FINAL IN BAKU

The most surprising sport news of February is the possibility of holding the Champions League finals in Baku. The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) has sent a formal request to UEFA for holding the matches of the Champions League (CL) and the Europa League (EL) at the Baku Olympic Stadium. Two stadiums (Olympic Stadium, Baku and Metropolitano, Madrid) pretend to hold the final match of the CL in 2019, and seven stadiums (Baku, Tbilisi, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Glasgow, Seville, and Istanbul) are candidates for the EL match.

In order to choose the city for finals of the continent's most prestigious club competition, UEFA primarily takes into account the experience of the potential host country. Azerbaijan meets this requirement, as it has a great experience. Our country hosted the U-17 World Cup among the girls, the U-17 European Championship among boys, and will host the final round of the European Championship in 2020. Rest assured AFFA’s accomplishments in terms of holding prestigious events is more than satisfactory.

The determining factor is the availability of good stadiums. The Baku Olympic Stadium meets the highest quality standards. With a capacity of 65,000 spectators, it hosted games of the national team of Azerbaijan, the U-17 World Cup among girls, and the 1^st European Games.

About 10-30 thousand tourists can visit Baku for the final match. The availability of high-quality hotels and a modern international airport increases the chances of Baku. In addition, the European clubs final may well be the last test before Euro-2020, which further increases the chances of AFFA.

The only rival of Baku to host the final match of CL is the Spanish Metropolitano, Madrid, which is still at the construction stage. It will replace Estadio La Peineta stadium and will serve as the main stadium of FC Atletico Madrid. This €270 million worth arena will be available in the autumn of 2017 and will accommodate 70,000 spectators. Its main disadvantage is that the stadium is being constructed and has not hosted any official competitions before. While UEFA prefers the stadiums, which have already hosted a few matches. This is the only tool of organizers to get useful experience.

Baku has also good chances to host the final match of EL. The main contenders are the stadiums in Germany, Spain, and Turkey. AFFA’s application to host two finals is associated with a desire to get eligible for at least one of them.

The capital of Azerbaijan has hosted Formula 1, the 1^st European Games, the World Chess Olympiad, and is preparing to host the Islamic Solidarity Games. Therefore, Baku is considered as a serious contender for the right to host the final of the prestigious continental club competition in football.

AFFA and UEFA cooperate closely, which also increases the chances of Baku. Of course, local fans would really like to watch the fight of Europe’s strongest clubs in the Champions League. But we must remember that usually gives the right to organize the UEFA Champions League final of the city, where there was held the final of the Europa League.

For the first time ever, Baku claims to host the final matches of the most prestigious competitions of the continent, which is somewhat downplays chances. But given that Baku’s only rival has not a readily available stadium yet, gives hope that UEFA will ultimately choose the Baku Olympic Stadium.

In order to assess the chances of the Baku Olympic Stadium, R+ addressed to the Secretary General of AFFA Elkhan Mammadov.

"We have sent an official appeal to UEFA. We believe the Baku Olympic Stadium is one of the most beautiful stadiums that meets the latest international standards. Our application for the finals of the Champions League and the European League is not accidental. We really want to host one of them. The Euroleague Final is also a very prestigious football match. Along with other candidates, the Olympic stadium has quite a good chance. We believe in our own strength. If UEFA chooses us, they can be confident that the organization will be at the highest level", said Mammadov.

The UEFA representatives will inspect the stadiums claiming for the finals of CL and EL. The winners will be announced in September 2017.