Bonchuk Stadium
Bonchuk Stadium
Bonchuk Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Dupnitsa, Bulgaria. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home field of PFC Marek Dupnitsa. The stadium has seating capacity for 16,050 people....

" holds 16.050 people. The town of Dupnitsa was known as the "city on wheels", because thousands of loyal Marek fans would follow the team at away games to remote parts of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

.

Famous players:
Among the most famous players of Marek are Kiril Milanov, Dimitar Isakov, Nikolay Krastev (Shultz), Sasho Pargov, Ivan and Ventzi Petrov, Stoyan Stoyanov (a goalkeeper), Asen Tomov, and Dimitre Dimitrov-Miki. The coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...

 associated with the successes of Marek is Yanko Dinkov.

Recent history (2001-2010)

In 1983, Marek was relegated to B PFG and then the third division of Bulgarian football.

After over a decade of playing in the lower divisions, in 2001 Marek returned triumphantly to the Bulgarian A PFG.

As a participant in the Intertoto Cup, Marek tied 1:1 the German Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...

 in 2003, but lost away from home the second leg, 0:2, and was eliminated from the tournament. The team finished 7th at the conclusion of the 2003–04 season, 9th at the end of the 2004–05 season, 11th after the 2005–06 season, and 12th at the end of the 2006–07 football season of the Bulgarian premier division, Bulgarian A PFG (out of 16 teams). In 2006/2007, Marek secured its place in the Bulgarian top division for the next season with a 1:0 home win over the powerhouse CSKA Sofia.

During the 2007-08 season, Marek was plagued by injuries of key players, several coaching changes and a not-so-well covered conflict between the senior players of the club: Angelo and Yanek Kyuchukov
Yanek Kyuchukov
Yanek Kuchukov is a Bulgarian former football defender.In Bulgarian first division A PFG Yanek have 171 matches and scored 11 goals.*Height - 1.87 m.*Weight - 76 kg.-References:...

 and the club president, Yordan Andreev. Further, the team sold their best and most talented player, Enyo Krastovchev
Enyo Krastovchev
Enyo Krastovchev is a Bulgarian footballer who currently plays for AZAL PFC Baku.-Marek Dupnitsa:Krastovchev was raised in Marek Dupnitsa's youth teams. He made your official debut in A PFG on 18-years old in 2002. Between 2003 and 2005 Krastovchev played in Bulgaria national under-21 football team...

, to Levski Sofia.
As a result, the team finished in last place, 16th, with only 5 wins in 30 games, in the Bulgarian A PFG, and was relegated to B PFG for the 2008/2009 season.

Before the start of the 2008/2009 season in B PFG, the team held its pre-season training in France in an attempt by the club President Andreev to compile a team made up exclusively of young foreign players. The team even had a Portuguese coach for the first few games of the season. The regular season started disastrously for Marek. After several consecutive losses, the Portuguese coach was fired, and all but one of the foreign players left the club.

Marek barely survived the 2008/2009 season in B PFG, finishing 14th out of 16 teams, winning only 7 out of 30 regular season games, scoring 29 and conceding 48 goals.

During the 2009/2010 season in B PFG, the team was coached by Velin Kostadinov and player-manager Angelo Kyuchukov. The team found more consistency and finished comfortably in 10th place with 41 points.

A New Beginning (2010- )

The Bulgarian Football Federation denied Marek the license to compete in B PFG for the 2010/2011 season due to the team's financial debts. Thus, the club had to start over and compete at the lowest level of Bulgarian football, in the regional amateur league, Zona Rila. The team's new coach became Ivaylo Pargov
Ivaylo Pargov
Ivaylo Pargov is a football forward from Bulgaria currently playing for Beroe Stara Zagora. He is a central striker.-Career:...

, a former player for the team.

During the 2010/2011 season, Marek dominated the local amateur division and after winning all but one of its regular season games, it earned a playoff game against PFC Belasitsa Petrich
PFC Belasitsa Petrich
PFC Belasitsa is a Bulgarian football club from the town of Petrich, currently playing in the Bulgarian South-West V AFG. The team founded 1923...

 for the right to play in the third division, Bulgarian V AFG
Bulgarian V AFG
The Bulgarian V Amateur Football Group is the third level of the Bulgarian football league system. While the first division and the second division are professional, the third division V AFG is amateur division...

