The FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival, which kicked off in Baku on October 24, is drawing to a close. Talented young footballers from different continents have been showcasing their abilities in the Azerbaijani capital.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the tournament offers an excellent opportunity for football clubs involved in scouting and recruitment to identify promising young players.
Naturally, scouting specialists tend to keep their observations and the names of players who have caught their attention confidential. As a result, they are often reluctant to share such information with the media. Nevertheless, İdman.Biz contacted several Azerbaijani clubs to learn more about their scouting activities during the tournament.
Nail Karimov, manager of the Qarabağ Football Academy, confirmed to İdman.Biz that representatives of the Aghdam-based club had attended several matches to assess young talent.
"Our current objective is to understand the level of under-15 football worldwide and compare the physical and technical abilities of Azerbaijani players with those of their peers from other continents.
"At present, Qarabağ can sign a player we are interested in once he turns 18. Of course, it is also possible to recruit a player at an earlier age, arrange a loan move and bring him to Qarabağ when he reaches 18.
"However, as an academy, we are not yet fully prepared to monitor players over several years, conduct negotiations and maintain continuous oversight of such a process.
"For us, the more practical option is to begin closely monitoring a player at 17 and bring him to Qarabağ a year later, once he turns 18," Karimov explained.
Zaur Khudiyev, head of the Sumgayit Football Club's press service, also confirmed that the club's scouting staff were following the tournament.
"Like representatives of most Azerbaijani football clubs, Sumgayit's scouts are watching the U-15 World Cup matches in Baku and taking the necessary notes.
"As you know, confidentiality is essential in scouting. All I can say is that several young players have caught our attention. We are observing talented footballers, while our coaches continue to monitor them and record their assessments," Khudiyev said.
Zira, another Azerbaijani club known for recruiting quality foreign players, is also among those monitoring the competition with potential future transfers in mind.
The club's press officer, Elmar Abdullazade, confirmed this in a brief statement to İdman.Biz.
"Yes, coaches working at Zira's academy have attended matches at the youth World Cup being held in Baku," he said.
İdman.Biz also attempted to contact Neftchi and Sabah for comments on their scouting activities, but was unable to obtain a response from either club.
The FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival, which has brought together promising young footballers from around the world, is scheduled to conclude on October 30.
