"Our national team hasn't been able to win in 10 matches under the leadership of Fernando Santos. Frankly, the failure is understandable. Even if we occasionally win or draw, it can only be misleading. We have been saying for years that there will be failure. This is just a consequence, not the end yet. In the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches, difficult games await us with France, Ukraine, and Iceland. Gaining points in these matches could be a surprise, especially at home against Iceland. Our team may finish the group without points for the first time since independence." These words were said to Sport24.az by football expert Yashar Seyidov.
The experienced specialist spoke about the current situation of the team:
"Currently, no development is visible in our national team. True, head coach Mr. Santos sees development, but whatever that development is, we cannot see it. Maybe he thinks they will beat France, Ukraine, and Iceland. He thinks like the French socialist utopians of the past. They were able to convince the French people not to worry, that milk would flow from the rivers in France. Santos forgets that it is not the Middle Ages anymore.
We can only hope for something in 4 years. That is, if the work adopted by AFFA regarding the development of football starts. It took the Azerbaijan Minifootball Federation 8 years for our team to become world champions. Orkhan Mammadov was able to cover this path in 8 years. My request to the AFFA leadership is to start the strategy adopted regarding the development of football in a short time. Maybe we can do what Orkhan did."
It should be noted that the Azerbaijani national team, led by Fernando Santos, lost to the Hungarian national team 1:2 in Baku. On June 7, they drew with Latvia.