BRINGING UP RED DEVILS

The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) has taken another step for the development of children's football. AFFA has signed an agreement with the famous English club Manchester United for the training of young players. According to the four-year agreement, the selection of 8-10-year-old children, who will then be trained in the MU football school in Baku, has begun. In the first stage, two groups of 16 children each will open. Training in the football school will be free. The selection of children will be conducted by Manchester United coaches. Training will also be conducted by MU coaches along with two local experts. Before training, children will attend an English course.

The presentation of the agreement and the school in Baku was also attended by one of the legendary players of Manchester United, Mika?l Silvestre. The French footballer defended the honour of the Red Devils for nine years, is a five-time champion of England and won the Champions League with MU. As a member of the French national team, Silvestre won silver medals in the 2006 World Cup.

In an interview with R+, Silvestre spoke about the benefits of the Baku school of Manchester United, his impressions of Baku and local football.

- Your visit to Azerbaijan took place as part of cooperation between Manchester United and AFFA. What do you know about Azerbaijan?

- I didn't have extensive information about Azerbaijan. During my visit to Baku I learned a lot of new and interesting things. Baku will host European Cup games in 2020. Next year it will host the first European Games. I'm glad that in Azerbaijan people are very fond of sports, especially football.

- In Azerbaijan there are many fans of Manchester United, of which you were a member for many years.

  - From the number of those wishing to have their picture taken with me, I realized that there are a lot of fans of the Red Devils here. This is natural. Manchester United is considered a brand in football. In many countries there are fan clubs of MU. So for a club with such a glorious and successful history, a large number of fans is the norm.

- What are the characteristics of the Manchester United football school?

- In this school, children are treated not just as football players, but also as people who can become leaders in the future. Training continues during the day. There are not only sports exercises, but also exercises for tactics and physical training. The world outlook of children is changing. They treat football at another level. Although a lot of training is held during the day, a teenager doesn't get tired.

- Sir Alex Ferguson, who led Manchester United for 25 years, stepped down as coach. Will it affect the future performance of the club?

- Sir Alex Ferguson himself wanted to leave the post of coach. But on the other hand, he remains part of the unforgettable history of the club. All coaches go one day. What is important is glorious history and tradition. Therefore, I believe in the future success of the club.

- Manchester United didn't start this season very successfully, losing to Swansea and Leicester at the start. What caused such a bad start?

- The championship has just begun. We must be patient. To succeed, we must first face failure. 

- In recent years, a lot of money has been invested in the development of football in Azerbaijan. But the results are not too impressive...

- First, we need to create football traditions. A Manchester United school has opened in Baku. But we must still wait for the results of this school. This school won't produce strong players in one year or two, and this will take years. In Azerbaijan, people are very fond of football. But you should know that we can't succeed in a short time. The school of the Red Devils exists only in a few countries. And one of them has opened in Azerbaijan. This means that responsible agencies are making efforts for the development of football.

- The Euro 2020 Games will be held in Baku too. What will it give Azerbaijan?

- You can get a profit in terms of marketing too. But the main thing is that Baku is on the list of cities that will host the European Championship. The world's attention will be drawn to Baku. Azerbaijan will become part of the football festival. As a player, I understand how significant it is. Watching European Cup games from the stadium is a great success for the fans.

- What did you see in Baku during your brief visit?

- The Flame Towers make a very strong impression. On the way from the airport I saw a lot of beautiful places. I familiarized myself with the construction of the Olympic Stadium. It will be one of the most beautiful stadiums in Europe. I was pleasantly surprised by the scale of the construction work. Something is under construction everywhere as if your city is being rebuilt. The city has both many historical and new buildings. Unfortunately, I was unable to walk around town for longer. When visiting Baku in the future, I will certainly become closely acquainted with the city.