Interview with Tarlan Ahmadov, former captain of the Azerbaijan national team, for Teleqraf.
– Three of Azerbaijan's four clubs managed to pass the second qualifying round in European competitions. Don’t you think these achievements are mainly thanks to foreign players?
– First of all, congratulations. It's a positive development that three of our clubs have advanced. For 12 years, we've been celebrating Qarabag's progression to the main stages of European competitions. Last season, Zira made us proud by reaching the play-offs in the Conference League. This season, three of our clubs made it through the second qualifying round. The issue is that clubs are currently favoring foreign players, and we’re witnessing that success is being achieved thanks to them. In the return match between Sabah and Moldova’s Petrocub in the Conference League, only one Azerbaijani player, Anatoliy Nuriyev, was in the starting lineup, and he is a naturalized player. Araz-Nakhchivan had two local players, Urfan Abbasov and Bakhtiyar Hasanalizada, start against Greece’s Aris. Zira had three locals, Gismat Aliyev, Ismayıl İbrahimli, and Rovlan Muradov, in their starting eleven against Croatia’s Hajduk. Qarabag also had three national team members, Bahlul Mustafazada, Elvin Jafarguliyev, and Nariman Akhundzada, in their lineup against Ireland’s Shelbourne in the second qualifying round of the Champions League. In short, we have developed at the club level mostly thanks to foreigners, and club success is tied to them. Local players are gradually being sidelined. A strategy has been set to prioritize foreigners. It was expected that some success would be achieved this way.
– What do these achievements with foreign players bring to Azerbaijani football?
– They may contribute something at the club level and currently help raise the standard of the Premier League. But overall, they aren’t giving anything to Azerbaijani football. We see that most local players remain on the bench. I've always said our players lack the desire to work hard and improve themselves; they tend to protect themselves. It’s already clear that Premier League teams will split into two groups, the top six will compete for the title and medals, and the other six will fight for survival. When the top teams face each other, they’ll prioritize foreign players. Questions arise: What will happen to our national teams? Where will players be selected from? Yes, we’re happy about the clubs advancing through rounds, but we have World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine, France, and Iceland coming up. Who will be called up to the national team, and in what form will they be? That’s a mystery.
– Then why can’t local players compete with foreigners?
– They were given chances. The development program for local players starts at the academy level. The training programs in academies are inadequate. There are manipulations, mismanagement, players are not following proper training regimens or load programs, and there are mistakes in development systems. A central body coordinating the National Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and AFFA must be created. The development of academies, coach education, player nutrition, and vitamin supply should be strictly monitored. Even the league system for academy teams is not properly implemented. No offense to anyone, but all matches are played on artificial turf. All this creates problems. After ages 17–19, we can’t find players to perform in senior teams. Due to personal interests and principles, some players are excluded from squads. Nepotism and favoritism must be eliminated. We know that due to low salaries, youth coaches often rely on parents financially. So, there are many problems. If we want to develop football, we must first improve the infrastructure. Each club should have its own training base and be rewarded when they field academy graduates. These problems must be solved so that local players can improve both in the league and on the national level and be sold abroad. We've been talking about this for years but haven’t produced results. In this sense, locals are still behind foreigners in terms of competitiveness.
– Don’t you think local players themselves are to blame for this situation?
– First and foremost, Azerbaijani players are to blame because they don’t work on themselves and don’t learn from the foreigners around them. Some start playing a little and immediately get hyped up by their managers and the media. Then they develop a "star syndrome." In the end, you can’t even find a decent local player. We can't channel this praise to benefit our work. One of the biggest problems is the high salaries given to players at a young age. When the youth quota was in effect, 85% of under-21 players played as central midfielders. There were no strikers, center-backs, full-backs, or wingers. Everyone focused on central midfield because any mistake by a young player could be covered by an experienced foreign midfielder. This didn’t help us develop players; we lost them. Young players thought things would always be this easy. As a result, opportunities were missed. Yes, some made good use of them, but very few. Many failed to unlock their talent or withstand the competition. Club leaders started demanding success in European competitions. Local players couldn’t handle the competition. When foreigners come, they fight to keep their spot and earn more money. Locals, on the other hand, are satisfied with salaries that support their current lifestyle and avoid working harder. When the foreign player quota was 6+5 and clubs were required to play U21 locals, some players got a chance but later lost it to foreigners.
– Do you include Gabala in your criticism of academies?
