FC Santa Coloma

FC Santa Coloma is an Andorran professional football club based in Santa Coloma, parish of Andorra la Vella, that competes in the Primera Divisió. It is the most successful team in both Primera Divisió and Copa Constitució, having won both titles thirteen and ten times respectively.

Not to be confused with UE Santa Coloma.
FC Santa Coloma
Logo
Full nameFútbol Club Santa Coloma
Nickname(s)FCSC
Colomencs
Coloma (Dove)
El Don (The Lord or Sir)
Blues
Founded1986 (1986)
GroundAndorra Football Federation stadiums
ChairmanDaniel Milstein
ManagerDmitri Cheryshev
LeaguePrimera Divisió
2022–23Primera Divisió, 3rd
WebsiteClub website

History
See also: List of FC Santa Coloma seasons

Fútbol Club Santa Coloma was founded in 1986 through the efforts of a group of football enthusiasts who represented the village of the same name that belongs to Andorra la Vella in the National Football Tournament (the former amateur league of Andorra).[1] Later on FC Santa Coloma became one of the founder members of Primera Divisió in 1995.[2] Since 2001 the club has enjoyed a great success in all Andorran competitions standing with all the records in the Premier Andorran League (13)[2] and Andorran Cup (10).[3]

At the end of 2017, the Spanish La Liga Villarreal CF team announced a collaboration agreement with the Andorran club at grassroots football level.[4]

In July 2022, Gold Star Sports Management Group, led by Ukrainian-American entrepreneur, Daniel Milstein, completed the acquisition of the club. With Milstein as chairman, he announced Alex Lubyansky as CEO and Annabel Llevot as the General Manager. [5] FC Santa Coloma and Gold Star FC Detroit are both under the Gold Star Football Club group of clubs.[6]

FC Santa Coloma in Europe

FC Santa Coloma has two unique achievements for an Andorran team in European competitions, never repeated so far by any Andorran team: it is the only team from Andorra to win a match in any European competition and the only team that did not concede a goal in a match in a European competition.

Both of these feats were achieved on three occasions: the first match in the 2007–08 UEFA Cup qualifying round against the Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv, in which FC Santa Coloma won 1–0 at home with a goal scored by Juli Fernandez, then in the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League First qualifying round when they beat Banants of Armenia 1–0, and in the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League Second qualifying, in which FC Santa Coloma won 1–0 at home against Valur of Iceland. On the first and last occasion, in the return leg they lost 4–0 to Maccabi and 3–0 to Valur, thus FC Santa Coloma were eliminated from the tournament.

Against Banants, they lost the second leg away in Armenia 3–2, however the game finished 3–3 on aggregate and FC Santa Coloma won by the away goals rule, thanks to a last minute goal by goalkeeper Eloy Casals.[7] It was the second time an Andorran club won a two-legged tie in Europe after Sant Julià.

The 2023–24 season saw FC Santa Coloma claim another first - becoming the first Andorran team to navigate two European two-legged ties in the same season. Entering at the first qualifying round of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League, they eliminated Welsh club Penybont F.C., then Montenegrin club FK Sutjeska Nikšić, to reach the third qualifying round against Dutch club AZ.

Colours and badge

FC Santa Coloma dressed in all white all the seasons since the creation of the Andorran Premier League, alternating the home kit with red or blue. Traditionally, the away kit has been all blue and third kit all red. However the original first kit at the beginning of the foundation of the club was blue and gives the nickname of Blues. In the club crest feature the colours of Andorra and the Holy Dove that gives the name of the Santa Coloma d'Andorra town[8] and therefore the name of the club.

Period * Kitmaker Kit sponsor
1994–10 Joma Don Pernil
2010–13 Pidasa
2013–15 None
2015–17 Don Denis
2017–present Vall Banc

* Since the Andorra Football Federation affiliation.

Club rivalries

El Clàssic

The main rival of FC Santa Coloma in Primera Divisió has been always Sant Julià playing in a derby called El Clàssic. Both teams are strong in the Andorran Premier League and since the creation of the championship the clubs have been competing for being the champion of the top flight.[9][10][11]

El Derbi Colomenc

The local rival of FC Santa Coloma is actually their neighbour's hometown football team UE Santa Coloma. The rivalry between these two teams has increased since the 2009/10 season when those teams were competing for winning the Premier Andorran League.[12]

Honours

League history
Season Division Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P
2011–12 Primera Divisió 2 201154 561738
2012–13 Primera Divisió 2 201091 301539
2013–14 Primera Divisió 1 201334 501242
2014–15 Primera Divisió 1 201334 641442
2015–16 Primera Divisió 1 201451 44847
2016–17 Primera Divisió 1 271863 572160
2017–18 Primera Divisió 1 271845 622058
2018–19 Primera Divisió 1 271593 411854
2019–20 Primera Divisió 2 241573 481251
2020–21 Primera Divisió 3 20884 281932
2021–22 Primera Divisió 5 271575 643452
2022–23 Primera Divisió 3 281585 551953

European results

In 2014, Santa Coloma advanced for the first time in a knock-out round after beating FC Banants on the away goals rule. The deciding goal was scored by Coloma's goalkeeper in the 4th minute of added time.[13]

