The real reason for Azerbaijan national team forward Renat Dadashov’s absence in the 1:2 loss to Ukraine in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers has been revealed.
According to Murad Akhundov, head of the AFFA press service, Dadashov did not participate in the match due to health problems.
“He felt unwell before the game. Due to discomfort in his condition, he was unable to fully recover in time for the match,” Akhundov told Idman.biz.
Earlier, several media outlets reported a supposed conflict between Azerbaijan’s new head coach Aykhan Abbasov and Dadashov, claiming the forward had reacted emotionally to not being fielded in the second half against France (0:3). AFFA has confirmed that these reports were false.
Azerbaijan will play its last two World Cup qualifying matches at home in Baku, facing Iceland on November 13 and France on November 16. After four rounds, the team has one point and sits at the bottom of Group D.
