Riga FC

Not to be confused with FK Rīga.
Riga FC
Full nameRiga Football Club
Riga FC, SIA
Founded30 April 2014; 10 years ago (2014-04-30)
GroundSkonto Stadium
Capacity8,087
ChairmanAleksandrs Proņins
ManagerDainis Kazakevičs
LeagueVirslīga
2023Virslīga, 2nd of 10
Websitehttp://www.rigafc.lv/

Riga Football Club, commonly referred to as Riga FC, is a Latvian football club, founded in 2014. The club is based at the Skonto Stadium in Riga. Since 2016, the club has been playing in the Virslīga.

History

The club was officially registered in April 2014.[1] The team was established before the 2015 season after a merger of two Riga based teams – FC Caramba and Dinamo Rīga.

In the 2015 season, under the name FC Caramba/Dinamo, the team played in the Latvian First League by using the licence received by FC Caramba, an unrelated team founded by future FK RFS co-founder Maksims Krivuņecs, which had won promotion to the 1. līga after winning the Latvian Second League in 2014.[2] After winning the 2015 First League and earning promotion to the Higher League, the club changed its name to Riga FC.[3] However, for most of 2015, the legal name of the team was 'Riga Dinamo Football Club'.[1] A club named Dinamo Riga played in 1940 and 1945–1960.

In 2017, Riga FC acquired the Šitiks Football Academy (Šitika FA), founded in 1999 by Genādijs Šitiks, and operates as one of its youth academies, Riga FC Academy.[4][5]

In 2018, the Ukrainian Viktor Skrypnyk was appointed as coach. He managed to lead the club to two Latvian Higher Leagues in 2018, 2019 and the Latvian Football Cup in 2018.

Ukrainian manager Viktor Skrypnyk has won the first ever Virslīga title in the club's history.

Domestic

Season Division (Name) Pos./Teams Pl. W D L GS GA P Latvian Football Cup Top Scorer (League) Manager
2015 2nd 1/(16) 30 27 3 0 142 14 84 Round of 16 Latvia Verners Apiņš – 31 Latvia Mihails Koņevs
2016 1st 5/(8) 28 8 12 8 28 24 36 Runner-up Latvia Roberts Savaļnieks
Japan Yōsuke Saitō – 5 		Russia Kiril Kurbatov
Turkmenistan Dmitri Khomukha
Russia Vladimir Volchek
2017 1st 3/(7) 24 10 7 7 28 20 37 Runner-up Estonia Bogdan Vaštšuk – 8 Russia Vladimir Volchek
Latvia Mihails Koņevs
Russia Yevgeny Perevertaylo
Slovenia Slaviša Stojanovič
2018 1st 1/(8) 28 20 4 4 45 16 64 Winner Serbia Darko Lemajić – 15 North Macedonia Goce Sedloski
Latvia Mihails Koņevs
Ukraine Viktor Skrypnyk
2019 1st 1/(9) 32 20 6 6 59 21 66 Semi-Finals Ukraine Roman Debelko – 7 Portugal Luís Berkemeier Pimenta
Belarus Oleg Kubarev
Latvia Mihails Koņevs
2020 1st 1/(10) 27 23 0 4 60 21 69 Quarter-finals Democratic Republic of the Congo Kule Mbombo – 12 Russia Oleg Kononov
Latvia Mihails Koņevs
2021 1st 4/(9) 28 14 8 6 54 26 50 Semifinals Montenegro Stefan Milošević – 13 RussiaSouth Korea Denis Laktionov
Latvia Kristaps Blanks
Latvia Andris Rihters
North Macedonia Sashko Poposki
2022 1st 2/(10) 36 26 3 7 68 23 81 Round of 16 Argentina Marcelo Torres – 11 Germany Thorsten Fink
Latvia Kristaps Blanks
Croatia Sandro Perković
2023 1st 2/(10) 36 27 7 2 89 21 88 Winner Latvia Marko Regža – 19 Croatia Tomislav Stipić

European

Fully up to date as of 1 August 2024

Competition Pld W D L GF GA GD
UEFA Champions League 5 0 3 2 1 4 –3
UEFA Europa League 10 4 2 4 11 12 –1
UEFA Europa Conference League 20 10 2 8 27 24 +3
Total 35 14 7 14 39 40 –1
Season Competition Round Club Home Away Agg.
2018–19 UEFA Europa League 1QR Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 1−0 0−1 1−1[a]
2019–20 UEFA Champions League 1QR Republic of Ireland Dundalk 0−0 0−0 0−0[b]
UEFA Europa League 2QR Poland Piast Gliwice 2−1 2−3 4−4 (a)
3QR Finland HJK 1−1 2−2 3−3 (a)
PO Denmark Copenhagen 1−0 1−3 2−3
2020–21 UEFA Champions League 1QR Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv — 0−2 —
UEFA Europa League 2QR San Marino Tre Fiori 1−0 — —
3QR Scotland Celtic 0−1 — —
2021–22 UEFA Champions League 1QR Sweden Malmö 1−1 0−1 1−2
UEFA Europa Conference League 2QR North Macedonia Shkëndija 2−0 1−0 3−0
3QR Malta Hibernians 0−1 4−1 (a.e.t.) 4−2
PO Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps 1−1 1−3 (a.e.t.) 2−4
2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League 1QR Republic of Ireland Derry City 2−0 2−0 4−0
2QR Slovakia Ružomberok 2−1 3−0 5−1
3QR Portugal Gil Vicente 1−1 0−4 1−5
2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League 1QR Iceland Víkingur Reykjavík 2−0 0−1 2−1
2QR Hungary Kecskemét 3−1 (a.e.t.) 1−2 4−3
3QR Netherlands Twente 0−3 0−2 0−5
2024–25 UEFA Conference League 2QR Poland Śląsk Wrocław 1−0 1−3 2−3
Notes
  • 1QR: First qualifying round
  • 2QR: Second qualifying round
  • 3QR: Third qualifying round
  • PO: Play-off round

