Idman.biz
Azerbaijan's 0-2 defeat to Iceland in the qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup has once again sparked serious discussions on social media.
Idman.Biz reports that while users, including sports experts and celebrities, noted progress in the national team's game, they also touched on various topics ranging from problems in children's football to infrastructure shortages.
The well-known radio host Tural Yusifov, who joined the discussions, criticized the consistent elimination of football fields in his post:
"The Azerbaijani national football team loses 0:2 to the Icelandic national team. The reason? For example: the construction of buildings on the site of football fields".
Yusifov, recalling the fate of the football field located in Hovsan, where they played in their childhood, said, "There was a field there where we played football in our childhood and adolescence. Yes, it was not a grass or artificial field, it was a simple dirt field. We all played in such places. Many children have moved from such places to big football. This stadium was built on the initiative of the former head of Surakhani Executive Power, H. Abutalybov".
According to him, according to the traditional tactic, the field was first left unattended, and then deliberately made unusable:
"They turned a blind eye to the soil being covered with thorns. Half of the stadium was turned into a thorn field. In order to prevent children from playing in the second half of the field, they arranged garbage cans in a row in that part (it can also be seen in the satellite photo)".
Yusifov notes that the stadium was only suitable for people running around it and for elderly people to stay in shape and do brisk walking. And the day before, they fenced it off, and within a month the stadium was replaced by a large building.
Yusifov emphasized that the reasons for the result are much deeper: "You say, why are we losing? There is no place left in the yards or on the outskirts for children to play football".
He also noted that the view of the garbage cans lined up on the football field symbolically expresses: "That's where football belongs for us".
Let us remind you that Idman.Biz recently conducted an extensive interview with 45-year-old Zakir Aliyev, who built a football field for children in the yard of his private house in Kurdakhani village.
