The reason behind Araz-Nakhchivan’s delayed appearance for their Azerbaijan Premier League fixture against Sabah in the 19th round has now been clarified.
According to Idman.Biz, the club’s head of press service, Mahal Mammadov, explained that the team’s late arrival on the pitch – approximately two minutes after the scheduled time – was due to an extended pre-match meeting led by head coach Andrey Demchenko.
“This is the first such incident in our club’s history. The head coach simply miscalculated the timing,” Mammadov stated.
The Azerbaijan Football Federations Association did not overlook the delay and imposed a fine of 3,000 manats on Araz-Nakhchivan. As a result, each additional minute of Demchenko’s final instructions effectively cost the club 1,500 manats.
While the delay was brief, disciplinary regulations in the Azerbaijan Premier League require strict adherence to match schedules, with clubs held financially accountable for organisational breaches.
