"There have been a lot of disputes about wages in Portuguese football. Such problems are unacceptable in Azerbaijan."
Idman.biz reports that Zira goalkeeper Thiago Silva said this in a statement to the Portuguese press.
The 28-year-old Portuguese international expressed his opinion about Azerbaijani football: " Teams must provide proof of income to compete in the Azerbaijani Premier League. The international order requires this. If not, only local players can be scheduled. This is the right step. A club that wants to play in the Premier League must have capital. Most of the lower league clubs have older stadiums and pitches that are not in good condition. I don't know exactly how much money they need to get promoted to the Premier League. Therefore, there are 4 rounds in the championship. Only the most competitive teams play here. Therefore, the competition is very balanced."
Thiago also gave an example of the competition in the Premier League: Gabala played in the qualification stage of the Conference League in the summer. But now it is in the last place. But this team plays very well and is capable of fighting any opponent in the championship. There is really strong competition here."
The goalkeeper considers it positive that the competition between the clubs is accompanied by friendship: "Football in Azerbaijan is a good, positive and healthy competition. There is not as much competition here as in Portugal. Let me give an example. The door of our training complex is open to all teams. It has happened many times that we have trained side by side on the same field with the opponent we met on Saturday throughout the week. There are good relations between the clubs. All of them support Qarabag in the great struggle of Europa Cups.
Silva also touched on what he disliked most in Azerbaijani football: "The level of fans is not enough yet. Football is good here. I think about the possibility of reaching a different level and achieving something in the next few years. But for this they need to attract more fans to the stands. With the exception of Neftchi and Qarabag, which gather more spectators, the stadiums are empty in the games of others. In these teams, we are talking about 2,000-3,000 people."
The international also expressed his opinion about the reasons for the lack of fans: "The championship consists of four rounds. The same teams face each other many times. In a way, there is no surprise factor. The game dies a little. The teams already know and treat each other very well. I also think that the start of the second half of the season should be postponed a little. It's impossible to be in the stands in January, it's too cold."
Thiago also touched on the fact that football is not very popular in Azerbaijan: "Football is not the main sport in Azerbaijan. They love boxing, MMA and Formula 1. As a result, football is left behind."
The Portuguese also touched on the work carried out in this direction: Sabah club is doing great work in this direction. Their fan zone is active. Before every match, they do things to get more fans. In this respect, they are ahead of everyone."
Silva also noted that Qarabag has more spectators at the European Cup matches: "Compared to Portugal, there are very few fans here. But it will be difficult for Braga in the match with Qarabag. Because there will be a different environment in the European Cup."
It should be noted that Thiago has been wearing the Zira jersey since the summer of 2023.
Idman.biz
