The UEFA Champions League final on May 31 will feature PSG and Inter Milan — and notably, players from five of Azerbaijan’s neighboring countries will be on the pitch: Hakan Calhanoglu (Turkiye), Matvei Safonov (Russia), Mehdi Taremi (Iran), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Georgia), and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Armenia).
This raises a pressing question: Why is Azerbaijan lagging so far behind its neighbors in football?
Aslan Karimov shared his thoughts on this issue in response to a question from Football-plus.az, Idman.biz reports.
“The reasons for our lag are obvious,” said the football expert. “The national teams of these countries consistently participate in major tournaments. Iran, Georgia, Turkey, and Russia qualify for the World Cup finals. Even Armenia’s national team has achieved better results than ours. Why can’t our players reach a Champions League final? This is a topic that’s been debated for years in discussions about the development of Azerbaijani football. I’m sure we all share the blame — from journalists and officials to players and coaches. Everyone has a part in this failure. Of course, how much responsibility each group holds is open to discussion.”
Idman.biz