Honours

Kits

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2015 Adidas —
2016 Jako —
2017 Marine Service Group
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022

Players

Current squad

As of 10 August 2024[6]

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 Latvia LVA Rihards Matrevics
3 DF Senegal SEN El Bachir Ngom
4 MF Costa Rica CRC Orlando Galo (on loan from Herediano)
6 MF Latvia LVA Tomašs Mickēvičs
7 MF Argentina ARG Brian Orosco (on loan from Estudiantes de La Plata)
8 MF Serbia SRB Miloš Jojić
9 FW Costa Rica CRC Anthony Contreras
10 FW Brazil BRA Reginaldo Ramires
11 MF Spain ESP Brian Peña
12 GK Latvia LVA Kristaps Zommers
13 DF Latvia LVA Raivis Jurkovskis
14 MF Croatia CRO Hrvoje Babec
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 GK Latvia LVA Nils Toms Puriņš
18 FW Latvia LVA Marko Regža
20 MF Argentina ARG Gonzalo Muscia [es]
21 DF Ghana GHA Baba Musah
22 MF Senegal SEN Ousseynou Niang
23 MF Latvia LVA Eduards Dašķevičs
24 MF Senegal SEN Pape Gueye (on loan from United FC)
25 DF Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Ngonda Muzinga
33 DF Latvia LVA Kirils Iljins
34 DF Latvia LVA Antonijs Černomordijs (captain)
35 DF Argentina ARG Iván Erquiaga
77 MF Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Gauthier Mankenda
93 MF France FRA Kemelho Nguena

Other players under contract

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

No. Pos. Nation Player

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
19 FW Nigeria NGA Abdulrahman Taiwo (on loan at FK Auda)
— FW Burkina Faso BFA Ousmane Camara (on loan at Auda)
— FW Ukraine UKR Maksym Parkhomenko (on loan at Tukums 2000)

Captains

Season Pos. Captain
2016 MF Latvia Oļegs Laizāns
2017 DF Latvia Kaspars Gorkšs
2018 DF Ukraine Volodymyr Bayenko
2019 MF Latvia Aleksejs Višņakovs
2020 MF Serbia Stefan Panić
2021 DF Latvia Antonijs Černomordijs
2022
2023 MF Serbia Miloš Jojić

Current staff

As of 14 December 2023 [7][8]

Coaches
Position Name
Head coach Latvia Dainis Kazakevičs
Assistant coach Latvia Roberts Rosenbergs
Coach Latvia Sergejs Kožans
Coach Latvia Kristaps Blanks
Goalkeeper coach Latvia Aleksandrs Koļinko
Fitness coach Latvia Kirils Uļanovs
Physiotherapist Latvia Nikolajs Ostapovs
Medical department
Position Name
Doctor Latvia Viktors Simanovičs
Doctor Latvia Rolands Brencāns

Current board

As of 13 March 2021 [9]

Management and administration
Position Name
Director-General Latvia Aleksandrs Proņins
Sport director Latvia Aleksandrs Romašins
Executive director Latvia Romāns Lajuks
Administrator Latvia Deniss Čerņikovs
Press officer Latvia Krišs Upenieks
Creative director Latvia Sergejs Sobolevs
Project manager Latvia Andrejs Kaješovs
Photographer Latvia Zigismunds Zālmanis
Video operator Latvia Andrejs Guļko

Controversies

In 2020, it was reported that Russian businessman Sergey Lomakin, the owner of Riga FC, was included in Latvia's persona non grata list.[10] This was denied by the board of the club.[11]