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2001–02 UEFA Cup QR Serbia and Montenegro Partizan 0–1 1–7 1–8
2003–04 UEFA Cup QR Denmark Esbjerg fB 1–4 0–5 1–9
2004–05 UEFA Cup 1Q Bosnia and Herzegovina Modriča 0–1 0–3 0–4
2007–08 UEFA Cup 1Q Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv 1–0 0–4 1–4
2008–09 UEFA Champions League 1Q Lithuania FBK Kaunas 1–4 1–3 2–7
2009–10 UEFA Europa League 2Q Switzerland Basel 1–4 0–3 1–7
2010–11 UEFA Champions League 1Q Malta Birkirkara 0–3[A] 3–4 3–7
2011–12 UEFA Champions League 1Q Luxembourg F91 Dudelange 0–2 0–2 0–4
2012–13 UEFA Europa League 1Q Croatia Osijek 0–1 1–3 1–4
2013–14 UEFA Europa League 1Q Iceland Breiðablik 0–0 0–4 0–4
2014–15 UEFA Champions League 1Q Armenia Banants 1–0 2–3 3–3(a)
2Q Israel Maccabi Tel Aviv 0–1 0–2 0–3
2015–16 UEFA Champions League 1Q Gibraltar Lincoln Red Imps 1–2 0–0 1–2
2016–17 UEFA Champions League 1Q Armenia Alashkert 0–0 0–3 0–3
2017–18 UEFA Champions League 1Q Armenia Alashkert 1–1 0–1 1–2
2018–19 UEFA Champions League PR Kosovo Drita 0–2 (aet) —
UEFA Europa League 2Q Iceland Valur 1–0 0–3 1–3
2019–20 UEFA Champions League PR San Marino Tre Penne 1–0 —
Kosovo Feronikeli 1−2 —
UEFA Europa League 2Q Kazakhstan Astana 0–0 1–4 1–4
2020–21 UEFA Europa League PR Montenegro Iskra Danilovgrad 0–0 (3–4 p) — —
2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League 1Q Gibraltar Mons Calpe 4–0 1–1 5–1
2Q Scotland Hibernian 1–2 0–3 1–5
2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League 1Q Wales Penybont 2–0 (a.e.t.) 1–1 3–1
2Q Montenegro Sutjeska Nikšić 3–0 (a.e.t.) 0–2 3−2
3Q Netherlands AZ 0–1 0–2 0–3
Notes
  • PR: Preliminary round
  • QR: Qualifying round
  • 1Q: First qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round
  1. ^
    Match forfeited, result set to 0–3 by UEFA

Current squad

As of 1 October 2023

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 Andorra AND Josep Gómes
2 DF Spain ESP Robert Ramos
3 DF Spain ESP Gerard Gómez
4 DF Colombia COL Jilmar Torres
5 DF Spain ESP Álex Sánchez
6 MF Spain ESP Daniel Toribio
9 FW Spain ESP Marc Nierga
10 FW Spain ESP David Virgili
11 FW Spain ESP Rufo
13 GK Spain ESP Adrià Collet
14 MF Spain ESP Hamza Ryahi
15 DF Spain ESP Sergio Rodríguez
16 MF Spain ESP Víctor Alonso
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 DF Spain ESP Guillem Jiménez
18 MF Spain ESP Miguel López
19 FW Spain ESP Iván Garrido
20 DF Andorra AND Moisés San Nicolás
21 MF Venezuela VEN Octavio Páez
22 DF Spain ESP David Crespo
23 MF Spain ESP Miguel Ángel
24 FW Venezuela VEN Christian Novoa
26 DF Ukraine UKR Andriy Markovych
30 MF Spain ESP Eloy Gila
31 GK Spain ESP José Bejarano
32 FW Spain ESP Mario Mourelo

Managers
  • Spain Santos Ilatigo (2006–07)
  • Spain Xavier Roura (2007)
  • Andorra Vicens Marques (2008–10)
  • Spain Xavier Roura (2010–11)
  • Spain Luis Blanco Torrado (2011–13)
  • Andorra Richard Imbernón (2013–18)
  • Spain Marc Rodríguez (2018–20)
  • Spain Albert Jorquera (2020–)

References
  1. "HISTÒRIA – F. C. Santa coloma". Archived from the original on 2019-12-23. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  2. "Competicions : Lliga Nacional de Futbol (1ª divisió)". Faf.ad. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  3. "Competicions : Copa Constitució (futbol)". Faf.ad. Archived from the original on 2020-04-13. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  4. "Fútbol base, amistosos, prioridad en fichajes…éstas son las claves del acuerdo entre Villarreal CF y Vallbanc FC Santa Coloma – la Jugada Financiera". Archived from the original on 2018-03-04. Retrieved 2020-09-17.
  5. Club, Gold Star Football. "GOLD STAR SPORTS MANAGEMENT GROUP COMPLETES ACQUISITION". Gold Star Football Club. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  6. Club, Gold Star Football. "Gold Star FC announces the acquisition of FC Santa Coloma". Gold Star Football Club. Archived from the original on 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-02-04.
  7. "Europe's goalscoring goalkeepers". 9 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  8. "Iglesia de Santa Coloma – Hotel Andorra Patagonia". Andorrapatagonia.net. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  9. "Andorran Football Federation-News". Fedandfut.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  10. "Diari digital d'Andorra BonDia – Notícies d'última hora, cartellera, meteorologia, horòscop, informació..." Bondia.ad. Archived from the original on 2016-03-28. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  11. "Notícies Futbol". Faf.ad. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  12. "Diari digital d'Andorra BonDia – Notícies d'última hora, cartellera, meteorologia, horòscop, informació..." Bondia.ad. Archived from the original on 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  13. "Keeper Casals edges Santa Coloma past Banants". UEFA. 8 July 2014. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
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