Elgiz Keremli, the head coach of the Azerbaijani football team "Shafa," spoke about the team's future plans after winning the championship in the First League.
The expert said that the path to championship was not easy. According to him, after the abolition of the legionnaire limit in the Premier League, many players moved to the First League clubs, which further increased competition.
"The competition was very intense. We didn't have an easy game. Even the games we won by a difference of three or four goals were remembered for their tension. Our goal was to maintain stability in this long marathon," Elgiz Keremli told qol.az.
The head coach emphasized that the fight in the Premier League will be more difficult. He stated that the team needs to be strengthened:
"The Premier League is very strong now. The clubs have high-level legionnaires in their squads. It will not be easy to fight head-to-head with them. We have players in our squad who can play in the Premier League, but even the best team that goes to the top league has to strengthen. The main goal in the first season will be to stay in the Premier League."
Speaking about his contract, the expert said that his contract should be automatically renewed after promotion to the Premier League, but he is waiting for the club management's decision regarding the new season.
The head coach said that the "SOCAR Polymer Arena" in Sumgayit has been booked for "Shafa"'s home games, and the training sessions will most likely continue at the reserve ground of the Baku Olympic Stadium.