Idman.biz
The "Qarabağ" - "Neftçi" match, considered the most important derby of Azerbaijani football, has long become a duel not only of football players, but also of the tribunes.
İdman.Biz reports that each match between these teams, including the match expected to take place on November 9, will be accompanied by a visual and meaningful dialogue between fans. Thus, banners, slogans and choreographies have already become an integral part of the match.
The "Neftçi" sector traditionally promotes the idea of the club's historical status. One of the most striking examples of this is the banner with the inscription "When the father gets old, the burden falls on the son" opened in the past derby, and the image of a crowned character in the image of "father", as well as the horse, which is the symbol of "Qarabağ". The message is clear: "Neftçi" notes that it is a well-established club, while the Agdam representative is presented as the "younger generation".
In another match, the fans of the capital club opened a banner prepared in the style of the television game "Millionaire", and presented a humorous test in the form of correctly selecting the year of foundation of "Qarabağ" from several options. This step subtly hinted at disputes about the opponent's history and became one of the most discussed moments of the derby.
In turn, "Qarabağ" fans are not lagging behind in creativity. Thus, in one of the games, they demonstrated a wagon image decorated with inscriptions alluding to "Neftçi"'s "difficult situation".
Later, when the slogan "It will be good" was actively used in the "Neftçi" club, the Agdam sector responded with a short but effective answer after a series of failures: "It was not good." Thus, the advertising slogan gained an ironic meaning and became an expression emphasizing the superiority of "Qarabağ" in recent years.
Sometimes this symbolic dialogue went to a tougher level. Before the derby held in Baku in February 2025, there was a confrontation between the fans of the two clubs near the stadium, and several people were detained by the police. In the autumn of 2024, the incident between the representatives of the "Imaret" and "Forza Neftçi" fan movements in the arena area was quickly eliminated with the intervention of law enforcement agencies.
In a number of games, law enforcement agencies recorded the use of pyrotechnics, throwing various objects onto the field, and damage to seats in the guest sectors, and both clubs were fined and warned for this reason. Although these episodes were local in nature, they clearly showed the scale of emotional tension around the country's main derby.
Over time, banners, verbal skirmishes, and sometimes open clashes have become a unique culture of this derby. Fans prepare for each game in advance, think about their messages and wait for the opponent's response. It is thanks to this tense but lively atmosphere that the meetings of "Qarabağ" and "Neftçi" are not only a struggle for three points, but also special matches that go beyond the borders of Azerbaijani football.
Teymur Tushiyev
