"We try to work with our players. I don't have many Azerbaijani players."
Anatoli Ponomaryov, the former football player of the Azerbaijan national team, who was a guest of the Idman Bizimle program, said this.
The 41-year-old veteran who is a manager explained the reasons why there are few players living the life of a legionnaire: "I think, first of all, there is a lack of experience. Few of our football players have been playing abroad for several years now. There were not many foreign players before who could share some advice and experience. This is a known issue. Are you at home. You are in a familiar environment. But the difficulty abroad is that you are alone there. Other foreigners meet several compatriots in different teams. Let's take Moses. Gurban is alone in Sweden. But the number of Brazilians is more than 20. The range of communication is wide. Agents should think about it. Our players abroad need mentors. I'm not saying it for publicity. This is an important factor."
Ponomaryov said that he would like to work in Azerbaijan if offered: "My father is also here. This is his homeland. Azerbaijan is my homeland too. I was a player of the national team. Although I was born here, I did not grow up here. My father's entire youth is connected with Azerbaijan. Now he works at Sabah. I have family here, many friends. Of course, I would like to help the development of our football. It doesn't matter, whether it's a club or as a manager, I want to contribute to increasing the career of our players in Europe. Why not?".
Emin Aga
Idman.biz
