Interview with Riad Rafiyev, President of Sumgait Football Club.

• What is happening at Sumgait?

- Currently, the team is in a "dark streak." Although we are trying with all our might to get out of this phase, unfortunately, it hasn't happened yet. In my opinion, a single victory will be enough for this. We have tough matches ahead of us. Nevertheless, the team will work as hard as possible to fix the situation.

• Interestingly, you started the season very well. Whatever happened, happened after the winter break…

- Yes, at the beginning of the season, the team was positioned in the upper ranks and playing for better results. However, that lasted until a certain point. After that period, negative changes began to appear in our game.

• Which point are you talking about?

- One of the biggest culprits of our current situation is the Disciplinary Committee and their unfair decisions against our club based on double standards. Our team's decline began after the match where we defeated Shamaxı 2-1. In that game, our head coach was shown a red card, and Sasa Ilic was disqualified for four matches. If I am not mistaken, the protocol cited an unethical gesture against the opponent’s substitute bench. However, there was no unethical gesture. Since when is clenching a fist considered an unethical gesture? After that game, the decline began, and from then until now—over a period of more than two months—we have only two wins. On what basis are double standards applied to our club? Why wasn't the same punishment given when there was a fight between other teams' coaches?

• For example?

For example, the incident during the Qarabag vs. Sabah match. Why didn't the Disciplinary Committee react immediately? Did the decision really have to wait two weeks until a video was released to be changed? We have no problem with Sabah or Qarabag. Both clubs are playing for the championship; our goals are different. I don’t want them to be punished, but we shouldn’t be either. Double standards should not be applied.

Another point: our match against Araz-Nakhchivan was very important for getting out of the dark streak. In that game, the referee awarded a penalty in favor of our opponent. However, a minute later, the VAR called the referee, and the decision was overturned. In short, our rightful penalty was canceled. Moreover, after that round, the Chairman of the Referees Committee stated in his traditional commentary that our penalty should not have been overturned. Five minutes later, a penalty was awarded against us. The opponent won through a penalty without creating a single goal-scoring episode in the game. Naturally, this decision did not go without affecting the match. The players were stressed and couldn't control their nerves. As a result, in the second half, our only striker, Alexander Ramalingom, received a red card, and the team was left with 10 men. The red card was justified, but I am sure that if the penalty hadn't been canceled, the game would have proceeded differently.

Interestingly, a similar episode occurred in the Qarabag vs. Imishli match that same round. Kadi Borges also received a red card. In both cases, "aggressive behavior" was noted in the protocol. But according to the decision, the Qarabag player was banned for two games, while the Sumqayit player was banned for three. Why? Due to a wrong decision, we lost the game, our striker got a red card, and we were left without a striker for three games.

• Have you appealed to AFFA regarding this matter?

Yes. Regarding Sasa Ilic’s punishment, we first appealed to the AFFA Arbitration Tribunal. Our request was to reduce the 4-match ban. But they told us they didn't have time to meet. We appealed again; by that time, our head coach had already missed 3 games due to the ban. Our complaint was reviewed, and the punishment for the last game remained in force. Later, I met with the General Secretary of AFFA, Jeyhun Ferejullayev. I thank Mr. Jeyhun for receiving me; I conveyed my grievances to him. He listened and agreed on some points. But unfortunately, even his desire to help us did not change the decision. Currently, we are dissatisfied with the activities of both the AFFA Disciplinary Committee and the Arbitration Tribunal.

• Despite consecutive defeats, Sumqayit has not fallen far from the mid-table line. Although the road to European competitions looks difficult, it is mathematically possible. What do you think about this?

We will fight until the end and we will not give up.

• Will Sasa Ilic be with you in this struggle?

Yes. We have a contract with him; we believe in our head coach and we stand behind him.

• They say you want to bring Samir Abbasov back to lead the team…

Such a thing cannot happen. It is impossible. Please, only trust the official news published by the club.

• It seems Ilic is depressed. Lately, he looks very unhappy…

It’s probably related to the results. It wouldn't be logical to expect any other behavior in this situation.

• His statements in recent press conferences are also not unambiguous. It seems there is a disagreement with the club management. For example, while talking about unsuccessful results, he emphasizes that the transfers he wanted did not happen…

Look, it is possible that the transfer of a player Ilic wanted did not work out, but rest assured that not a single player Ilic did not want has joined the team. Let’s put it this way: if we want to recruit a player, it means he is a good player. And a good player has other suitors besides Sumqayit. It is possible that the player in question has more favorable options or a contract with his current club. This does not mean that every player we want must come to our club.

• Another interesting statement from Ilic concerns the academy graduates. The head coach notes that the club management wants young players to be given a chance. How logical do you think this is at the current stage of the season?

