Sport24.az
There are many problems in Azerbaijani football, but some clubs don't just show these problems – they deepen them. In this sense, "Imishli" is already about to become a separate symbol.
At the beginning of the current season, the club was given a one-year deadline. The conditions were clear enough: lower age groups had to be formed, infrastructure had to be built, and most importantly, the club had to have its own stadium. But the result? A formal approach, a year wasted, and a stagnant situation. This is not just a delay – it is a clear failure to fulfill obligations.
"Imishli" holding its home games in Guba before was already an absurd situation. Now, the Agsu option is on the agenda for the next season. This is no longer a temporary solution – it is a continuous state of planlessness and irresponsibility. The concept of a club's "home" cannot be so uncertain. Where should the fans support their team? Which region does the club represent?
The problem does not end with "Imishli", but it is through this club that the system's gaps are more clearly visible. "Mingachevir", which plays in the I League, is aiming for the Premier League, but its stadium is in a deplorable condition. "Shafa", one of the league leaders, will most likely host its rivals in Sumgayit, where it will win a ticket to the elite. In other words, the common picture does not change: there is a team, but there is no base.
The main question here is: who and how gives licenses to these clubs? What criteria does AFFA, and especially the Licensing and Registration Department of the organization, use to evaluate these applications? If it is enough to submit a plan on paper, then what is the point of real requirements?
Rovshan Najaf stated at the last Reporting Conference of AFFA that increasing the number of teams in the Premier League is on the agenda. But the question is very simple: what is the need for quantity without quality? If infrastructure-less, unplanned clubs like "Imishli" join the league, this increase will serve not the development of football, but its decline.
In fact, the problem starts before sports results. The statute must clearly and strictly state that infrastructure – a stadium, academy, base – is a basic condition for participation. Only then should sports principles come into play. Otherwise, we will watch the same picture every season: "homeless" clubs, formal licenses, and "development" plans built on paper.
"Imishli" is the most obvious example of this system – and change must begin with a firm stance against such cases.
