“There is no court matter or defamation of honor or dignity in the criticized articles.”
This was stated by sports journalist Anar Shabanoglu in an interview with İdman.biz.
He described the complaint made by Riad Rafiyev, the president of Sumgayit football club, and his colleague Ikhtiyar Asgarov to the Prosecutor General’s Office as baseless: “We were informed that a complaint had been made by the president of Sumgayit regarding our articles. Then, the Prosecutor General's Office took statements from both of us. Riad Rafiyev is simply intolerant to criticism.”
The Sports.az employee mentioned that although he had written numerous critical articles, this was the first time he encountered such a situation: “Personally, I have criticized AFFA President Rovshan Najafov and the President of the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation Mikayil Jabbarov sharply at times. But I have never heard any complaints or criticism from them or anyone else. These people know that criticism is fundamental to progress. However, the president of Sumgayit does the opposite. I hope that they will make Riad Rafiyev understand this and remove him from football once and for all. They won't even allow him to manage anymore. Justice will prevail.”
According to Shabanoglu, after consulting with his lawyer, necessary actions will be taken: “At the very least, we will appeal to the Press Council and the Media Development Agency.”
Rafiyev has claimed that his honor and dignity were defamed in articles on Sports.az and Matc.az. He has demanded the removal of the articles and the publication of a denial.
Idman.biz
