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Full name | Football Club Metalist Kharkiv |
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Nickname(s) | Hor'ky (The Weasels) |
Founded | 11 December 1925 |
Ground | OSC Metalist |
Capacity | 40,003 |
Owner | Serhiy Kurchenko |
2015–16 | 10th (excluded) |
Website | Club website |
Football Club Metalist Kharkiv (Ukrainian: Футбо́льний Клуб Металі́ст Ха́рків [mɛtɐ'list 'xɑrkiw]) is a Ukrainian football club based in Kharkiv. Metalist ceased operations in 2016 due to insolvency. It was removed from the Ukrainian Premier League after owner Serhiy Kurchenko absconded in February 2014, following the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. Founded in 1925, FC Metalist Kharkiv had worked its way up the rungs of the Soviet football system, eventually being promoted to the Soviet 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. The club won the Soviet Cup once, and were also runners-up once. They have also won the bronze title of the Ukrainian Premier League six times in a row, starting in the 2006–07 season. Their home was the Metalist Stadium, a multi-use facility with a capacity of 40,003. The stadium was originally built in 1926 and was recently expanded to host Euro 2012 football matches.
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 the Kharkiv Oblast Championship, whose owner is former Metalist owner Serhiy Kurchenko. In August 2016, another club named "FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv" began to operate in the Ukrainian Amateur Football League with the stated intention of competing in the (professional) Ukrainian Second League as soon as possible. "FC Metalist 1925 Kharkiv" is owned by a company not linked with the original FC Metalist Kharkiv.