Arda Kardzhali
Full nameПрофесионален Футболен Клуб Арда 1924 Кърджали (Professional Football Club Arda 1924 Kardzhali)
Nickname(s)Сините от Кърджали (The blue ones from Kardzhali)
Господарите на Родопите (The Lords of the Rhodopes)
Short nameАрда (Arda)
FoundedAugust 10, 1924 (1924-08-10) (as Rodopski Sokol)
GroundArena Arda, Kardzhali
Capacity11,114
Head coachAleksandar Tunchev
LeagueFirst League
2022–23First League, 7th of 16
WebsiteClub website

FC Arda 1924 Kardzhali (Bulgarian: ПФК Арда Кърджали) is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Kardzhali, that competes in First League, the top tier of the Bulgarian football league system.

It was founded on 13 October 1924, as an association football branch of a larger sports society in the town. The club was reestablished in 2015, after its former entity was dissolved.

Named after the Arda river, a tributary of the Maritsa, Arda's home ground is the Arena Arda in Kardzhali, which has a capacity of 15,000 spectators. For the majority of its existence, the club regularly participated in the Second League, with its highest-ever ranking a second-place finish during the 1955–56 Bulgarian Second League. Arda have also reached the quarter-finals of the Bulgarian Cup once, it happened during the 1959–60 season of the competition.

In 2018–19, Arda won the Second League promotion play-off against Septemvri Sofia, resulting in the club's first-ever appearance in the Bulgarian top division.

History

First Arda team (1924–2013)

Arda was established on August 10, 1924 under the name Rodopski Sokol, but later took the name Arda, derived from the nearby Arda River.[1] From 1945 to 1957 the team was named Minyor until a year later when the previous name was put in use again. In 1956, the club finished as a runner-up in the B Group. They also reached the quarter-finals of the Bulgarian Cup during the 1959–60 campaign of the competition. In 1988 they secured the third place in the B Group. The Kardzhali club spend most of its time in the second and third levels of Bulgarian football, before getting dissolved in 2013 due to financial troubles.

Refounding (2015–2017)

The team suffered relegation from the V Group in 2013 and didn't compete in any league division until 2015 when they returned to the A Regional Group after reestablishment. In 2016, Arda achieved promotion to the Bulgarian Third League after a successful season and a 3–0 win in the play-off match against Lyubimets.[2]

PSI Group ownership and promotion to the elite (2017–present)

In early June 2017, the club was purchased by Bulgarian road construction company PSI Group, in an attempt to develop a football project, inspired by the domestic and international success of Ludogorets.[3] Two weeks later, former Levski Sofia player Elin Topuzakov was appointed as head coach and Emil Kremenliev was hired as sporting director.[4] Subsequently, Petar Peshev was elected chairman of the club and was revealed that the new ownership would invest around €1 million in new signings, salaries and infrastructure around the stadium during the following South-East Third League season.[5] All of this led to an amateur double during the 2017–18 season, as Arda won both its group and the Cup of Bulgarian Amateur Football League, resulting in a promotion to the Bulgarian Second League.[6]

After the unsatisfactory results in the first 5 rounds, Elin Topuzakov was released as a manager and Stoycho Stoev was appointed,[7] but on 6 March 2019 Stamen Belchev was appointed as the new manager, after Stoev reached an agreement with the Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad. The team improved greatly, eventually managing a 3rd-place finish, enabling them to participate in the play-offs against relegation-avoider PFC Septemvri Sofia to enter the top level of Bulgarian football. Arda eventually managed to win 0–1 over Septemvri at the Lokomotiv Stadium in Plovdiv, thus resulting in the club's first-time ever participation in the Bulgarian First League.[8]

First Seasons in the Elite and Bulgarian Cup Final

Arda's first match in the Bulgarian top tier resulted in a 0–0 home draw against Botev Plovdiv. This was followed by an away 0–0 draw to Tsarsko Selo. Arda's first win came in the third round, when the team managed to beat Beroe Stara Zagora 3–1 at home. Arda then won their first away game in the top league, by beating Vitosa Bistritsa 1–3, extending their unbeaten run to four games. At the end of the first half of the season in December, Arda was in seventh place in the league, with seven wins, seven draws, and six losses. At the end of the regular season in June, Arda was in the relegation group. Despite this, on June 20, Arda mathematically secured their place in the First League for the upcoming season, after Botev Plovdiv beat Botev Vratsa 3–2.

