AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA PARTED BEFORE THEY EVEN MET

So the Azerbaijani-Armenian football saga, which was so passionately awaited by fans not just in the two countries, is finally over. The European football association (UEFA) has adopted a truly Solomonic decision - neither to you, nor to us. The European Cup 2008 qualifiers between the national teams of Azerbaijan and Armenia will not take place. Neither team will get a single point for the matches they do not play. This decision was taken at a session of the UEFA executive committee in the Dutch city of Heerenveen.

How it happened

It must be remembered that, for obvious reasons, the Azerbaijani side insisted that the matches with Armenia must be played on neutral ground. There were even various options proposed, for example, Ukraine and Spain agreed to host the uncompromising rivals. In turn, Armenia insisted on the Baku-Yerevan option, expressing its readiness to give Azerbaijani footballers guarantees of security. It is not difficult to understand the real motivation behind such statements. After the results of the draw were made public, representatives of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) immediately said that they were not going to host Armenians in Baku or travel to Yerevan. The Armenians immediately realized how they could profit from this situation. Realizing that the Baku-Yerevan option was not possible, they still insisted on it, as they understood full well that UEFA might support the Armenians who seem to be keeping to the European Cup qualification schedule. It may be that if AFFA representatives had not announced their plans immediately, then negotiations on this issue would have continued differently and an agreement to play the matches on neutral ground would have been possible.

But this did not happen, as a result of which we have what we have. To be honest, you have a strange feeling of emptiness after such a decision. It is not surprising, because since Azerbaijan and Armenia went into Group A of the European Cup 2008 qualifiers, both countries had been living for the forthcoming fixture. Any match played by Azerbaijani and Armenian footballers with other rivals in Group A was viewed through the prism of the forthcoming two-match confrontation. Our team's victory over group leaders Finland at the Tofiq Bahramov republican stadium filled the Armenians with misgivings about the power of the Azerbaijani team. Perhaps our footballers had similar feelings after the Armenians beat Kazakhstan and Poland. At the same time, emotions also ran high because in the youth qualifiers of the European Cup, Azerbaijani footballers had invariably beaten the Armenians or had tied with them. The apotheosis of all this was the victory of Baku's FC Neftci at the Commonwealth Cup in Moscow over the Armenian FC Pyunik, and Pyunik's flight from a similar tournament a year later when the two teams had to play again.

Everyone wins

However, the cancellation of the match suits both Azerbaijan and Armenia. The sides will manage to avoid the psychological pressure of the run-up to these matches and the psychological disaster if one of them loses. It is one thing for a club and a youth team to lose to an important rival but another when the national team loses.

Azerbaijan's chief coach Sahin Diniyev did not comment on the decision of the UEFA executive committee, but we can sense some relief in his words - it is no surprise - there is no more "Armenian problem" which promised a big headache. "I would not like to comment on the decision of the UEFA executive committee. For us this decision is law and we have no other choice but to put up with it. Of course, I could say that I support this decision, but then they will say that I chickened out. Nor will I say that I do not support it," Sahin Diniyev said. "In any case, there will be no more fuss about these matches. Together with the fuss, there was great pressure on both countries' footballers. Such an unhealthy fuss only harms football. We now have to think about our matches with other teams and about ways of filling the gap that will appear after the cancellation of the matches with Armenia. Considering that European Cup qualifiers will be held in Europe on these days (8 and 12 September - author), we will probably look for rivals to hold a friendly in Asia."

The head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Youth and Sports, Raqif Abbasov, was more forthcoming. He thinks that the decision of the UEFA executive committee is Azerbaijan's victory. "It is pleasing that UEFA did not dance to the tune of the Armenians who insisted on the Baku-Yerevan option and continually tried to provoke us. It is, above all, Azerbaijan's victory that the Baku-Yerevan option failed. I think there will be no such fuss in football any more and everything in football will be decided by players, not by politicians," Raqif Abbasov said.

However, the Azerbaijani-Armenian intrigue is not over yet. The world licensed wrestling championship lies ahead. It will be held in Baku in September this year and Armenian sportsmen are expected to arrive here. So we shall see what we shall see...