FC Rubin Kazan (; ) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the Russian Premier League. Founded in 1958, Rubin played its first-ever top flight season in 2003. It has remained there through the 2021–22 season, winning the Russian Premier League championship in 2008 and 2009. After one season in the second tier, the club returned to the RPL for the 2023–24 season. The club also won the 2011–12 Russian Cup. The team plays in the Ak Bars Arena.
History FC Rubin Kazan was previously called Iskra from 1958 to 1964 and Rubin-TAN from 1992 to 1993. The name Rubin means "Ruby".
Having never played in the Soviet Top League, the football club joined the Russian First Division in 1992 and fell to the Russian Second Division in 1994. The mayor of Kazan at the time, Kamil Iskhakov, purchased the team in 1996. Rubin won the Second Division in 1997 and was promoted back to the First Division the following season. The next four seasons, the team finished above 8th place. Finally winning the title in 2002, Rubin was promoted to the Russian Premier League for the first time in 2003. Rubin finished third in its debut season to qualify for the UEFA Cup. The team faced a setback in the 2004 campaign finishing in 10th place, but 2005 saw them finish fourth, again qualifying the team for the UEFA Cup.
The Flower of Sentyabrev's Epoch (1958–1965)
The year of 1958 came, and the team formed a part of Class B of the USSR Championship, because of successful performances and the Class B expanding. The debut was on 20 April in Kherson. The team lost to local "Spartak" 2–4. In 1958 "Iskra" took 14th place.
In 1959 "Iskra" was headed by a 50-year-old specialist Nikolay Sentyabrev. Within the next 12 years the post of a head coach of the team was occupied.
The 1960 season was even more successful. After the first round having only one defeat from "Zvezda" (Perm) the kazanners were among the leaders of the zone. But during the second half "Iskra" improved and finished 4th.
In 1960, Tsentralnyi stadium was founded. On 21 August 1960 "Iskra" played a debut game in a new arena against Metallurg (Kamensk-Uralsky) – 2–1.
In 1961 the kazanners again spent the strong first half of the championship and looked much worse in the second round. The gap from the leaders was one point. That year "Iskra" made its way to the last 16 of the USSR Cup, where it lost a rematch to Dynamo (Moscow). In 1962 and 1963 the kazanners took traditional 3rd place.
The year of 1964 became the turning-point. Unsuccessful start of the championship was compensated with 15 matches without a loss in a row at the finish. As a result – second position in the zone and an ability to continue struggle for Class A entrance. But the final round was unfortunate at this time.
During the off-season the club's name was changed to Rubin. In decisive game against "Sokol" (Saratov) "Rubin" has won 2–1 (Teterkin, Golubev) and got a ticket to Class A first time in its history. "Rubin" returned to Kazan with silver medals.
The End of Sentyabrev's Epoch (1966–1971)
Season 1966 was due to answer the question whether Rubin, a newcomer of Class A, was able to gain a foothold and to survive a competition with more experienced clubs. Club coaches counted on the footballers succeeded in the previous year. First three games were played away. After a zero draw in Batumi and a loss from "Kuban" in Krasnodar the kazanners gained revenge from "Spartak" in Nalchik for the loss in the final of 1965. 2–1 – that was the first win in Class A.
Kazan had to wait for the grand opening of the season until May, 2. That day 22,000 spectators greeted the win over "Dynamo" from Kirovabad. In the final table "Rubin" stands at the honorable 5th position.
Next year of 1967 considerable changes happened in the squad. The leaders of last years Fomin, Golubev and Novichkov finished to play for the team. "Rubin" had to start forming the middle line from the beginning.
A the final standings "Rubin" has raised its position if to compare with the previous season, it was the 4th position. In USSR Cup the kazanners succeeded in achieving final, where they lost to "Chornomorets" (Odesa) – 1–3. Next year of 1968 Kazan club reduced its positions – the 5th place, but some noticeable events occurred during the season.
In the season of 1969 "Rubin" was close to change the Second Group of Class A for the First one. At the Second Stage "Rubin" in one point left behind the winner – "SKA" (Khabarovsk). And the team repeated the success of 1967, reached final of USSR Cup, where has lost to "Sudostroitel" Nikolaev at the extra-time.
In 1970 the structure of the football tournament was modified. United First League was made, and 22 best-of-1969 teams were included.
On a legal ground "Rubin" took his place among them. The debut was April, 11 in Krasnodar (0–1). After that an outdoor draw followed in Kharkov with "Metallist" – 1–1, Viktor Kolotov scored the first goal in the First league. Later followed several wins. In the season-1970 "Rubin" resulted at the 8th position. Hard times came. The season of 1971 the team finished at the last 22nd position and has left the First league.
White line, black line (1972–1977)
In 1972 "Rubin" has been participating in the 5th zone of the Second League, which included mainly clubs of Povolzhye and Middle Asia. During the whole season the kazanners experienced serious problems in the attack. Frankly speaking, after the 21nd matchday the team had only 14 goals scored (5 of them were annulled because 2 teams has left the tournament). In the last game of the year "Rubin" has beat "Torpedo" from Togliatii 1–0 and took the 7th place and left the opponent on the 8th one.
