FOOTBALL IS BACK IN KHANKENDI

December 21, 2023 went down in the history of Azerbaijani football and sport as a date of yet another historical event in the town of Khankendi liberated from Armenian occupation. After a thirty-year pause, a football match was held in Garabagh. The event was attended and watched by numerous fans of the game.

Special meaning

The Khankendi Stadium hosted the the 1/8 finals of the Azerbaijan Cup between FC Garabagh and MOIK. The fact had a special meaning and nuance. Firstly, Garabagh returned to its historical land. Secondly, it was supposed to challenge MOIK, the team of the Azerbaijani Army, which liberated our ancestral lands.

The last time Garabagh hosted a football match was back in May 1993. At that time, FC Garabagh and Turan (Tovuz) met at the Imarat stadium in Aghdam. The match ended with a 1:0 for the hosts - Yashar Huseynov's goal was the only one in the game. Two months after the match, Aghdam was occupied and all these years Garabagh was forced to host its opponents on the stadiums of Mingachevir, Sumgayit and Baku. In 2009-2010, the club played several home games of the championship and the Azerbaijan Cup in Guzanli, Aghdam...

Series of emotional moments

In the first official game in the de-occupied Garabagh region of Azerbaijan, every detail was taken into account. The Khankendi stadium amazed the fans with its beauty. The organisers completely reconstructed the stadium - old seats and other equipment left by the separatists were dismantled and renovated. A new running track was laid, the words Garabagh is Azerbaijan were written in large letters on one of the stands behind one of the goals and Khankendi on the other.

Referees assigned to such a historic match have also been hand picked. Chief referee Ali Aliyev, fourth referee Kamal Umudlu and touchline referee Taleh Mammadov were all the veterans of the 44-day Patriotic War. The referee-inspector of the match Munis Abdullayev once played for Khankendi's football club Garabagh.

The players took the field with the children of the fallen veterans of the September 2023 anti-terrorist operation.

The visit of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva to the stadium, president's keynote address, the announcement of the imminent start of construction of the Imarat Stadium, the meeting with the players and referees, the photo session with them, the first touch of the ball were accompanied by long applause from the stands. It was symbolic that at the first touch of the ball on the field, President Aliyev gave a pass to the army club representing the Azerbaijani army, which liberated our lands from invaders. He watched the match surrounded by children, which was also symbolic and gave a special meaning to the action on the field. The game was attended by a large number of well-known representatives of football and sports community of Azerbaijan.

Football festivities

As for the match, MOIK showed persistent struggle against the favourite, Garabagh. 90 minutes were full of uncompromising struggle. The Aghdam club hardly made it to the 1/4 finals of the Azerbaijan Cup, having succeeded in the added minutes. Nariman Akhundzade became the author of the first goal in the historical match in Khankendi. Frankly, it did not matter who would be the winner of the game. The important thing was that Azerbaijani football returned to Garabagh. As President Ilham Aliyev noted during his keynote address, regardless of the result of the match, the winner will be the people of Azerbaijan.

It was a real football festival in Khankendi. None of the thousands of fans who had made the six-hour journey from Baku to Garabagh looked tired. They enjoyed their dreams coming true. According to official data, more than 6,000 fans watched the match from the stands. That's why the game made a record as the most attended game of the 1/8 finals of the Azerbaijan Cup.

There is no doubt that the renovation of the Khankendi Stadium (12,000) will be completed in accordance with the highest standards. This process has already started. The next step is the establishment of a professional club to represent Khankendi.

Thanks to the fallen

In his interview with R+, MOIK head coach Gazanfar Abbasov expressed his gratitude to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the Azerbaijani Army for the opportunity to host the match on historical lands. "Long years of expectation preceded this event. We are here thanks to our fallen soldiers and officers... We are here to show beautiful football. If we qualify for the Premier League, we would like to play our home games in Khankendi. It would be a great honour for us."

Head coach of FC Garabagh, Gurban Gurbanov, expressed his satisfaction with the game: "I am very happy that we are at the Khankendi stadium. We have been looking forward to it for so many years. We are here thanks to the President of Azerbaijan and the heroism of our veterans. I wish our health and happiness. It was an exciting match. Our opponent fought till the end. I congratulate them. I would like to see the cup matches here again.

Mr. President wants to bring the Imarat Stadium back to Aghdam. I thank him for such care. We will play there with great pleasure."

Later, Ilham Aliyev met with athletes and coaches at a special ceremony to summarise the sports results of 2023. At the event, the representatives of the sports community were presented with honorary titles and keys to apartments.