"They complain that young football players are not growing up." Well, where will those who grow up go, where will they play?! This question remains open. The most interesting thing is why our veteran football players are silent? Maybe they don't want to talk because of the salary they receive from AFFA, but it is not right to be silent so much."
Idman.biz reports that these ideas were said by veteran football player Elchin Hasanov in his statement to futbolinfo.az.
The former midfielder did not hide his concern about the current state of the country's football: "I congratulate our clubs that passed the stage in the European Cups. But in the Conference League, only 3-4 local football players were in the main squad of the teams. This already shows that we are heading towards the end of football. The abolition of the legionnaire limit creates an opportunity for some businessmen, who use football for profit. After the oil sector, football seems to be the most profitable field. But no one sees football as a means of development, everyone only thinks about their income."
Hasanov states that the manager system does not work properly, and the scouting system has not yet been formed in our country: "In Europe, each club employs at least 5-6 scouts. In our country, managers bring players through personal acquaintances, and these football players are placed in the team at a price several times higher than their real value. The real transfer prices of players bought from lower leagues do not match the figures shown."
He also strongly criticized the indifferent attitude towards local specialists: "I played football with Tarlan Ahmadov, he was both an excellent football player and a good coach. When there are such local specialists, how logical is it for "Imishli" to bring a head coach from Portugal? There are different interests behind such decisions. People should stand up for their positions instead of bowing down. People who have passed through the great football school were not raised to be silent."
Touching upon the situation in children's football, Hasanov said that the situation is deplorable: "I am not saying that there should be no legionnaires - 3-5 level foreign football players are useful. But bringing so many legionnaires is absurd. Today, all clubs mainly work with foreigners. It is clear that those sitting in AFFA have little understanding of football. For example, in Uzbekistan, the head of the federation is a former referee - that is, someone who comes from within football. In our country, it is quite the opposite. I am not saying that all veterans should be gathered in the federation, but there are knowledgeable and capable people among them, and their experience should be used."
Elchin emphasized that development is impossible if this situation does not change: "No matter how much we talk, nothing changes. Everyone is worried about their own profits, big money is erased, but it is not known where it goes. If those who receive the PRO category will not be able to work, then who needs these courses? People who do not know football operate in children's football. Everyone has opened a school, the only goal is profit. If this continues, football will decline even further."
Idman.biz