"Mingachevir"'s head coach: "Big plans will be implemented in the near future" - INTERVIEW

The new head coach of the "Mingachevir" club, which competes in the Azerbaijan I League, Fuzuli Mammadov, gave an interview to "Report". He talked about the contributions that the team's new partner ASTA can make to the club and future plans. The expert said that "Mingachevir" will bring great benefits to Azerbaijani football in the near future. Fuzuli muallim, what can you say about your new appointment? - I have been newly appointed to the team. I am very happy that I was invited to a promising club. My first impressions are positive. Everyone's attitude towards us is very pleasant. The fans support us. Believe me, about 200 fans watch the training in the stands. We get a lot of motivation from this situation. They believe in the players, they trust the team. They already have great hopes that their native team will be among the contenders. Their faith excites us very much. The conditions are good and will be even better. The players also express their satisfaction. - Who exactly invited you to "Mingachevir"? - We held negotiations with Rafael Bunyatov, the president of the team's new sponsor ASTA (Azerbaijan Sport Talents Academy). Thank you that the management trusted me. He told me about his plans and long-term strategies. They told me their goals, plans and what they wanted. I also had some conditions and our wishes complemented each other. I came to this club based on mutual agreement. - What issues did you discuss with the management during the initial negotiations? - The management's initial plan is to keep "Mingachevir" in the I League. You know that we are in the last place in the tournament table. Next season, we want to further strengthen the team and fight for a place in the Premier League. Of course, all this is a time-consuming process. But the management trusts us and we trust the management. We have many plans. We want to create a fighting team, mainly composed of young people, that can compete in the Premier League in the coming years. These players should represent "Mingachevir" in the main championship, grow up and go to Europe when the time comes. We want to do things that can benefit Azerbaijani football in this way. God willing, the time will come and we will fight for the top places in the Premier League as well. - Currently, the team is holding training camps at the Mingachevir city stadium, and the condition of the arena's grass cover is not encouraging. Will work begin soon to replace the cover? - Frankly, my main job is to prepare the team for the championship. I can't say anything about this. However, it is clear to all of us that all shortcomings will be eliminated. There will be no problem with the infrastructure. Yesterday, at the signing ceremony of the partnership agreement between ASTA and "Mingachevir" club, our management made a very good speech. He stated that all shortcomings will be eliminated within a certain period of time. In addition, special attention will be paid to children's football. Big plans will be implemented in the near future. All these things are very pleasing to me as a football expert. - To what extent has the attraction of a new sponsor to the team had a positive impact on the players? Do they work hard during training to show themselves in a better light? - You touched on a very good topic. We have already had a training session today. Believe me, the players are very enthusiastic and trying to prove themselves in the best way. Because everyone wants to play where there are conditions. Although there are many shortcomings in football players. Neither their physical nor tactical-technical preparation is satisfactory. The only way to do this is to work on them constantly and persistently. This is their chance. They can now be part of a club with big plans and strategy. We coaches must protect justice and bring out those who deserve it. - Will the club management allocate the necessary budget for new transfers? - We have already started attracting new players to our team. We are trying to strengthen the team and get out of the last place in the tournament table. The club management are people close to sports. They also know very well that it is necessary to make several transfers to get the team out of the current situation. The transfer of several football players is also on the agenda. It will be announced to the public soon. - In recent times, there has been an influx of foreign football players into the Azerbaijan I League. Is the transfer of legionary players also on the agenda in "Mingachevir"? - Yes, we also want to transfer foreign players. There are just reasons beyond our control. Sometimes money doesn't solve everything. You can offer a player a certain amount, but he may not agree. The current state of the team in the tournament table or settling in Mingachevir may not be pleasant for some players. - Rafael Bunyatov said in an interview that they trust head coach Fuzuli Mammadov and do not need a foreign expert. He emphasized that if a foreign coach comes, he can only be your assistant. What can you say about this opinion? - Of course, these are pleasant expressions. We will do everything we can to justify this trust. Rafael muallim is a person related to sports. He also looks at the current situation, watches the trainings and knows that the progress will be good. Of course, we cannot but be excited by his voicing these ideas in front of the public. In turn, we approach our work with more responsibility and our motivation is high.