"The Neftchi women's team's Champions League first qualifying round match will be held in Tirana, Albania, following a request submitted to UEFA by the Israeli club."
The head coach of the Baku-based team, Siyasat Asgarov, stated this in an interview with Report news agency, Idman.biz reports.
"As you know, there is also an Israeli team in our group. They submitted a written request to UEFA not to play in Turkiye. UEFA then changed the venue of the matches to Albania. We were hoping and expecting the games to be held in Azerbaijan. However, UEFA decided to organize the matches at a neutral venue. Turkiye was willing to host the games, and I don't think we were incapable of organizing them either. Heavier tournaments have been held in Azerbaijan before. But this was UEFA’s decision," the coach said.
Asgarov emphasized that the conditions in Albania will be the same for all teams: “If the games were held in Azerbaijan, I believe it would have benefited our team. Now, the stadium will be unfamiliar for both us and our opponents. Neither Fomget nor Kiryat will have an advantage. The fans will also be neutral.”
The UEFA Women's Champions League first qualifying round will consist of semifinal and final matches. If Neftchi defeats Fomget, they will face Israeli side Kiryat in the final. The winner of that match will advance to the second qualifying round. The final will take place on August 3 in the same city.
Idman.biz
