By Paul Nicholson
June 11 – When the Swiss and the Welsh open their Euro 2020 campaigns in Baku, Azerbaijan – on the outside edge of Europe bordering on Asia – Azerbaijan FA general secretary Elkhan Mammadov can justifiably open a bottle of arag.
For Mammadov it is both the end and the start of a journey he has undertaken for football in his country. What began as a bid to bring Europe’s premium national team event to showcase his country has become a symbol of unity and hope from the outer realms of UEFA’s football empire.
“We are on the edge of Europe but we are very much part of it,” said Mammadov. “We wanted our hosting to be a celebration for all the region. The pandemic has changed this a bit.
“We want the vibrant atmosphere of our city (Baku) transferred to our neighbours and for them to share our pride in hosting such an event…After 15 months of the pandemic the most important message is that we are coming back to normal. This gives us great hope, not just for us but for all other countries. We must use this opportunity.”
The Baku Olympic Stadium will be a 50% capacity for the three group A matches and quarter final it will host. The country has no restrictions on fans in terms of quarantine or mask-wearing, have made visa access simple and quick with the only criteria being that fans have to have a negative covid test.
Mammadov is keen to show solidarity in Europe and to be an example in that. It is a philosophy that extends beyond the Euros. On the failed plans for a failed European Super League, he may be a long way from the geographical focus of the proposed ESL, but he centrally on message and without prompting.
“This kind of idea destroys our values. UEFA invests a lot in inclusion, in youth and disabled football, in growing the women’s game. All stakeholders should be able to play football. We cannot wake up on a Sunday morning and create a Super League with no strategy and for only $4 billion.”
It is an opinion held by most in Europe’s federations, what is worth thinking about more closely is the “only $4 billion”. The message is clear – it would have been a cheap and unacceptable sell-out of much stronger and morally binding principles.
But if all this is big picture, what about the more local landscape and the progression of Azerbaijani game?
“I think in the longer term we can compete for Euro qualification,” says Mammadov. “With Qarabag we have a club that is quite successful in Europe and constantly in the Europa League groups stages since 2014. We have six local players in the first XI and we are developing more players in all our clubs.”
In terms of sports in Azerbaijan, football has the most participation. But the country has an outstanding record in Chess and has been a World Cup winner.
“We all play chess,” smiles Mammadov. No surprise then that he is making some smart moves.
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