Qarabag celebrate their win against Eintracht Frankfurt
“Qarabag are one of the stories of this season’s Champions League. The Azerbaijani side are in contention for a play-off spot after a 3-2 win against Eintracht Frankfurt last week. That would mean a historic first appearance in the knockout rounds of Europe’s premier competition — but, before that, they visit Anfield to face six-time winners Liverpool. More than 3,000 miles separate Merseyside from Baku, where Qarabag play their home games. But they are actually from Aghdam, more than 186 miles to the west of the capital, in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the South Caucasus. This is disputed territory that neighbouring Azerbaijan and Armenia — two former Soviet states that regained independence in 1991 — each claim as its own. Qarabag is the Azerbaijani word for this mountainous territory. In Armenian, it is known as Artsakh. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Aghdam, pictured in November 2020
Qarabag, the Champions League disruptors forced to leave their home
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“Although Senegal’s AFCON final victory against Morocco drew a full crowd, the tournament confirmed a persistent reality. Outside of host-nation matches, stadiums stands remained sparse. With twenty-four teams competing, representing nearly half of Africa’s nations, one might have expected significant traveling support for each country’s games. Yet, even with impeccable organization and world-class facilities, attendance remained sparse, revealing deeper, systemic issues that extend well beyond sport. This phenomenon is not new. In Egypt (2019), to fill empty stands, organizers had recourse to soldiers dressed in team colors (BBC Sport, 2019). The sparse stands that television production cannot hide are a recurring characteristic of many AFCON matches. …”
Scissors Kick 