“Azerbaijani football has been spinning in the same labyrinth for many years. Each time, wrong choices are presented as exit routes.” Sports commentator Rasim MövsümzadəMedianews.az said so in his statement.
The expert noted that the problems of the country's football will not be solved by removing Fernandu Santuş, whose appointment as head coach of the Azerbaijani national team was a big mistake: “What is the purpose of AFFA, which does not pay attention to countless statements, writings, in short, public demands about entrusting the team to one of the local coaches to avoid spending millions on foreigners in the current situation?
Considering also a temporary executor, there have been 7 foreign coaches of the national team in the last 21 years, and none of them have achieved successful results. Whereas the millions spent on them could have been directed to solving the problems of Azerbaijani football.
The problems are countless. Not allowing those who know football to get close and lack of transparency, many clubs operating only with state support, weak infrastructure and the scarcity of natural grass-covered fields, shortage of quality coaches and technical staff, lack of development in youth football and coaches working there earning peanuts...
To get out of this situation, systematic reforms and transparent management are needed. Otherwise, Azerbaijani football will continue to hide in the shadow of “Qarabağ’s” successes.”
AFFA sent the national team’s head coach Fernandu Santuş to resign on September 8. Under the Portuguese leader, who was appointed head coach of the national team on June 12, 2024, the team did not win a single game in 11 matches, and the national team was relegated to League D of the UEFA Nations League.
The national team ranks 122nd among 210 teams in the FIFA ranking.
Participating in international tournaments since 1994, the Azerbaijani national team was eliminated in the qualifying stages of 8 European Championships and 7 World Championships.
The national team failed to pass the group stage once in UEFA Nations League League D and three times in League C.
Toğrul Əli,
Medianews.az