The season of 1973 was to be more successful. After a year's interval Murad Zadikashvili has returned from Kutaisi. Three clubs has started to change each other in the top of the league in the struggle for the only ticket to the Semifinal tournament. These teams were "Uralmash" (Sverdlovsk), "Rubin" and "Kord" from Balakovo. Kazanners were the second ones at the final lap. "Uralmash" had just 3 points more. In RSFSR Cup, which was held as an alternative to USSR Cup, "Rubin" reached Semi-final (the club's best result in this tournament), where lost 0–1 to "Vulkan" (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) in an outdoor game. That year (1973) on May, 1 a 24-year-old masseur Eugeny Golov started to work in "Rubin". From that moment "Rubin" has become an integral part of his life. He had passed all steps of a club hierarchy: masseur – doctor – administrator – first president (since 1990) – director (1995–99 and since 2005).
Before the season of 1974 "Rubin" has practically lost no players of a senior squad. In the final table "Rubin" was the 2nd. In a stubborn struggle kazanners could stand up for this position in a semi-final pellet in Frunze and in a final in Sochi. As a result – an overall 2nd place in the Second League and a pass to the First League.
In 1975 the team was headed by Boris Batanov from "Torpedo" (Moscow), a specialist with a name, indeed, he had a success only as a footballer. After the first half of the year "Rubin" was 17th, and Batanov has left a captain's bridge, which was occupied by Yuri Markov again. Kazanners took 13 points in last 8 games and finished on 11th position.
The beginning of 1976 has encouraged. However, after that 21 matches without any win followed. As a result – the 17th place and a difficultly saved registration in the First League.
In 1977 an attempt to renew a team was undertaken. Result was the last 20th place.
The times of stagnation (1978–1991)
In 1978, the organizers of the competitions have identified "Rubin" in internationalist 4th zone, where in addition to Russian clubs were 13 teams of three republics – Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Kazan started poorly, taking on a long Georgian-Armenian exit, which consisted of 6 matches, only 2 points. But slowly the team began to build momentum, and, eventually, ended the season in 6th place.
In the season of 1979 Kazan set anti-record – 19th place in the second league. During the season in 23 guest matches had been won only 1 game.
In 1980, instead of Aleksei Alekseevich Beryuchevskogo, who led the "Rubin" in two previous seasons, to the post of head coach came Valeriy Salnikov. To the end of the season Kazan came in 10th place, and again left without a head coach.
The next attempt to find a suitable mentor for the team finally succeeded in 1981. Credibility, which was enough for the next 7 years (with a break in 1983–84), get Vladimir Mikhailov, in past well-known football player of Moscow Torpedo. In the final table in 1981, Rubin was in 5th place.
In the next in 1982 an attempt was made to win in the zone. In a bitter struggle with Chelyabinsk "Lokomotiv" Kazan in the end gave the first line to the Ural team. Vadim Popov scored 24 goals, updating the club record for the season. Season-1983 did not become a logical continuation of the 1982th, only a 5th place in the zone. In 1984, Rubin participated even worse. With the transfer Vadim Popov to Omsk Irtysh in the attack appeared unsolvable problems. Toothless team action in the attack was partly offset confident playing defensive line, led by Kikhtenko and Martynov, so Rubin could not fall below 10th place.
The game in attack was fixed in season 1985, when to the team came Vladimir Gavrilov, best scorer of "Rubin" in its history. His scoring quality Gavrilov showed in the season-1986, when with 27 balls he became the best scorer of the second league. We can only guess how things would have developed for "Rubin" in the next 1987, if Gavrilov stays in the team. But he decided to try his strength in the first league and moved to the Voronezh "Fakel", and when in autumn after the injury he returned to Kazan, the fans saw on the field only a pale shadow of a formidable striker.
Two of the final season of 80-ths did not bring positive emotions. Moving up did not work, and Rubin began to sink lower and lower on the standings. In 1988, the team score points, mainly due to competently organized games in the defensive by the coach Alexei Alexandrovich Semyonov, who replaced Mikhailov.
At the end of the 1989 season, when Kazan finished in 12th place, Ivan Zolotukhin was appointed head coach of Rubin. An honored coach of Russia, he was widely respected in the country. Players and fans referred to him as “Grandfather,” a nickname reflecting their regard for him.
In 1990, before the team set the goal – to get into the "buffer" league (intermediate between the first and second), for which it was necessary to take place not less than the second. After a magnificent season, Kazan scored equal points with Togliatti "Lada" and gave her a second line due to a smaller number of victories. The following season, "Rubin" make up for all the previous failures. During the Championship from Moscow came a striker Sergei Surov, who together with Vladimir Gavrilov and 20-year-old Oleg Nechaev for three scored 44 goals, making the most formidable line of attack in the zone. Most of all got "EVM" from Ruzayevka, which Kazan scored seven unanswered goals (the biggest victory of the "Rubin" in the championships of the USSR). As a result, the first round Rubin passed without a single defeat. Unbeaten run was interrupted only in the 32 round, but by the time Kazan was unequivocal leader of the tournament. To finish of the championship in 1991, Rubin came first, finishing with dignity "Soviet" phase of its history.
A step away from total collapse (1992–1995)
After the collapse of the Soviet Union broke up into separate tournaments and the championship of the Union. The result is that instead of the union "buffer" league "Rubin" was the first league of first Championship of Russia. In season 1992, it consisted of three territorial zones. Kazan had been included in the central.