THE FINALS IN BAKU

For many years, Azerbaijani fans have dreamed of holding the final match of prestigious European club tournaments such as the Champions League or the Europa League in Baku. This dream has finally become a reality. UEFA requested Azerbaijan to host the final match of the 2018/2019 season of the Europa League, the second most important club tournament.

This significant decision was taken at the meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee held in Nyon, Switzerland. Along with the discussion of other important issues, the committee members also determined which stadiums the final matches of the Champions League and the Europa League will be held in 2019. On February 2, AFFA nominated the Baku Olympic Stadium (BOS) as a venue for the final match of the Champions League or the League of Europe. Initially, the list of candidates for the final match of the Champions League included two stadiums: BOS and Vanda Metropolitano in Madrid. The list of nominees for the final match of the Europa League in 2019 included seven stadiums: BOS, Hampden Park in Glasgow, Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in Seville, Dynamo Arena in Tbilisi, Vodafone Arena in Istanbul, as well as the stadiums of Stuttgart and Frankfurt, Germany.

AFFA prepared separate application documents and videos for each of the tournaments. So, both UEFA and FIFA have highly appreciated the work done by AFFA at the World Championship U-17 held in Baku (2012), the Futsal Four Finals (2014), and the European Championship U-17 (2016). Incidentally, the latter was remarkable event for a new record set in the history of these tournaments: 33 thousand spectators watched the first match held at the Olympic Stadium. This was an evidence of a sufficient fan base of fans and great interest in football. UEFA was informed about the hotels, road infrastructure, international airport in Baku, as well as the training fields of the Baku Olympic Stadium. It was noted that if BOS becomes the winner, it will increase the interest to football not only in Azerbaijan, but also in the countries of the region, which means thousands of fans visiting Baku to watch the games. On September 5, AFFA President Rovnag Abdullayev held a presentation at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, related to the candidacy of Baku as a host city.

Finally, the names of stadiums were announced at the meeting in Nyon. For quite a short period, BOS has managed to become an arena for the opening and closing ceremonies of a number of major competitions. And now BSO will host the final match of the UEFA Europa League after two years. The final match of the Champions League will be held in 2019 in Madrid’s Vanda Metropolitano. Winners of these tournaments will meet at the Super Cup match at the Vodafone Arena in Istanbul. Interestingly, a day before the voting, Spanish newspapers wrote that the stadium in Madrid did not meet the requirements of UEFA, which is why many believed that Baku will most likely be the next host of the Champions League finals. However, after some analysis, Baku was entrusted the organization of the final match of UEFA Europa League.

UEFA's decision must be taken objectively. Usually, this leading European football organization requests a city to hold the finals of Europa League, and in the following years - the Champions League, since the organizers of the Champions League lose interest in hosting the EL final. On the other hand, given that the next final match of the Champions League will take place in a post-Soviet country (Kiev), everything gets clear. It was unlikely that UEFA grants the right to hold the final match to another republic of the former USSR two years in a row. Although only one city was Baku’s rival as a candidate for the decisive game of the Champions League, it was hard to believe that UEFA would grant this right to the capital of Azerbaijan. Moreover, the Spanish stadium further complicated the status of Baku, as the Spanish clubs do not have equals in prestigious club tournaments of the continent. Moreover, Spain has a rich experience in the organization of such matches. Obviously, we must admit that Vanda Metropolitano had more chances than the BOS.

The likelihood of holding the Euroleague finals in Baku looked more real even though Baku had more competitors. Performance of Azerbaijani clubs in the Euroleague Increased the chances of Baku. The organization of the final match of the second most important European club tournament is a positive event. This is also an important step in terms of being eligible to hold the finals between the strongest European clubs in the future. Either way, the holding of the Euroleague finals in Baku in 2019, and the matches of the European Championship in 2020 is a joyful event for the national football. Add to this that the Europa League final will be broadcast to 120 countries, which means this match will be a huge promotion for Azerbaijan.

UEFA has already announced the dates of final matches of the Champions and Europa Leagues for 2018/2019. The final match of the most reputable European club tournament will be held on June 1, 2019 at the Metropolitano stadium in Madrid. Three days before this event, on May 29, Baku Olympic Stadium will host the final match of the Europa League.

In his interview with R+, AFFA Secretary General Elkhan Mammadov called the decision to hold the final match of the Europa League at the Baku Olympic Stadium a great success. He added that this decision would bolster the development of football in Azerbaijan: "Firstly, I congratulate the entire football world of Azerbaijan. Granting Azerbaijan a right to organize the final match of Europa League is a great success and achievement. Europa League is the second important club competition of the continent. As you know, getting the right to host such an important game is not so easy. I want to express my gratitude to state organizations that supported us in this matter. If there were no support from the Azerbaijani state, we would not be able to reach a decision on holding the finals in Baku. After all, the state support to such an authoritative match is one of the conditions put forth by UEFA. UEFA has demonstrated its trust to our state and federation by holding the final match of Europa League in Baku. The game is broadcast not only in Europe, but also in many countries of the world. Numerous football fans and tourists will arrive to Baku to watch this match. We believe it will be organized at the highest level and be remembered as a real football festival. The winner of the second most important club tournament of the continent will be identified in Baku. This is a great sporting event for Azerbaijan."

The final match of the Champions League can be held in Baku not earlier than in four years, because according to the decision of the UEFA Executive Committee, thirteen cities hosting the championship games are not eligible for holding the finals of European cups. The reason is a desire to create conditions for other countries to organize prestigious games of the Champions and Europa League. On the other hand, before Euro 2020, those thirteen cities will not be exposed to extra pressure in terms of unnecessary organizational issues. But this decision will not apply to the UEFA Super Cup. Euro-2020 will be held in 13 cities of the continent. Along with Baku, these are St. Petersburg (Russia), London (UK), Rome (Italy), Munich (Germany), Copenhagen (Denmark), Bucharest (Romania), Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Dublin (Ireland), Bilbao (Spain) , Budapest (Hungary), Brussels (Belgium) and Glasgow (Scotland).