. The playoff game was tied after 90 minutes, 1:1, and Belasitsa went on to win on penalties.

Despite the lost playoff and the prospect of spending a second season in the regional amateur league, a number of third division teams declined participation prior to the upcoming 2011/2012 season due to financial insolvency. Thus, Marek was administratively promoted to the third division, Bulgarian V AFG
Bulgarian V AFG
The Bulgarian V Amateur Football Group is the third level of the Bulgarian football league system. While the first division and the second division are professional, the third division V AFG is amateur division...

 for the 2011/2012 season.

UEFA cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

Season Competition Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate
1977/78 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

1   Ferencváros 3-0 0-2 3-2
2   Bayern Munchen 2-0 0-3 2-3

Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...

Season Competition Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate
1978/79
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1978-79
The season 1978-79 of the European Cup Winners' Cup was won by FC Barcelona in an exciting final in Basle against Fortuna Düsseldorf. It was the first of four occasions that the Catalan club won the tournament.- First round :-First leg:-Second leg:...

Cup Winners' Cup
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season—but...

1   Aberdeen FC 3-2 0-3 3-5

Intertoto Cup

Year Stage Match Results
1980 group   Marek -   IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, the club has won 18 national championship titles, five national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups....

2:3,1:4
1980 group   Marek -   Austria Salzburg 4:2,2:2
1980 group   Marek -   B 93 Copenhagen
Boldklubben 1893
Boldklubben af 1893 is a Danish football club currently playing in the Danish 2nd Division East. They play at the 7,000 seat Østerbro Stadion in Østerbro, Copenhagen.-Achievements:* Danish championship titles :...

2:0,2:3
1981 group   Marek -   Stuttgarter Kickers
Stuttgarter Kickers
Stuttgarter Kickers is a German association football club that plays in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, founded on 21 September 1899 as FC Stuttgarter Cickers...

0:1,0:2
1981 group   Marek -   Viking F.K.
Viking F.K.
Viking Fotballklubb is a Norwegian football club from the city of Stavanger. The club was founded in 1899 as football was becoming increasingly popular...

1:2,0:3
1981 group   Marek -   Willem II
Willem II Tilburg
Willem II , also known as Willem II Tilburg, is a football club based in Tilburg, North Brabant, Netherlands. The team was founded on 12 August 1896 as Tilburgia...

0:1,1:4
2002 1/32   Marek -   Caersws FC
Caersws F.C.
Caersws F.C. is a football team, playing in the Cymru Alliance.The club was founded in 1887 as Caersws Amateurs, and adopted the present name when amateur status was dropped in 1974. The team plays at the Recreation Ground, Caersws, which accommodates 4000 spectators .The team's first choice strip...

2:0,1:1
2002 1/16   F.C. Ashdod
F.C. Ashdod
F.C. Ashdod is an Israeli football club, playing in the port city of Ashdod. The unorthodox name of the team is the result of the union of two city rivals, Hapoel Ashdod and Maccabi Ironi Ashdod...

 -   Marek
1:1,0:1
2002 1/8   Marek -   Slaven Belupo 0:3,1:3
2003 1/32   Videoton -  Marek 2:2,1:1
2003 1/16   Marek -   VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg
VfL Wolfsburg is a professional German association football club based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, who play in the Bundesliga football competition. Wolfsburg have won the Bundesliga once in their history, in the 2008–09 season, and were DFB-Pokal runners-up in 1995. The current head coach is Felix...

1:1,0:2
2004 1/32   Marek -   FC Dila Gori
FC Dila Gori
FC Dila Gori is a Georgian football club based in Gori. The club plays in the Umaglesi Liga and plays their home games at Tengiz Burjanadze Stadium.- Current squad :15px-Seasons:-Sponsor:...

