Sport24.az
Interview of Cenk Sümer, CEO of "Neftchi", to Sport24.az website
- "Neftchi" missed the victory in the last seconds of the match against "Shamakhi". How would you comment on the 2:2 draw?
- Both teams did their best. Sometimes it happens, you lose a point when you think you will win with a last-minute goal. It seems that we are in a period of development. Although there are some shortcomings, we continue on our way. The trip to "Shamakhi" is not easy for anyone. In general, I am satisfied with the performance of our team. Hopefully, we will reach our goals at the end of the season.
- What are your thoughts on the penalty awarded to "Neftchi"'s goal at the end?
- What happened at the end of the match is upsetting. The penalty given in the last second is debatable. That's the upsetting part. We will look at the upcoming matches.
- It is clear from the footage that there was an offside before "Shamakhi"'s first goal, and as you said, the penalty is also debatable. Why do you think all these controversial episodes are against "Neftchi"?
- We need to be fair to everyone, not just to us. Referees must be fair. The Federation is making serious investments for this. Referees also learn and take lessons. They also underwent training abroad during the winter break. Therefore, we were expecting good signals from the referees. But unfortunately... It is clear that there was an offside during "Shamakhi"'s first goal. The linesman could not see this. In the second goal episode, there was a foul at the beginning of the attack. If I say that the referee could not see it because it was foggy, it would be a lie, because the episode was right in front of his eyes. As for the penalty awarded to our goal, our player jumped into the air and intervened in the ball during the fight with the opponent, here the movement of the elbow was automatic. Nowhere in the world would this episode be considered rude. But it was evaluated here. The head referee saw the episode and awarded a free kick in our favor. VAR, on the other hand, put forward a different idea about the episode, they thought there was a foul there. This decision is not correct. Of course, these things upset us. Especially at a time when we are on the rise. But these things cannot stop us. We will continue to win the upcoming matches. We are accountable to ourselves. We will not single out opponents. We will fight to the end for a ticket to the European Cups. I hope everything goes well. This is important not only for our games, but also for Azerbaijani football. The referee will do his job completely, so that he will be fair, so that football will be played. The results will already be visible in Europe.
- New transfer Breno Almeida made his debut for "Neftchi" in the match against "Shamakhi". Were you satisfied with his performance?
- It was his first match. He has been with us for a short time. Therefore, he needs to go through a period of adaptation. In addition, he did not spend the winter training with us. I think it will be good, his level is known. He is also a football player that our head coach believes in. We will see the benefit together after a few games.
- Vensan Abubakar entered the field in the second half and scored 2 goals. How do you rate his performance?
- That's why we transferred Abubakar. At the beginning of the goal, I told the people next to me that Abubakar would score in such matches. I finished my sentence and immediately there was a goal. Abubakar is a professional, he does his job. It is a chance not only for "Neftchi", but also for Azerbaijan. It is not easy for such foreign stars to come to Azerbaijan. As a club manager and a football fan, I am happy that they are doing their job properly here. Hopefully, there will be more to come.