Notable players

Former managers

Coach Period Major
Titles 		Domestic
from until days LČ LK 1L
Latvia Mihails Koņevs 1 March 2015 30 November 2015 274 1 – – 1
Russia Kiril Kurbatov 1 January 2016 10 April 2016 100 – – – –
RussiaTurkmenistan Dmitri Khomukha 11 April 2016 9 August 2016 120 – – – –
Russia Vladimir Volchek 12 August 2016 19 April 2017 250 – – – –
Latvia Mihails Koņevs (caretaker) 20 April 2017 11 May 2017 21 – – – –
Russia Yevgeny Perevertaylo 12 May 2017 29 July 2017 78 – – – –
SloveniaSerbia Slaviša Stojanović 30 July 2017 31 December 2017 154 – – – –
North Macedonia Goce Sedloski 27 January 2018 25 May 2018 118 – – – –
Latvia Mihails Koņevs (caretaker) 26 May 2018 4 July 2018 39 – – – –
Ukraine Viktor Skrypnyk 5 July 2018 31 January 2019 210 2 1 1 –
Portugal Luís Berkemeier Pimenta 5 February 2019 2 March 2019 25 – – – –
Latvia Mihails Koņevs (caretaker) 3 March 2019 27 March 2019 24 – – – –
Belarus Oleg Kubarev 28 March 2019 26 April 2019 29 – – – –
Latvia Mihails Koņevs 27 April 2019 5 February 2020 284 1 1 – –
RussiaBelarus Oleg Kononov 5 February 2020 11 November 2020 280 – – – –
Latvia Mihails Koņevs (caretaker) 12 November 2020 31 December 2020 49 1 1 – –
RussiaSouth Korea Denis Laktionov 1 January 2021 25 May 2021 144 – – – –
Latvia Kristaps Blanks (caretaker) 27 May 2021 8 June 2021 12 – – – –
Latvia Andris Rihters 9 June 2021 10 September 2021 93 – – – –
North Macedonia Sashko Poposki (caretaker) 12 September 2021 30 November 2021 79 – – – –
Germany Thorsten Fink 4 January 2022 16 May 2022 132 – – – –
Latvia Kristaps Blanks (caretaker) 16 May 2022 7 June 2022 22 – – – –
Croatia Sandro Perković 7 June 2022 7 January 2023 214 – – – –
Croatia Tomislav Stipić 7 January 2023 13 December 2023 340 1 – 1 –
Finland Simo Valakari 14 December 2023 1 October 2024 323 – – - –

Player records

Top goalscorers

As of 11 November 2023
# Name Years League Cup Europe Total
1 Serbia Darko Lemajić 2017 – 2019 23 3 0 26
2 Latvia Marko Regža 2023 – present 19 1 1 21
3 Finland Mikael Soisalo 2021 – 2023 16 0 3 19
4 Brazil Felipe Brisola 2018 – 2021 15 2 1 18
5 Brazil Douglas Aurélio 2022 – present 13 1 3 17
6 Brazil Gabriel Ramos 2021 – 2022 12 0 3 15
Montenegro Stefan Milošević 2020 – 2021 15 0 0 15
8 Poland Kamil Biliński 2018 – 2019 7 5 2 14
Ukraine Roman Debelko 2019 – 2020 11 0 3 14
10 Argentina Marcelo Torres 2022 – 2022 11 0 1 12

Bold signifies a current Riga FC player

Most appearances

As of 30 November 2021
# Name Years League Cup Europe Total
1 Latvia Armands Pētersons 2016 – present 117 11 17 145
2 Latvia Antonijs Černomordijs 2016 – 2017
2018 – present		 96 9 15 120
3 Latvia Oļegs Laizāns 2016 – 2021 96 13 8 117
4 Latvia Roberts Ozols 2015 – present 88 12 15 115
5 Latvia Antons Kurakins 2017 – present 86 15 2 103

Bold signifies a current Riga FC player

Notes

  1. ^ Lost 5−3 on Penalty shootout.
  2. ^ Lost 5−4 on Penalty shootout.

References

  1. ^ a b LURSOFT (2019-04-01). "Riga Football Club, 40008223802 - company data". Lursoft. Archived from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  2. ^ Novickis, Edmunds (2016-02-26). "Virslīgas kluba RFS pārstāvji ar entuziasmu: "Šis projekts 100% ir ilgtermiņa!"" [Representatives of Virslīga club RFS say with enthusiasm "This project is 100% long-term!"]. Sportacentrs.com (in Latvian). Retrieved 2024-01-26.
  3. ^ ""Caramba/Dinamo" pārmaiņas: jauns treneris, cits nosaukums un stadions". sportacentrs.com (in Latvian). 22 December 2015. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  4. ^ "Genādija Šitika trešais cikls". Sporto (in Latvian). Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  5. ^ "Par mums – Riga Football Club Academy". Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  6. ^ "Komanda" [A Team] (in Latvian). Riga FC. Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Coaches and staff - Riga Football Club". www.rigafc.lv. Archived from the original on 2021-07-18. Retrieved 2021-07-18.
  8. ^ "Coaches and staff – Riga FC". Riga FC. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Management and administration – Riga FC". Riga FC. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Pēdējo gadu Latvijas spēcīgākās futbola komandas īpašnieks iekļauts valstij nevēlamo personu sarakstā". Jauns.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  11. ^ курс, The Baltic Course-Балтийский. "Latvian football club Riga owner Lomakin included on persona non grata list". The Baltic Course | Baltic States news & analytics. Retrieved 2024-02-20.