Arda reached the final of the 2020–21 Bulgarian Cup, their first-ever participation at a final of the domestic cup. Arda faced CSKA Sofia, and lost by 1-0, in a closely fought game. A few days later, the team won the Europa Conference League play-off against Cherno More Varna and qualified for European tournament for first time in their history.[9] In the Europa Conference League, Arda faced Israeli side Hapoel Be'er Sheva. Arda’s general inexperience with European football caused an upsetting 0-2 home loss, followed by a 4-0 away loss, which eliminated Arda from the Europa Conference League.

Honours

Players

First-team squad

As of 31 December 2023[10]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Bulgaria BUL Anatoli Gospodinov
3 DF Ivory Coast CIV Oumar Sako
4 DF Bulgaria BUL Milen Stoev
6 DF Bulgaria BUL Plamen Krachunov
7 MF Mali MLI Aboubacar Toungara
8 MF Bulgaria BUL Stanislav Dyulgerov
9 FW Bulgaria BUL Preslav Borukov
11 DF Bulgaria BUL Martin Stoychev
12 DF Nigeria NGA Okezie Ebenezer
17 FW Bulgaria BUL Ivan Kokonov (captain)
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF Azerbaijan AZE Cəlal Hüseynov
19 FW Bulgaria BUL Tonislav Yordanov
20 DF Bulgaria BUL Deyan Lozev
26 FW Mauritania MTN El Mami Tetah
32 DF Bulgaria BUL Hristo Mitev
33 MF Bulgaria BUL Ivan Tilev
77 MF Bulgaria BUL Iliya Yurukov
80 MF Bulgaria BUL Lachezar Kotev
99 FW Bulgaria BUL Stanislav Ivanov

For recent transfers, see Transfers summer 2023 and Transfers winter 2023–24.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
10 FW Bulgaria BUL Svetoslav Kovachev (at Akhmat Grozny until 30 June 2024)

Foreign players

Up to twenty foreign nationals can be registered and given a squad number for the first team in the Bulgarian First League, however only five non-EU nationals can be used during a match day. Those non-EU nationals with European ancestry can claim citizenship from the nation their ancestors came from. If a player does not have European ancestry he can claim Bulgarian citizenship after playing in Bulgaria for 5 years.

EU Nationals

EU Nationals (Dual citizenship)

Non-EU Nationals

Goalscoring and appearance records

As of 15 December 2023

Most appearances for the club in First League

RankNameCareerAppearances
1Bulgaria Ivan Kokonov2019–137
2Bulgaria Ivan Tilev2020–106
3Bulgaria Aleksandar Georgiev2019–202389
4Bulgaria Deyan Lozev2018–2019
2020–2021
2022–		86
5Bulgaria Svetoslav Kovachev2020–85
5Bulgaria Milen Stoev2018–85
5Bulgaria Lachezar Kotev2020–2023
2023–		85
8Bulgaria Milen Zhelev2020–202384
8Bulgaria Tonislav Yordanov2021–2023
2023–		84
10Bulgaria Iliya Yurukov2021–74
As of 15 December 2023

Most goals for the club in First League

RankNameCareerGoals
1Bulgaria Ivan Kokonov2019–21
1Bulgaria Tonislav Yordanov2021–2023
2023–		21
3Bulgaria Svetoslav Kovachev2020–17
4Bulgaria Spas Delev2019–202114
5Bulgaria Radoslav Vasilev2019–202111
5Bulgaria Preslav Borukov2023–11
7Bulgaria Ivan Tilev2020–8
7Mali Lassana N'Diaye2022–20238
9Bulgaria Stanislav Ivanov2022–7
10Bulgaria Lachezar Kotev2020–2023
2023–		6
  • Players in bold are still playing for Arda.

