Dissolved 2012 League I Lyga Founded 1960 | Ground Capacity 9180 Location Kaunas, Lithuania Capacity 9,180 | |
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Full name Kauno futbolo ir beisbolo klubas Nickname(s) Geltonai-Žali (Yellow-Greens) Ground S. Darius and S. Girėnas Stadium
Kaunas, Lithuania Arena/Stadium Darius and Girėnas Stadium | ||
Kauno futbolo ir beisbolo klubas, commonly known as FBK Kaunas, was a Lithuanian football club from the city of Kaunas.
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Banga Kaunas 1960–1993
Originally the team was founded in 1960 as Banga Kaunas and played its first three years in the Soviet First League. Afterwards the club decided to play in the Lithuanian SSR Championship and they did so until 1990. In that period they won two Lithuanian SSR Championship's. One in 1986 and another in 1989. When Lithuania regained independence in 1991 A Lyga was created and they played as Banga Kaunas until 1993 before the club was restructured.
FBK Kaunas 1993–2012 success & fall
The club was restructured in 1993, a baseball section added and the name changed to Kauno futbolo beisbolo klubas. The club had in its first years not such a great success and FBK Kaunas had to wait until 1999 before they could lift a trophy again. From 1999 to 2008, Kaunas won 8 championships, 4 Lithuanian cups, 4 super cups and 1 Baltic league title, but in the autumn of 2008 Kaunas dominance was once and for all broken when FK Ekranas won the championship in front of FBK Kaunas. After finishing second in 2008 A Lyga championship the club's president announced that the club were being demoted from the A Lyga in favour of LFF I Lyga, the 2nd tier of Lithuanian football system, but as conflict with LFF intensified, FBK Kaunas was relegated to LFF II lyga (consisting of amateur teams).
FBK Kaunas won II lyga championship in their first year in that division. Despite relegation FBK Kaunas also participated in the new UEFA Europe League as a vice-champ of Lithuania but did not advance past FK Sevojno. Despite drawing both games FBK Kaunas lost on away goals. FBK Kaunas won I Lyga in 2010 and was promoted to the 2011 A Lyga season. The 2011 season was a huge disappointment for Kaunas as they didn't manage to live up to the high expectations and eventually ended at a 10th place.
FBK Kaunas was not granted a 2012 A Lyga license because of financial problems and was due to play in the 2012 1 Lyga. However, due to the clubs increasing financial problems the chairman eventually decided to declare the club bankrupt. An era was over. Shortly afterwards the fans decided to form a new club.
Kaunas have played Celtic, Rangers and Liverpool among others in Europa League and Champions League qualifying stages. On 5 August 2008, FBK Kaunas defeated Rangers, 2–1, to advance to the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League for the first time. The game was won in dramatic circumstances as Kaunas had to come from behind and finally took the lead just four minutes from time. Linas Pilibaitis was the scorer.
FBK Kaunas was for many years (1993–2012) sponsored by Ūkio bankas, a bank which had Vladimir Romanov as its principal shareholder. In October 2005 Mr Romanov became the majority shareholder of Scottish Premier League side, Heart of Midlothian. Romanov since used Kaunas as a feeder club for Hearts by allowing the SPL side to loan many players, such as Edgaras Jankauskas, Bruno Aguiar, Andrius Velička, Nerijus Barasa, Marius Žaliūkas and Roman Bednář, the latter signing a permanent deal for Hearts on 31 August 2006. Vladimir Romanov was with his leadership part in that FBK Kaunas and Partizan Minsk went bankrupt and that Hearts and BC Zalgiris to this day, 2015 still suffers from his lack of responsibility. Romanov fled to Russia where he was granted asylum in 2014 and is now wanted by the Lithuanian prosecutors on charges for fraud and embezzling for at least £308m .