MFK Košice

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MFK Košice

Full name

Mestský Futbalový Klub Košice

Nickname(s)

Founded

1952 (1. FC Košice)

Ground

Štadión Lokomotívy v Čermeli,
Košice

Capacity

9,600

Chairman

Blažej Podolák

Manager

Ján Bodnár

League

Corgoň Liga

2005-06

Second Division, 1st (Promoted)





Home colours





Away colours

MFK Košice is a Slovakian football club which famously became the first Slovak club to reach the lucrative UEFA Champions League Group Stages when they did so in the 1997-1998 season.

The twice Slovak football champions (1997, 1998) were relegated from the premier division in 2003 after the proposed sale of the club to Italian owners in 2001 by the former owner and late VSZ steelmaking tycoon Alexander Rezes fell through. Although Rezes' dream to turn 1. FC Kosice into a top European club never came true, he managed to lift an average second division team to the first group stage of the UEFA Champions' League in 1997/98. However, the next year's failure to make the same stage of the major European competition, and failure to defend the league title, combined with the change of government which undermined the position of the Rezes clan (Alexander Rezes was economy minister of Vladimir Meciar's government in 1994-97) represented the beginning of the end of the "millionaires". Their home stadium was the Vsesportový Areal Stadion.

Last season, on the brink of financial collapse and relegation from the second division, the owners of 1. FC, were offered help by the president of Steel Trans Licartovce, one of the favourites to advance to the premier league this season. Steel Trans will also pay for the Cermel stadium in Kosice, where all former 1. FC teams - now under the protective wings of Ličartovce - will play their matches. Kosice, the second largest city in Slovakia, now has no club in the top two divisions (although many can remember two in the Czechoslovak federal league). Another great team from the past, Lokomotiva Košice, is in the fourth division. It is quite difficult to predict the future of football in the city, whose major stadium is in a catastrophic condition and whose football officials turn a deaf ear to cries for help.

Reformed on June 17th, 2005, the club was renamed MFK Košice from FC Steel Trans Ličartovce. They ended the season gaining promotion back to the premier league.

[edit] Honours

Slovakian League (1993 - Present)
- Winners (2): 1997, 1998

Slovenský Pohár (Slovakian Cup)
- Winners (3): 1973, 1980, 1993

Ceskoslovenský Pohár (Czechoslovakian Cup)
- Winners (1): 1993

[edit] Current squad

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Gejza Pulen
2	DF	Stanislav Kišš
3	DF	Patrik Kaminský
4	DF	Radoslav Školník
5	DF	Ivan Kozák
6	MF	Ján Lesniak
7	MF	Pavol Majerník
8	MF	Miroslav Sovič
9	FW	Jaroslav Kolbas
10	MF	Jozef Majoroš
11	MF	Tomáš Boháčik
12	MF	Mário Bicák

No.	Position	Player
13	DF	Róbert Cicman
14	MF	Ľuboš Gajdoš
15	FW	Pavol Piatka
16	FW	Juraj Liška
17	MF	Roman Šimko
18	FW	Ján Novák
19	DF	Miloš Adam
20	MF	Lukáš Janič
21	GK	Matúš Putnocký
23	DF	Peter Bašista
24	FW	Pavol Jurčo

[edit] External links

Offical website (Slovak)

Corgoň Liga, 2006-07
Artmedia Bratislava \| Dukla Banská Bystrica \| Inter Bratislava \| MFK Košice \| FC Nitra \| MFK Ružomberok FC Senec \| Slovan Bratislava \| Spartak Trnava \| AS Trenčín \| MŠK Žilina \| ZTS Dubnica edit
Corgoň Liga seasons
2001-02 \| 2002-03 \| 2003-04 \| 2004-05 \| 2005-06 \| 2006-07 edit
Slovak Second Division, 2006-07
Rimavská Sobota \| Dunajská Streda \| Zlaté Moravce \| Eldus Močenok \| Lučenec \| MFK Košice B Aqua Turčianske Teplice \| Zemplín Michalovce \| Slovan Duslo Šaľa \| Tatran Prešov \| Podbrezová \| Humenné edit