WORLD SOCCER CHIEFS VOW TO PREVENT ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN MATCHES
By Ruben Meloyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 16 2007

International soccer’s two top executives pledged on Tuesday to
ensure that Armenian and Azerbaijani teams are spared the need to
play against each other in official competitions.

Visiting Yerevan, Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, football’s worldwide
governing organization, and Michel Platini of UEFA, a similar body for
Europe, argued that the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict makes
it extremely difficult to organize such games. They pointed to the
recent failure by Armenia and Azerbaijan to agree on the venue for
planned matches between their national teams.

The two teams were due to face each after being drawn into Group
A of the qualifying competition for the 2008 European football
championship. The Armenian Football Federation, backed by the Yerevan
government, insisted that the potentially tense matches, scheduled
for September 2007, be played in Baku and Yerevan. Its Azerbaijani
counterpart was categorically against this, saying that it can not
guarantee the security of Armenian players and coaching staff on its
territory and pushing for a neutral venue.

The two sides failed to find a mutually acceptable solution after
a series of negotiations, leading UEFA to cancel the two fixtures
in June.

Platini defended the extraordinary decision, saying that Armenia
and Azerbaijan should not have been drawn into the same group in the
first place. "It was so easy for the [UEFA] Executive Committee to
find a way of ensuring that Armenia and Azerbaijan don’t play in the
same group," he said.

Platini said that UEFA will now keep apart the two national teams
as well as other Armenian and Azerbaijani soccer clubs. The football
body has also asked FIFA to follow suit, he added.

"This may not be the best solution," the French football legend told
reporters. "But we looked into the matter for a long time, and this
what experts advised us to do."

Blatter agreed, saying that FIFA will make sure that Armenia and
Azerbaijan are placed in different groups during their upcoming
qualifying campaigns for the 2010 soccer World Cup in Germany. The
draw for the World Bank qualifiers will take place in Durban, South
Africa next month.

Blatter and Platini arrived in Yerevan as part of their joint tour of
the three South Caucasus nations. The two men met President Robert
Kocharian, Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian and AFF Chairman Ruben
Hayrapetian to discuss government efforts to promote the game in
Armenia. They will proceed to Azerbaijan later this week.