FC Petržalka is a Slovakfootball club based in Bratislava. The club was founded in 1898 and it was promoted twice to the top flight 1. liga in the Czechoslovakia during the 1980s (for the 1981–82 season and 1984–85 season) and spent another 14 consecutive seasons in the Slovak first league from 1996–97 to 2009–10. The biggest international success of Petržalka was participation in the group stage of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League and Round of 32 of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup. Several years later, after losing its owner, a different company took over the piece of land under the club's old home ground Štadión Petržalka for commercial building and the stadium was demolished.[1]
The football club founded in 1898, from the previous sport club Pozsonyi Torna Egyesület which was grounded in 1880, initially played in the regional Hungarian league.[2] The club has been known by 17 names in its history, including Artmedia Bratislava (after their advertising agency sponsors).[3] Artmedia played in the top flight Slovak league from its inception in 1993 until 2010. The club achieved its biggest success in the mid-2000s (decade), while playing under the coach Vladimír Weiss.[4] The club won the Corgoň Liga title in 2005 and later qualified for the group stage of the Champions League, where it achieved the biggest success of all the Slovak clubs. Later, in 2008 the club won the double, but during the next season most of the squad left the club.[1][5]
The club plays its home matches at its own new stadium with a capacity of 1600. The team wears white and black striped shirts.
History
1898 – Founded as Pozsonyi Torna Egyesület
1939 – Renamed Engerau Pressburg
1945 – Renamed ŠK Petržalka
1949 – Renamed Kovosmalt Petržalka
1953 – Renamed Spartak Kovosmalt Bratislava
1963 – Renamed TJ Považské Strojárne Bratislava
1965 – Renamed SKS Petržalka
1976 – Renamed TJ ZŤS Petržalka
1986 – Merged with TJ Internacionál Slovnaft Bratislava to form TJ Internacionál Slovnaft ZŤS Bratislava, but split again in 1990.
They famously reached the lucrative group stage of the UEFA Champions League in 2005–06 after wins over Kairat Almaty, Celtic and Partizan Belgrade. They beat Almaty 4–3 on aggregate in the 1st qualifying round despite a 2–0[7] defeat in the first leg since they won second leg by 4–1.[8] However it was on 27 July 2005 that they made their mark on the tournament, producing one of the shock results of Champions League history as they beat 2003 UEFA Cup finalists and 1967 European Cup winners Celtic 5–0 in the first leg of their Champions League 2nd qualifying round match. The stunned Celtic side could not quite recover, only managing to win the return leg 4–0, and Artmedia held on to progress in the tournament. On 23 August 2005 they clinched a place in the group stages after overcoming Serbian club Partizan Belgrade 4–3 on penalties after a 0–0 aggregate scoreline thus becoming the second Slovak club after 1. FC Košice in 1997–98 to reach the coveted Champions League proper. Their success was even more remarkable considering Artmedia's entire annual budget is just over £1m.
Artmedia also made history by becoming one of the first two clubs ever to advance from the first qualifying round into the Champions League group stage. The other club to do so was 2004–05 winners Liverpool, who were given a special entry into the first qualifying round of the 2005–06 event, and joined Artmedia in the group stage.
Artmedia played their Champions League fixtures at the Tehelné pole ground of crosstown rivals Slovan Bratislava because their own ground does not meet UEFA standards for Champions League play.
On 28 September 2005, Artmedia made history once again by becoming the first Slovak side to collect a point in the Champions League group stage (in the eighth attempt by a Slovak side to do so). In another famous upset, they came back from a 2–0 first-half deficit to defeat 2004 Champions League winners Porto 3–2 at Porto's home ground.
Eventually, they finished third in the group, parachuting them into the UEFA Cup, but not before missing a late chance to score a goal in the return fixture against Porto that would have sent them to the round of 16 at Rangers' expense.
In December 2005 the goalkeeper Juraj Čobej underwent a complicated brain surgery attempting to remove a malign tumor. Fortunately, he has fully recovered and has already stood a firm ground in goal during the first rounds of the 2006–07 season.
Artmedia lost the home leg of their UEFA Cup round of 32 tie with Levski Sofia 1–0 and were knocked out of the tournament after an away defeat of 2–0.
The club reassigned Vladimír Weiss as head coach for the 2007–08 season. Some of the players came back, the club's captain Ján Kozák returned from a loan at WBA, Aleš Urbánek, Branislav Fodrek and Branislav Obžera returned, and the new faces in the club, among others, included Czech fullback Radek Dosoudil, Brazilian midfielder Cléber and Czech striker Zbyněk Pospěch.
