AZERBAIJAN DENIES ARMENIAN PROPOSAL TO HOLD FOOTBALL FIXTURES IN YEREVAN AND BAKU

Armenpress
May 11 2006

BAKU, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS: Fuad Asadov, the secretary general of
the Football Federation of Azerbaijan, questioned the ability and
willingness of Armenian authorities to ensure security of Azeri
football-players if they play their qualification match for Europe’s
championship in Yerevan.

Asadov’s remarks were quoted by Trend news agency just a day before
football chiefs of Armenia and Azerbaijan are to meet with UEFA
officials on May 12 to decide the fate of the games after the two
rival nations were drawn into the same Group A of the qualifying
competition for the 2008 European football championship. Earlier this
year Ruben Hayrapetian, the chief of Armenian Football Federation,
said Armenia was ready to host the game with Azerbaijan and guarantee
the security of its players. He also said that Armenians were ready
to travel to Azerbaijan and play there.

Hayrapetian’s assurances were backed by Armenian foreign minister
Vartan Oskanian who told a Russian daily that Yerevan was willing
and able to guarantee the security of the Azerbaijani national squad.

However, Asadov was quoted by Trend as describing the Armenian offer
as ‘not serious.” He said the UEFA will help the sides to choose a
third country to face each other. The two fixtures are scheduled for
September 2007.