Records and notable stats

Club Records

  • Biggest home win in First League: Arda Kardzhali 5–0 Lokomotiv Plovdiv (17 February 2023)
  • Biggest away win in First League: Botev Plovdiv 0–3 Arda Kardzhali (6 June 2023)
  • Biggest home loss in First League: Arda Kardzhali 0–4 Ludogorets Razgrad (12 February 2022)
  • Biggest away loss in First League: Tsarsko Selo 4–0 Arda Kardzhali (25 April 2021)
  • Unbeaten streak in First League (single season): 11 (2020–21)
  • Most consecutive wins in First League (single season): 5 (2023–24)

Notable players

For all players with a Wikipedia article see Category:FC Arda Kardzhali players.

The footballers enlisted below have international caps for their respective countries or more than 100 caps for Arda. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries.

European record

As of match played 29 July 2021
CompetitionPlayedWonDrewLostGFGAGDWin%
UEFA Europa Conference League 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6 000.00
Total 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6 000.00

Matches

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League 2Q Israel Hapoel Be'er Sheva 0–2 0–4 0–6

Personnel

Board of directors

Position Name Nationality
PresidentBulgaria
Director of FootballBulgaria
Director of Sports AdministrationBulgaria
AdministratorBulgaria

Current technical body

Position Name Nationality
Head CoachAleksandar TunchevBulgaria
Assistant CoachVeselin MinevBulgaria
Goalkeeper coachTodor PopovBulgaria
Conditioning CoachAnton DonchevBulgaria

Manager history

Name Nat From To Honours
Elin Topuzakov Bulgaria 12 July 2017 26 August 2018
Stoycho Stoev Bulgaria 26 August 2018 6 March 2019
Stamen Belchev Bulgaria 6 March 2019 14 April 2020
Nikolay Kirov Bulgaria 15 April 2020 3 September 2021
Georgi Chilikov Bulgaria 8 September 2021 9 November 2021
Slavko Matić Serbia 12 November 2021 16 December 2021
Stamen Belchev Bulgaria 23 December 2021 14 May 2022
Aleksandar Tunchev Bulgaria 19 May 2022

Seasons

League positions

First Professional Football League (Bulgaria)Second Professional Football League (Bulgaria)Third Amateur Football League (Bulgaria)Regional Amateur Football Groups (Bulgaria)Bulgarian V AFG

Past seasons

Results of league and cup competitions by season
Season League Bulgarian Cup Other competitions Top goalscorer
Division Level P W D L F A GD Pts Pos
2015–16 A Regional League 4 8 7 0 1 45 7 +38 21 1st ↑ Not qualified
2016–17 South-East Third League 3 34 11 6 17 49 69 –20 39 16th Not qualified Cup of Bulgarian Amateur League N/Q
2017–18 3 34 30 4 0 142 7 +135 94 1st ↑ Not qualified W Bulgaria Dimitar Aleksiev 26
2018–19 Second League 2 30 19 5 6 44 18 +26 62 3rd ↑ Round of 32 Bulgaria Ventsislav Hristov 12
2019–20 First League 1 30 8 11 11 28 36 –8 35 9th Round of 16 Bulgaria Radoslav Vasilev 9
2020–21 1 31 13 11 7 42 37 +5 50 4th Runners-up Bulgaria Ivan Kokonov 8
2021–22 1 32 8 11 13 38 51 –13 35 10th Round of 16 Europa Conference League 2Q Bulgaria Tonislav Yordanov 7
2022–23 1 36 16 10 10 47 36 +9 58 7th Quarter-final Mali Lassana N'Diaye 8
2023–24 1 Round of 16

Key

Champions Runners-up Promoted Relegated

References

  1. ↑ История на клуба
  2. ↑ Арда (Кърджали) се върна в Трета лига
  3. ↑ Готви се грандиозен проект в Кърджали, Топузаков и легенда от САЩ '94 поемат клуба
  4. ↑ Топузаков потвърди за треньорския пост в Арда Кърджали
  5. ↑ Силният човек на новия хит в БГ футбол за плановете на клуба и защо е избрал Топузаков
  6. ↑ Драма във Велико Търново! Арда направи дубъл в аматьорския футбол
  7. ↑ Арда освободи Топузаков, сериозно име пое отбора
  8. ↑ "Стамен Белчев пое Арда". Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
  9. ↑ Историческа вечер за Кърджали! Арда срази Черно море и ще дебютира в Европа
  10. ↑ "Играчи : Арда". fcarda.bg. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
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