0:0,4:2
2004 1/16   K.R.C. Genk
K.R.C. Genk
Koninklijke Racing Club Genk , usually referred to as Racing Genk or simply Genk, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Genk in Belgian Limburg. Racing Genk plays in the Belgian Pro League and they have won 3 Belgian champion titles in 1998–99, in 2001–02 and in 2010–11 as...

 -   Marek
1:0,0:0

Current squad

As of September 1, 2010

Notable players

The following players included were either playing for their respective national teams or left good impression among the fans.
Bulgaria
  • Dimitar Isakov
    Dimitar Isakov
    Dimitar Isakov is a retired Bulgarian football player. Isakov was a central forward.During his career, he played for PFC Marek Dupnitsa and PFC Slavia Sofia. He was the Bulgarian League's top goalscorer during the 1951–52 season, scoring 10 goals for Slavia...

  • Sasho Pargov
    Sasho Pargov
    Sasho Pargov is a retired Bulgarian football player. Pargov was a central forward.He played with Marek Dupnitsa and earned 382 caps and scored 167 goals...

  • Kiril Milanov
    Kiril Milanov
    Kiril Milanov was a Bulgarian football player.He played in Marek Dupnitsa between 1966 and 1971, Akademik Sofia between 1971 and 1973 and in Levski Sofia between 1973 and 1978. Kiril has 110 caps and 64 goals. He played for Bulgaria national football team, earning 21 caps and scored 4 goals...

  • Georgi Sapinev
    Georgi Sapinev
    Georgi Sapinev is a retired Bulgarian football player. Sapinev was an offensive midfielder.He played for Marek Dupnitsa between 1961 and 1972 and earned 232 caps and scored 47 goals.-External links:*...

  • Stoyan Stoyanov
  • Asen Tomov
  • Ventsislav Petrov


Bulgaria
  • Nikolay Krastev
  • Dimitre Dimitrov
  • Ivaylo Pargov
    Ivaylo Pargov
    Ivaylo Pargov is a football forward from Bulgaria currently playing for Beroe Stara Zagora. He is a central striker.-Career:...

  • Yanek Kyuchukov
    Yanek Kyuchukov
    Yanek Kuchukov is a Bulgarian former football defender.In Bulgarian first division A PFG Yanek have 171 matches and scored 11 goals.*Height - 1.87 m.*Weight - 76 kg.-References:...

  • Anzhelo Kyuchukov
    Anzhelo Kyuchukov
    Anzhelo Kyuchukov is a former Bulgarian footballer and currently manager of Marek Dupnitsa.-References:...

  • Velizar Dimitrov
    Velizar Dimitrov
    Velizar Dimitrov is a Bulgarian football player who, as of 2008 was playing for FC Metalurh Donetsk. He is a winger and his sharp dribling skills have made him an influential figure for PFC CSKA Sofia....

  • Krum Bibishkov
    Krum Bibishkov
    Krum Bibishkov is a Bulgarian football forward, who currently plays for Minyor Pernik.-Career:...

  • Enyo Krastovchev
    Enyo Krastovchev
    Enyo Krastovchev is a Bulgarian footballer who currently plays for AZAL PFC Baku.-Marek Dupnitsa:Krastovchev was raised in Marek Dupnitsa's youth teams. He made your official debut in A PFG on 18-years old in 2002. Between 2003 and 2005 Krastovchev played in Bulgaria national under-21 football team...



Armenia

Georgia
  • Amiran Mujiri
    Amiran Mujiri
    Amiran Mudjiri is a former Georgian footballer.Mujiri played for clubs in South Eastern Europe.-Career:He played for CSKA Sofia since December 2003. Mujiri became regular in 2004–05 season, played 28 games in APFG, and twice in UEFA Cup First Round...



Macedonia
  • Sašo Lazarevski
    Sašo Lazarevski
    Sašo Lazarevski is a Macedonian footballer who plays as a defender for FK Pelister in the Macedonian First League.-External links:* * * *...



Serbia
  • Vladimir Đilas

Note: For a complete list of Marek Dupnitsa players, see :Category:PFC Marek Dupnitsa players.
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