The club went on to win the title in the Slovak league for the second time, beating rivals MŠK Žilina in the important matches and in the final table as well. Before the new season the club owner Ivan Kmotrík and the main sponsor left the club, which left later impact on the team. During the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League qualification round Artmedia won over Valletta F.C. and Tampere United, but lost to Juventus, with which the club suffered 0–4 loss in the first leg and later only drew 1–1. During the next stages several players left the club (4 of them to local rivals ŠK Slovan Bratislava).[1]
Prior to the 2009–10 season a huge number of players left the club, most of them were replaced by youngsters and players from the Inter Bratislava.[10]
After a decent first half of the season, where MFK Petrzalka played in the region of sixth place, the team fell apart in the second half of the season, and eventually the club were relegated at the end of the season.
2014 a new era
During the summer of 2014 was in Petržalka found the successor of the traditional club – team FC Petržalka akadémia. This club applied for the 5th division (5. liga) and in its premiere season 2014–15 has won the competition. Due to the reorganisation of divisions in Slovak football did't get the promotion at that year. Season 2015–16 Petržalka started 5th division horrible – in 6 games they suffered 4 losses got only 6 points. But after noticeable serie without loss they won the 5. liga again and promoted to the 4th one. In 2016–17 Petržalka started the competition in the 4. liga similar way as it finished the previous one. Petržalka suffered the first and only loss of the season in its 27th match which means that Petržlaka was unbeatable for 46 consecutive competitive league matches from loss at FA Bratislava (2–3) until loss at Veľké Leváre (0–1) in the 27th round of 2016–17. After 25 wins in 30 matches Petržalka won the 4. liga and promoted to the 3rd division for 2017–18 season. Since the beginning of the 3rd division 2017–18 was Petržalka among the candidates for promotion to the 2nd division. After unbeaten autumnt part of the season was Petržalka on the 2nd place during winter break behind Rohožník with the same point level. Decisive match came in the beginning of the spring part of the season. Petržalka beat Rohožník at home 3–0 and got the advantage in the table. In addition, Petržalka has won 15 out of last 16 games in the 3rd division (they lost only at field of reserve team of city rivals Slovan U21 0–1 in the game, which had Slovan U21 in the line-up 5 players from the first team including former national players Róbert Vittek and Kornel Saláta[11]) and in the 29th round clinched promotion after win in Most 5–0 and return to 2nd division after 2209 days.[12]
On 20 July 2018 played Petržalka its 1st match in the 2nd division after 6 years and in the first game after promotion reached its 1st win.
The first sample football match of Pozsonyi Torna Egyesület (PTE) was announced to be played on 25 September 1898, but due to the tragic matters in the Emperors' family (Elisabeth of Bavaria died on 10 September 1898) was postponed to 2 October 1898. The rules of the game were explained to the audience before the match in October. The match was played between members of PTE in both teams at the Ligetfalu highschool playground. There was no regular football pitch in Pressburg at that time, so PTE used the plain terrain to play its home matches in the beginning years.
Previous Petržalka stadium
Štadión za Starým mostom (PTE stadium)
During the extra ordinary club meeting on 29 September 1899 the decision to build the regular pitch for PTE nearby to the Danube river, railway to the Wien and City Park was made. The stadium was built at the end of the 19th century for PTE in a year. The grand opening of the new stadium was officially on 25 September 1900.[13] PTE won the match against Magyar Football Club Budapest 3–2, the first PTEs' win ever against the team from Budapest. This stadium was used for Bratislava regional championship until the stadium for I. Čsl. ŠK Bratislava was built in the end of the 1920s. More than 100 years later Artmedia still used to play their home matches at the same place – named Štadión za Starým mostom.
Today's estimated capacity is 10,000; it is however impossible to give the exact value, because older part of the stadium still remains for standing visitors. The average attendance of league matches at this stadium is floating above 4,000, one of the highest in Slovakia. However, the stadium does not meet some of the UEFA criteria, therefore the club has been forced to play its international matches elsewhere. Notably, they played their 2005–06 UEFA Champions League campaign at Tehelné pole, home venue of crosstown rivals Slovan Bratislava. Stadium was closed in 2009 and demolished in 2012.
New home ground – Štadión FC Petržalka
In 2011, a new stadium called Stadium FC Petržalka 1898 (Slovak: Štadión FC Petržalka 1898) was built on Sklodowskej street, Petržalka, Slovakia. Originally it served as home stadium for football club FC Petržalka 1898. After its bankruptcy in 2014 it became home for FC Petržalka akadémia and later for the team FC Petržalka. The stadium was officially opened in 2012. The first match was played between the home club FC Petržalka 1898 and FC Nitra B (1–3), on 5 August 2012. After its opening the stadium has a one grandstand (with 800 seated places) with possibility of the capacity increasing. During the 3rd and lower tier were the other places on the state and the capacity was estimated 1500.
Updated 21 July 2024[24]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
