FC Maxline Vitebsk

ML Vitebsk
Full nameFootball Club ML Vitebsk
Founded1983 (1983)
2014 (2014) (reformed)
Dissolved2006 (2006) (former club)
GroundVitebsky Central Sport Complex
Capacity8,144
OwnerBK Maxline
Head coachMagomed Adiyev
LeagueBelarusian Premier League
20251st of 16 (champions)
Websitefcml.by

FC ML Vitebsk[1] (Belarusian: ФК МЛ Віцебск, romanizedFK ML Viciebsk)[2] is a Belarusian football club based in Vitebsk. Until 2023, the club represented Rahachow.

The club competes in the Belarusian Premier League, the top tier of Belarus football, following promotion from the 2024 Belarusian First League.

Previous names

  • 1983: Avtomobilist
  • 1984–1987: KSM
  • 1988–1997: Dnepr
  • 1998–2000: Rogachev
  • 2001: Rogachev-DYUSSh-1
  • 2002–2006: Dnepr-DYUSSh-1
  • 2007–2013: RMKK
  • 2014–2016: Rogachev-MK
  • 2017–2020: Dnepr
  • 2021–2024: Maxline[3]
  • from 2025: ML Vitebsk[4]

History

The team was founded in 1983 as Avtomobilist Rogachev (Awtamabilist Rahachow, Belarusian: Аўтамабіліст) and was renamed to KSM Rogachev (KBM Rahachow, Belarusian: КБМ) next year. Since its foundation and until the dissolution of Soviet Union the team was playing in Belarusian SSR league. In 1988, they were renamed to Dnepr Rogachev (Dnyapro Rahachow, Belarusian: Дняпро Рагачоў).

In 1992, the team joined newly created Belarusian Second League, where they spent next six seasons. After successful 1996 season Dnepr was promoted to the First League. In 1998, they were renamed to FC Rogachev, in 2001, after partnering with local football academy, to Rogachev-DUSSh-1 and finally to Dnepr-DUSSh-1 Rogachev (Belarusian: Дняпро-ДЮСШ-1) in 2002.

The team spent nine seasons in First League until they finished at the last (16th) place in 2005 and were to be relegated back to the Second League. However, due to financial troubles, the team disbanded in early 2006.

Between 2007 and 2013 the amateur team representing Rogachev played in Gomel Oblast league. In 2014, the team reformed as MKK-Dnepr Rogachev (MKK-Dnyapro Rahachow, Belarusian: МКК-Дняпро)and rejoined Second League, before reverting to classic name Dnepr Rogachev (Dnyapro) in 2015.

Maxline takeover

In 2021, the team was re-branded into Maxline Rogachev, after being taken over by the eponymous betting company. In the fall of 2022, Maxline defeated Arsenal Dzerzhinsk in the promotion/relegation play-off and won the right to be promoted to Belarusian Premier League for the 2023 season. During the off-season, Maxline were denied Premier League license and stayed in the First League as the result. In early 2023 the club cut ties with Rogachev and relocated to Vitebsk with the intention of having better chances for promotion in the bigger city with better infrastructure.[5]

Maxline took second place in the 2024 Belarusian First League and won the right to play in the elite division.[6]

On 29 December 2024, Maxline changed the name of the club to ML Vitebsk.[7] The change is related to the licensing conditions for the Belarus teams in connection with their transition to the 2025 Belarusian Premier League. According to the rules of the Belarusian Football Federation, clubs cannot be called by the name of bookmakers before being promoted. Thus, Maxline had to shorten itself to two capital letters ML. To them they added Vitebsk, the name of the city where the team is based.[8]

On 23 November 2025, Maxline Vitebsk officially secured their first top-tier Belarusian title, after defeating FC Gomel 5–0 in Matchweek 29 in what was their final home game of the season.

Current squad

As of 6 April, 2026[9]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  BLR Pavel Pavlyuchenko
2 MF  BLR Aleksey Nosko
3 DF  BLR Nikita Baranok
4 MF  NGA Ode Abdullahi
6 DF  BLR Kirill Gomanov
7 FW  RUS Timur Ivanov
11 FW  JAM Shamar Nicholson (on loan from Tijuana)
14 MF  BLR Ruslan Lisakovich
15 MF  BLR Valery Bocherov
17 MF  BLR Daniil Galyata
18 DF  BLR Vladislav Zhuk
20 DF  BLR Zakhar Volkov
No. Pos. Nation Player
21 FW  RUS Nikita Glushkov
22 DF  BLR Yan Skibsky
23 DF  BLR Syarhey Balanovich
25 DF  BLR Nikita Bykov
27 MF  SRB Aleksandar Mesarović
30 GK  BLR Pavel Shcherbachenya
45 DF  BLR Ilya Moskalenchik (on loan from Arsenal Tula)
46 GK  BLR Daniil Kotov
55 MF  BLR Valery Gromyko
79 FW  MLI Bassekou Diabaté
80 FW  BLR Artem Kontsevoy
99 FW  BLR Mark Bulanov

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
10 FW  ITA Saliou Thioune (at Naftan Novopolotsk)
19 FW  RUS Dmitri Selivanov (at Unixlabs)
33 DF  BLR Kirill Muzychenko (at Baranovichi)
No. Pos. Nation Player
66 DF  BLR Sergey Karpovich (at Dinamo Minsk)
88 DF  BLR Yegor Bozhko (at Arsenal Dzerzhinsk)

Honours

League

League

References

  1. ^ "МЛ Витебск". championship.abff.by (in Russian). Archived from the original on 31 December 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  2. ^ "ML Viciebsk – Soccer – Team Profile – Results, fixtures, squad, statistics – Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 7 February 2025.
  3. ^ ""We'll have to drink a hundred today". How Rogachev's "Maxline" took a big step towards reaching the first league – News : Football.By : Football news of Belarus and the world". Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Vitebsk's "Maxline" will now be called differently – it can be confused with another team cities". Пресссбол (in Russian). 29 December 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  5. ^ FC Maxline relocates to Vitebsk (in Russian)
  6. ^ ""Макслайн" сменил название – Новости : football.by". football.by. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  7. ^ "Витебский "Макслайн" сменил название клуба". bel.football. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  8. ^ "Футбольный клуб "Макслайн" поменял название по весьма интересной причине". tochka.by (in Russian). 30 December 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  9. ^ Команда. fcml.by (in Russian). FC Maxline Vitebsk. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  10. ^ [1]