Sport24.az
Interview of PFL President Elkhan Samadov to Sport24.az.
- We would like to know your opinion about "Qarabağ"'s matches with "Newcastle"...
- It is normal for not only "Qarabağ", but all clubs to experience difficulties in a match with a representative of the strongest league in the world. As Gurban bey said, the team learned a good lesson from the blow in the first game. Even the fact that the first two goals were scored faster than in the previous game did not cause confusion, which is commendable. Our team fought to the end. It is clear from the reactions that "Qarabağ" won the sympathy of football fans not only from us, but from all over the world. In the person of "Qarabağ", each of our football players gained great experience.
- How do you assess the performance of the Agdam team in the current European Cup season?
- "Qarabağ" has accustomed us to the group stages in European Cups. There is a lot of hard work behind this success. I would like to extend my congratulations and deep gratitude to the club's president Tahir Gozel, CEO Amrah Chelikel, Board member Asif Asgarov, head coach Gurban Gurbanov, and all members of the team in general. "Qarabağ" achieved a great result. Being among the 24 strongest teams in Europe is undoubtedly a great success. And most importantly, during this success, not only "Qarabağ" is mentioned, but also Azerbaijan as a whole, which makes every person who loves this country feel proud and proud.
- I want you to be honest. Did you expect such a result at the beginning of the season?
- To be honest, my hopes were not high after the draw. Because when you look at the teams, you realize the difficulty of the work. But I believed after "Qarabağ"'s first victory. It was felt that the team itself also gained a different perspective on the rivals. Although the responsibility of the Champions League remained, the burden was lifted from them. Everyone in the club seemed to realistically accept that the goal was not impossible.
- Can Azerbaijani clubs show this result in the coming years?
- We can only hope. I have always believed in our clubs. Today, there is an example of "Sabah", which plays head-to-head with "Qarabağ" and is currently ahead of it in terms of points. We see "Zira", which consistently wins tickets to European Cups, the revived "Turan Tovuz", and "Neftchi". "Araz Nakhchivan" and "Sumgayit" have recently "tasted" international tournaments. That is, of course, it is very difficult to suddenly achieve today's result of "Qarabağ". This requires time and patience. But at least for our clubs, there is an example of a club that they face every season and that is in front of their eyes. I have great faith that it is possible for each of them.
- We have been represented by only one club in the main stages of European Cups for many years. Will we be able to increase this number next season?
- I strongly believe that this number will be at least 2 next season. The fact that our teams have played in the group stages before and returned from the play-offs shows that it is possible to go this way again. That is, we have experience. We just need to be a little more careful and finish it