– No. Gabala Football Academy truly produced players. That was during the time when club president Tale Heydarov paid special attention. Even Baku FC’s academy produced a number of local talents. I’m not speaking about a single club, I’m talking about the general problems. If every club had focused on developing players from the start, we’d have more Azerbaijani players in Europe. We have everything, yet we can’t develop players. The processes, approaches, and competitions are different. Nobody goes to watch games or training sessions. Some academy heads even watch their team’s match recordings online instead of watching live at the pitch. They all know these things. Until recently, Gabala provided many players to Azerbaijani football. There were processes of retaining players and recruiting from outside. That could also be linked to financial issues. I’ve heard that Imishli’s U19 team was not allowed into the U19 League. I’m saying that there are problems in the work of coaches at all academies in Azerbaijan. Let them investigate why kids from poor families get fewer chances to train compared to kids from wealthier backgrounds. There were cases where parents pulled their kids from teams due to such discrimination.
– You must be aware of Ramin Musayev’s comment that “The Azerbaijan national team is dead – don’t expect results for five years.” Don’t you think that’s a harsh statement?
– I have great respect for Ramin Musayev. Everyone’s opinion should be respected. He has his own perspective and speaks from what he knows. He did great work both at Neftchi and the Professional Football League. Good work should always be acknowledged. If he made such a statement, there must be reasons behind it. In the latest European matches of our four clubs, only nine local players played in total. Who will we field against France? We try to speak moderately. Ramin Musayev speaks out because he cares – when he doesn’t see Azerbaijani players on the field, he worries about the national team's future. Whether his words were harsh or not, he speaks his mind. Development doesn’t happen at club level; it happens when local players grow, play abroad, and gain international experience. If I were to speak harshly, many would twist my words. Our generation didn’t have normal conditions. I remember, a day before flying to Moldova, while running at Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, I stepped into a hole and broke my ankle. I stayed in that condition until morning, and only after an X-ray did the fracture become clear. That’s how poor our facilities were. But now we have everything – top-class training camps – yet we still can’t develop players. Even when we make it to the Champions League group stage, we can't raise our national team. We hire world-class coaches but fail to get results. How can we, when the approach of players – and toward players – is flawed? Despite all the state support, why aren’t we progressing? Of course, Ramin Musayev is also thinking: clubs may succeed and advance, but what will happen to the national team?
– By the way, Ramin Musayev often criticizes the fact that you are unemployed…
– I’ve had a few meetings with AFFA executive vice-president Sarkhan Hajiyev. I’ve informed him about the pressure and smear campaigns against me. I don’t know what will happen, but someone in AFFA has labeled me as “Elkhan Mammadov’s man.” Ironically, during Mammadov’s tenure, they used to call me “Ramin Musayev’s man.” Yes, Musayev and I are friends and brothers. Today, neither of us is working. But our friendship continues. So what happened? Back then I was said to be Musayev’s man, and they questioned my entire career. Now someone from the current leadership is saying I’m Mammadov’s man. When these people are gone, the new ones will claim I belong to them. I’ve only ever greeted AFFA’s current secretary general, Jahangir Farajullayev, once – at the 70th anniversary event for Football Veterans Union chairman Ogtay Abdullayev. Why label me as Mammadov’s man and block my path? Why form such negative opinions about me? I serve Azerbaijani football. Elkhan Mammadov was AFFA’s secretary general and executive vice-president, now he’s working at FIFA – I wish him success. I have nothing to do with him. He attended the Araz-Nakhchivan vs. Aris match and met with people. Why is this image of me being created? I don’t get it.
– Recently, Bakhtiyar Musayev was appointed head of AFFA’s scouting department. Aside from coaching, have you considered a role as a football official?
– Of course, I would love to serve Azerbaijani football. All my ideas and plans remained on paper. I had told Minister of Youth and Sports Farid Gayibov that we could use my program to develop local players over time. He even instructed his assistant to meet with me and work on this issue. But all my plans were shelved and no one cared. I’ve been speaking, writing, and proposing for years. I see that no one is interested. Naturally, I’d like to serve football as a functionary as well. But not just for the sake of sitting in an office and withdrawing a salary from an ATM. Azerbaijani football must develop. When we look at Georgian or Uzbek football, why should we sigh and feel regret? No country receives the support Azerbaijan gives to football. Yet we fail to give back. Also, not a single well-known Azerbaijani footballer is employed in a meaningful role. I can name Nazim Suleymanov, Samir Alakbarov, Vidadi Rzayev, Mahmud Gurbanov, Arif Asadov. Yunis Huseynov is a close friend, and at his age, he’s working as an assistant coach at Turan Tovuz out of necessity. Vali Gasimov has connections in Spain and Portugal – these could be utilized for clubs or the national team. All our prominent players are sidelined. Including me. If an offer or role comes, I will consider it. Azerbaijani football must improve over the next five years. We all must roll up our sleeves and stop looking at others with envy. We must take pride in our clubs and national team. This program must be executed together with veteran footballers.
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