Debreceni VSC

Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club is a Hungarian professional football club based in Debrecen that competes in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, the first tier of Hungarian football. They are best known internationally for reaching the group stages of the UEFA Champions League in the 2009–10 season. Debrecen have become the most successful club in Hungary since 2000, winning the Hungarian League seven times.

History
Debrecen was founded on 12 March 1902 as Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club. The club first reached the Nemzeti Bajnokság I in the 1943–44 season. Debrecen rose to domestic prominence in the early 2000s when they won their first Hungarian league title in 2004–05 season. Since then the club managed to win seven titles in the 2010s total. However, in the late 2010s the club lost its governmental support and started to decline. In the 2016–17 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, they were escaping from relegation.

At international level, Debrecen reached their biggest success when they managed to reach the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League group stage. The following year they reached the group stages of the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League. In the following years, DVSC competed in the Champions League and the European League qualifiers. In 2023-2024, DVSC played in the European Conference League. The team played against the Armenian Alashkert FC and qualified to the next round, in which Loki clashed with Rapid Wien and finished their European journey that year.

Naming history

 * 1902–12: Egyetértés Football Club
 * 1912–48: Debreceni Vasutas
 * 1948–49: Debreceni Vasutas Sport Egyesület
 * 1949–55: Debreceni Lokomotív
 * 1955–56: Debreceni Törekvés
 * 1957–79: Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club
 * 1979–89: Debreceni Munkás Vasutas Sport Club
 * 1989–95: Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club
 * 1995–99: DVSC-Epona
 * 1999–01: Debreceni VSC
 * 2001–02: Netforum-DVSC
 * 2002: Debreceni VSC
 * 2003–05: DVSC-MegaForce
 * 2005–06: DVSC-AVE Ásványvíz
 * 2006–16: DVSC-TEVA
 * 2016–: Debreceni Vasutas Sport Club

Manufacturers and shirt sponsors
The following table shows in detail Debreceni VSC kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors by year:

Stadiums and facilities
Debrecen played their home matches between 1989 and 2014 at the Oláh Gábor utcai Stadion, which has a capacity of 12,500. After winning the first Nemzeti Bajnokság I trophy, it was found that the stadium did not meet UEFA stadium criteria. Therefore, the most important UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches had to be played at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium as in 2009–10 UEFA Champions League group stage and the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League group stage.

On 1 May 2014, the Nagyerdei stadium was opened with an inauguration ceremony. Viktor Orbán, Hungarian prime minister, said that "the Hungarian spirit, the architects, the engineers, the workers make Hungary great again with this constructions like the Nagyerdei stadium" (in Hungarian: "A magyar szellem, a tervezők, a mérnökök, a munkások ilyen alkotásokkal teszik ismét naggyá Magyarországot"). The stadium was also sanctified by Nándor Bosák, bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, Gusztáv Bölcskei, minister, and Fülöp Kocsis, bishops of the Greek Catholic Church. After the sanctification, singers such as Lou Bega, Viktor Király, Ildikó Kersztes, Gigi Radić, and Erika Miklósa entertained the audience. The first match was played between the Debrecen All Stars and Hungary All Stars, including players such as Attila Pintér, current Hungary national football team coach, Kálmán Kovács, former Budapest Honvéd legend, Péter Lipcsei, former Ferencváros icon, György Véber, former Újpest icon and Mezőkövesd manager at that time, Imre Garaba, former Hungary international, Flórián Urbán, former Újpest legend, and Lajos Détári, former Hungary national team legend.

On 10 May 2014, the first official match was played at the new stadium between Debrecen and Újpest in the 2013–14 Hungarian League season. The match ended with a 3–1 victory over the Budapest-based rival, Újpest. The first goal of the match was scored by Kulcsár in the 27th minute. Although Vasiljević equalised the score in the 37th minute, Debrecen were able to clinch the victory in the second half due to an own goal by Antón in the 46-minute and a goal by Vadnai in the 85th minute.

On 22 May 2014, the first match of the Hungary national football team was played at the stadium in front of 20,000 spectators, which ended with a 2–2 draw against Denmark national football team. The first goal was scored by the former Debrecen player Dzsudzsák. Eriksen equalised the score in the 56th minute. The debutant Varga took the lead in the 69th minute again, but the score was equalised by Schöne in the 72nd minute.

