“As a team, our goal is to become champions and, most importantly, earn promotion to the First League. That’s why we approach every game very seriously. Tactically, you’ll see a team that controls the ball for 90 minutes, plays dominant football, and presses constantly,”
Idman.biz reports that these were the words of “Khankendi” manager Rashad Babayev in a statement to Futbolinfo.az.
He also spoke about the pre-season preparations: “We started training in mid-July. Our sessions were mostly held in Baku and Absheron. We continue both physical and tactical drills. We even had several fitness sessions on sand. We have mobilized all available resources to assemble the squad we want. We’ve trialed some new players and signed experienced ones.”
The club official mentioned friendly matches as part of preparations: “Our most recent game was a friendly against ‘Sabail,’ which was relegated from the top division. It was a very interesting match and important for assessing our potential. We have also spoken with ‘Dinamo’ and ‘Baku Sporting’ and plan to play them. Right now, we have players for every position who can replace each other at a high level. However, we understand that football is ultimately about scoring goals, and scoring consistently is the job of a talented striker. In this sense, the attacking line is the area that needs strengthening. We have mostly solved this issue, but every team needs a striker who can convert chances. The key focus is endurance and having the strength to play dominantly for 90 minutes. We demand our players stay physically and mentally sharp throughout the match.”
Babayev openly stated their championship ambition: “Although it may sound a bit bold, and without disrespect to others, as ‘Khankendi’ FC we have no intention of wasting time in the Second League. We’ve built the squad with enough experienced and talented players to become Second League champions and secure direct promotion to the First League, barring any unforeseen circumstances. That’s our target. Our head coach Ibrahim Uzunca and assistant coach Jeyhun Javadov have based all their plans on this. But this is football; it’s a long marathon, our debut season, and anything can happen. Still, I highly value our team’s potential. The players are both experienced and talented. They understand the responsibility of representing their city and wearing this jersey. Representing Khankendi in professional football brings extra motivation and pride. We believe that after many years, national football will return to Khankendi with ‘Khankendi’ FC.”
Rashad Babayev also commented on the competition in the Second League: “There are strong and interesting teams in the Second League. We respect all of them and wish them success. I believe it will be a tense, exciting, and colorful competition. There are other debuting clubs like us, and we congratulate them as well. But regardless of all this, I can say that our biggest competition is within our own team. If our players maintain focus and seriousness until the very last match, and I have no doubt they will, the season will end successfully for ‘Khankendi.’”
On home games, the club official said: “I was expecting this question; it’s good you saved it for last. Today, Azerbaijani football faces a serious infrastructure problem. There are very few stadiums and pitches suitable for hosting matches. Imagine, we’re only in the Second League, but in the Premier League, 6 matches are played across just 3 stadiums. This is a shameful picture for our football. But what can we do? We must continue with the limited resources we have. As ‘Khankendi’ FC, we have officially written to Minister of Youth and Sports Mr. Farid Gayibov regarding the Khankendi City Stadium. We’ve been told that major renovation work is ongoing there, and once completed, we’ll be informed of the minister’s final decision. We have no doubt that respected Farid Gayibov, who loves football, is aware of the difficulties our clubs face regarding stadiums. It’s impossible to imagine the newly revived Khankendi without football. We hope that, if not this year, by next year we’ll host our home games at the Khankendi City Stadium. We want to play in front of our own fans and supporters. Hosting rivals in Absheron or Baku is not what we want; it can only be temporary. The entire growth and development strategy of ‘Khankendi’ FC is tied to Khankendi itself. We hope the relevant state bodies will allow the city’s professional football representative, ‘Khankendi’ FC, to play at the Khankendi City Stadium. Until then, we will host our opponents in Baku, at pitch No. 4 of the ‘Neftchi’ Training Base.”
Idman.biz