Perhaps there is no second club in our championship that relies on its academy players as much as Sumqayit. This year, despite there being no legionnaire limit, we have started 95% of our games with four local players. Among them, there have been many players from our academy. We have requested this not only from Sasa Ilic but from all coaches. Our club's strategy is like this, and we will not change it. Academy players must play and gain experience. It is not written anywhere that you cannot be ambitious for top places if you play with two or three young players in the squad. When we qualified for European competitions for two consecutive seasons, we played strictly with local players; there were no legionnaires at all. Moreover, there were three U-21 players in the team. If we give a chance to a young player now, it doesn't mean we have given up on this season.

• Speaking of the academy, what are the plans for the near future for the Sumqayit academy, which has stood out with successful results in recent years?

As you know, there are many of our graduates playing in the Premier League today. The primary goal of our academy is to prepare players for the first team and our national team. Every season, Sumqayit is one of the two teams that plays the most local players. In our academy, no team is set a goal of winning at all costs. Our main goal is to develop footballers. Today, our reserve team consists of almost 99% of our academy graduates.

Also, the development of children's football is a priority for us. For example, to help younger age groups gain international experience, our U-11 team will participate in a competition in Bishkek in a week, and in April, our U-14 team will compete in Antalya. In general, we try to do our best for the development of children's football. We also frequently send our coaches to various foreign clubs for internship purposes. We will continue our work in this direction.

• What do you think about the abolition of the legionnaire limit?

It is not correct to say that this decision is unequivocally right or wrong. It all depends on what we want from the clubs and the championship. I had said before that the abolition of the limit would not benefit mid-budget teams.

• Does this situation not benefit your club either?

- Unequivocally. It’s about the budget. The abolition of the limit creates a huge gap between mid-range clubs and clubs with higher budgets. If in previous seasons we encountered surprise results at the end of the championship, we don’t see that this year. For example, in previous years, a mid-budget club could win a ticket to the Europa League, but with the current limit, achieving this result will be extremely difficult. Because there is a large financial difference between clubs. I develop academy players and play with local players. However, this is not enough for the top spots. Money talks. Naturally, high-budget clubs bring in better foreign players than you. Most importantly, you can only bring in 12 foreign players per season. If you want a 13th, you have to pay an additional 100,000 AZN. Only 4-5 clubs in our championship can do this. In this case, you gain a great advantage over mid-range clubs. This is no longer healthy competition.

For example, we planned at the beginning of the season that Aykhan Suleymanli would be the main left-back. However, Aykhan was injured in the second round, and it turned out he wouldn't be able to play for ten months. We were forced to bring in another legionnaire in his place. Or Kehat was injured for us; he won't be able to play for 7-8 months. Injuries and such factors lead to serious problems regarding this decision. In such a case, you don't have extra finances to replace a player easily. We, like many clubs, faced problems in this matter. We even brought in a 13th legionnaire. But to bring him in, we sold one of our important foreign players and used that income to pay for the limit.

• However, it should be noted that against the backdrop of the abolition of the limit, the tempo of the championship has also changed in a positive way…

Currently, a situation has arisen in our championship where only the champion is unknown. With ten rounds left in the season, the third and fourth places are 95% certain. The team that will take last place is largely known. Because a huge gap has been created between the clubs.

- Earlier we talked about Sasa Ilic’s statements after the Shamaxı match. However, Aykhan Abbasov's words also met with great interest. For example, the specialist stated that after unsuccessful results, club leaders should think about resignation along with the coaches. For some reason, it is claimed that Abbasov said these words specifically addressed to you…

Was my name mentioned there?

• No. I don't think he would mention it in Sumqayit either.

- Then why are you asking me this question?

• Let’s assume I am speaking on behalf of the majority…

- First of all, I don't have to answer this question. Why should I answer where my name isn't mentioned? Secondly, I have a very good relationship with Aykhan Abbasov; we worked together for four years. I personally invited him to Sumgait Football Club. During the time he worked, he supported his family with a normal salary from the club. During our partnership, we achieved many successes together, played in European competitions, and won a bronze medal. Aykhan Abbasov is not the kind of person who, after all this, would make such remarks about Sumqayit or me. In short, I don't believe he said those words about me.

• After the known results, there are those among Sumqayit fans who are offended by you…

- They have the right to be offended. Because they do not deserve these results. I want the fans to know that as the management, we are doing our best to get the team out of this situation. It is regrettable that we haven't been able to win for the last seven or eight games. I emphasized the decisions made by the AFFA Disciplinary Committee and the Appeals Committee regarding our club, and I spoke about the refereeing. However, this does not mean that we have no fault in the team's current situation. We are also to blame, but as a family, we must join hands and get out of this situation, and we will.