Supporters
Supporters of DVSC are mainly based in Debrecen, Hungary. However, the club is popular in all over Hungary. Club's main ultras group is Szívtiprók Ultras Debrecen (SZ.U.D.), which is the largest and oldest faction, founded in 1994. As of 2000, SZ.U.D started to divide itself, in factions of ultras outside Debrecen, such as SZ.U.D. Budapest, SZ.U.D. Nagyvárad and SZ.U.D. Hódmezővásárhely. Among smaller groups are considered Force Field, Red Territory and Vadmacskák, which are the oldest. However, since 2009, new ultras factions, such as Sziporkák, Debrecen Hooligans, Barrabrava Debrecen and others appeared. This while several, like North Side Hooligans were dissolved in early 2000s. Debrecen has fierce rivalries with Nyíregyháza, Békéscsaba and competitive rivalries with Ferencváros, Újpest and Videoton.

On 5 August 2014, UEFA issued sanctions against Debrecen, Romania's Steaua București and Slovenia's Maribor following racist behaviour by their fans during 2014–15 UEFA Champions League qualifying against Cliftonville, Strømsgodset and Zrinjski Mostar respectively. Debrecen shut sector B of their ground after fans showed an "illicit banner" during the match against Northern Ireland's Cliftonville.


 * Szívtiprók Ultras Debrecen (founded in 1994)


 * Famous supporters
 * 🇭🇺 László Lukács

Ownership
On 27 May 2017, it was announced that Andy Vajna could replace Gábor Szima as the owner of Debrecen. Nevertheless, Andy Vajna added that he likes football but he does not want to invest into football.

On 15 August 2017, it was revealed that Gábor Szima, the owner of Debrecen, might leave the club and a Greek tycoon might arrive.

On 1 July 2020, Szima resigned as the owner of the club. The 73 percent of the shares of the club were purchased by the local government. László Papp, mayor of Debrecen, announced that the main goal is to be promoted to the first league again.

On 18 December 2020, it was announced that the DVSC Egyesület purchased the majority of the shares.

On 27 June 2022, Ike Thierry Zaengel was appointed as the chairman and owner of the club.

Domestic

 * Nemzeti Bajnokság I
 * Winners (7): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2013–14
 * Nemzeti Bajnokság II
 * Winners (8): 1942–43, 1948–49, 1959–60, 1961–62, 1978–79, 1988–89, 1992–93, 2020–21
 * Runners-up (1): 1983–84
 * Magyar Kupa
 * Winners (6): 1998–99, 2000–01, 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13
 * Ligakupa
 * Winners (1): 2009–10
 * Szuperkupa
 * Winners (5): 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010

Current squad
.

Players with multiple nationalities

 * 🇭🇺 🇺🇦 Erik Kusnyír

Board of directors
As of 27 December 2022

Management
As of 24 July 2023

Notable foreign players

 * 🇧🇦 Stevo Nikolić
 * 🇧🇦 Haris Handžić
 * 🇧🇦 Haris Tabakovic
 * 🇨🇲 Dorge Kouemaha
 * 🇨🇲 Yannick Mbengono
 * 🇨🇲 Justin Mengolo
 * 🇭🇷 Sandro Tomić
 * 🇭🇷 Ronald Habi
 * 🇭🇷 Božidar Radošević
 * 🇭🇷 Dajan Šimac
 * 🇪🇪 Igor Morozov
 * 🇫🇷 Adamo Coulibaly
 * 🇫🇷 Selim Bouadla
 * 🇬🇦 Roguy Méyé
 * Kakhaber Chkhetiani
 * 🇭🇳 Luis Ramos
 * 🇱🇹 Mindaugas Malinauskas
 * 🇲🇰 Aco Stojkov
 * 🇲🇰 David Babunski
 * 🇲🇰 Dorian Babunski
 * 🇲🇰 Mirsad Mijadinoski
 * 🇲🇪 Bojan Brnović
 * 🇲🇪 Vukašin Poleksić
 * 🇳🇬 Tunde Adeniji
 * 🇷🇴 Liviu Goian
 * 🇷🇴 Tibor Selymes
 * Nicolae Ilea
 * 🇷🇴 Marius Șumudică
 * 🇷🇴 Sabin Ilie
 * 🇸🇳 Ibrahima Sidibe
 * 🇷🇸 Igor Bogdanović
 * 🇷🇸 Dragan Vukmir
 * 🇷🇸 Nenad Novaković
 * 🇷🇸 Dušan Brković
 * 🇸🇰 Róbert Vittek
 * 🇸🇮 Dalibor Volaš
 * 🇸🇮 Rene Mihelič
 * 🇰🇷 Suk Hyun-jun
 * 🇺🇦 Ivan Bobko
 * 🇻🇪 Frank Feltscher