IT IS YET UNCLEAR WHERE ARMENIAN AND AZERI FOOTBALL TEAMS WILL PLAY

Yerevan, April 5. ArmInfo. It is yet unclear where the Armenian and
Azeri national football teams will play in the framework of the World
Cup 2008 qualification round.

In a joint press-conference with President of the Football Federation
of Armenia Ruben Hayrapetyan Tuesday UEFA Chief Executive Lars-Christen
Olsson said that the Armenia-Azerbaijan matches have a political
context and the sides can agree only through constructive dialogue
mediated by a special UEFA commission.

Olsson said that the Armenian and Azeri football federations and the
UEFA special commission will discuss this problem in Geneva May 11-12.

Hayrapetyan said that Armenia is ready to receive the Azeri team in
Yerevan but the Azeri side refuses to host matches with Armenia. He
noted that during the UEFA congress in Budapest the president of the
Football Federation of Azerbaijan Ramiz Mirzoyev confessed that the
Azeri side cannot guarantee security in Baku and does not rule out the
possibility of violence. Hayrapetyan once again confirmed Armenia’s
readiness to host the matches, while the inability of the Azeri side
to ensure security on their territory is their problem.

Olsson noted that if the sides fail to agree, the matches will be held
on neutral stadiums or will not be held at all, like was the case with
Israel. If a country says that it can’t ensure security, UEFA can’t
do anything – as violence may take place even on neutral territory.