“They complain that young players aren’t being developed. But where are those who are developed supposed to go? Where will they play?! This question remains unanswered. What’s most interesting is why our veteran footballers remain silent. Maybe they don’t want to speak out because of the salaries they receive from AFFA, but staying this silent is also not right.”
These thoughts were expressed by veteran footballer Elchin Hasanov in an interview with the website Futbolinfo.az, Idman.biz reports.
The former midfielder did not hide his concern about the current state of the country's football: “I congratulate our clubs that advanced in European competitions. But in the Conference League teams, only 3-4 local players were part of the starting line-ups. This shows that we’re heading toward the end of our football. The removal of the foreign player limit creates opportunities for certain opportunists who are using football purely for profit. After the oil sector, football seems to be the most profitable industry. But no one sees it as a tool for development, everyone is just focused on earnings.”
Hasanov said the agent system doesn’t work properly and the scouting system in the country still hasn’t been formed: “In Europe, each club has at least 5–6 scouts. Here, agents bring in players through personal connections and place them in teams at prices far above their real value. The actual transfer fees of players bought from lower leagues do not match the figures being reported.”
He also harshly criticized the neglect of local specialists: “I used to play with Tarlan Ahmadov, he was a great player and is a good coach. While we have local specialists like him, how reasonable is it for a club like Imishli to bring in a head coach from Portugal? Such decisions are driven by different interests. People should take a stand instead of yielding. Those who have come through a great football school weren’t raised to stay silent.”
Touching on the situation in youth football, Hasanov said it is in a miserable state: “I’m not saying there should be no foreign players, 3 to 5 quality foreigners can be beneficial. But bringing in this many foreign players is absurd. Today, nearly all clubs mainly work with foreigners. It’s obvious that those sitting in AFFA have little understanding of football. For example, in Uzbekistan, the head of the federation is a former referee, someone from within the game. In our case, it’s the complete opposite. I’m not saying they should fill AFFA with veterans, but among them are knowledgeable and capable individuals whose experience should be used.”
Elchin Hasanov emphasized that without change, development is impossible: “No matter how much we talk, nothing changes. Everyone is concerned about their own profit, large sums of money are being laundered, but no one knows where it goes. If those who earned PRO licenses can’t find work, then what’s the point of these courses? In youth football, people who know nothing about the game are in charge. Everyone opens a school, but the sole purpose is profit. If things continue like this, football will only regress further.”
Idman.biz
