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Euro 2008, Armenian Vs Azerbaijan!


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after an unforutante draw and a not so good result at the World Cup Draw...i was looking forward to it.

 

to my shame i lost touch with football for a while. but the qualifying draw was 2 days ago....

 

and apparently Armenia has been drawn with Azerbaijan... :o

 

I'm curois what is the governments' positionS?

 

this could get very ugly...

 

the other groups look interestin

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Politics on the Pitch: European Championship draws Armenia v. Azerbaijan

By Aris Ghazinyan

ArmeniaNow reporter

 

As negotiations have rekindled toward a peace settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the “Karabakh Question”, the world of football has emerged as an indicator of how deep the antagonism runs.

 

 

 

Last month, Armenia’s champion football club Pyunik reached the semifinals of the prestigious CIS Cup in Moscow and, although it Armenia’s highest football achievement since independence, Pyunik refused to play the match because they were drawn against Neftchi, a club from Azerbaijan.

 

With the turmoil from that decision still fresh, on January 27, and by luck of the draw, Armenia was drawn against Azerbaijan in Group A of the European Football Championship qualifying. The Group A schedule must be approved February 10 by UEFA officials in Belgium.

 

Meanwhile Armenian football authorities say they have no problem with playing the matches according to UEFA scheduling.

 

Immediately following the draw, Georgian and Azeri football authorities suggested that the matches (one “home” and one “away”)should be held on a neutral territory.

 

Caucasus neighbor Georgia, with friendly relations to both Armenia and Azerbaijan, weighed in to offer to host the matches in Tbilisi. Vice President of the Football Federation of Georgia Gogi Kavtaradze emphasized the need for a neutral site, as tension between the two countries is high. (On February 10, the presidents of the two countries will meet to continue negotiations of a Karabakh peace settlement.)

 

But in Yerevan Wednesday, Secretary of Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) Armen Minasyan said the Armenian team is ready to go to Azerbaijan and play the first match there.

 

”Immediately after the lot casting of Europe Championship-2008 the FFA administration assured its Azeri colleagues that the Armenian party is ready to ensure high standards of security, meet the guests properly and arrange the competition according to all the norms stated by UEFA regulations,” said Minasyan. “If given similar guarantees on the Azeri part the Armenian team is ready to go to Baku to have the match there first.”

 

Minasyan also said the FFA is not even considering a neutral ground, as the governing body finds it unnecessary.

 

Minasyan’s Azeri conterpart Fuad Asadov pointed out that the Armenian delegation present at the lot casting was glad about the news.

 

“Armenians were very glad to find themselves in the same group with our team as a result of the lot casting for the Europe football Championship 2008 final tournament in Austria and Switzerland”, said Asadov according to Day.az report.

 

Friendly match? The Armenian and Azerbaijani football teams will meet in the European Championship qualifying. Is it a good idea to have the games in Yerevan and Baku? Share your thoughts on this issue in ArmeniaNow.com forums.

 

Asadov also said that the Armenians having heard the news that their national team was in the same group with the national team of Azerbaijan, came up to their Azeri colleagues: ”Having learned that we are in the same group with the Armenian team we shrugged our shoulders. What can we do, the most important thing is to win.”

 

 

 

 

As a sidebar to the intrigue, on January 31 the senior coach of the Azeri team was replaced by Shakhin Diniev who, was coaching the “Karabakh” team (Agdam). The ex-coach of the Azeri team Vagif Sadigov says his compatriots will be able to beat the Armenian team.

 

“I believe that we will beat the Armenian team. With the help of Allah our national team will beat the Armenian one and make its fans happy,” said Sadigov.

 

Also on January 31, FFA President Ruben Hayrapetyan called a special session of the FFA Executive Committee. On Hayrapetyan’s suggestion the Executive Committee first discussed Pyunik’s decision to forfeit its CIS Cup chances.

 

Hayrapetyan spoke in favor of disqualifying Pyunik from participation in the national championships for one year – a suggestion that aroused fury among committee members who, in a vote, overruled the president’s motion.

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Expert commission will decide Euro-2008 venues for Armenia-Azerbaijan matches

 

ArmeniaNow

 

A special commission of three UEFA officials will determine the venues for the matches between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the EURO-2008 qualifying Group A, it emerged this week.

 

 

The Russian Sport-Express newspaper reports that officials will visit Baku and Yerevan in May before making a final decision.

 

The Armenian Football Federation has expressed its readiness to travel to Baku for the first leg before the return in Yerevan, something the Football Federation of Azerbaijan is categorically against. It prefers both matches to be played on neutral soil.

 

According to the preliminary schedule of matches in Group A, Armenia and Azerbaijan will play twice in four days. The first match is slated for September 8, 2007 in Azerbaijan and the second is due to be played on September 12 in Yerevan.

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ISRAEL READY TO HOST NATIONAL TEAMS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

 

According to Azerbaijani mass media, secretary of the Israeli Football Federation, Naim Simmer, sent a letter to his Azerbaijani counterpart Ramiz Mirzoyev suggesting to hold the European Championship qualifying matches between Armenian and Azerbaijani teams in Israel. In Mirzoyev’s words, he also received such suggestions from football federations of Luxemburg, Belarus, Bulgaria, Latvia, Moldova and Holland.

 

Matthew Sprangers, member of the UEFA executive board, said from Baku that the pitch for the qualifier matches will be chosen after the meeting in Lyon on May 12. The get-together will draw 3 representatives of each national football federation and 3 participants from the UEFA.

 

 

 

 

 

UEFA just held a meeting in Zurich yesterday in this regard.

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Sport Review: National footballers to open Euro quest against unimpressive Belgiums

 

 

Football National Team

 

Armenia are facing Belgium in their first Euro-2008 qualifier in Yerevan on September 6.

 

The Red Devils are already under pressure in Group A after Kazakhstan held them to a 0-0 draw in their opening match.

 

The Armenian side will be playing its first match under new coach, Ian Porterfield. The 60-year old Englishman was hired by the Football Federation of Armenia on August 16, to an 18-month contract.

 

Porterfield managed English sides Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United and Rotherham United in the late 1970s - early 1980s, the Scottish side Aberdeen in the late 1980s and Chelsea in the early 1990s (winning in the First Division with it). Then he continued his coaching career abroad, coaching the national teams of Zambia, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Trinidad and Tobago. His last job was with South Korea’s Busan club.

 

He managed to lift all the national teams he coached in the world rankings. Armenia is presently only 104th in the FIFA worldwide rankings of national teams. It faces Serbia, Belgium, Finland, Poland, Portugal, Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan in Group A of the Euro-2008 Qualifying Tournament.

 

Porterfield, who replaces Dutchman Henk Wisman, is the fifth foreign coach of Armenia in the last four years. According to the Federation, Porterfield began to prepare the Armenian national team for their match against Belgium on August 27.

 

Before that he spent time attending national championship matches and getting familiarized with the country’s football infrastructure.

 

 

Suren Musayelyan

 

ArmeniaNow

 

(Source: based on FFA reports)

 

 

 

Here we go and let's wish them the best.

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Armenia and Azerbaijan will face each other 2 times in this year's Euro 2008 qualifying round, on September 8 and 12. But they're gonna chose neutral ground, probably Georgia or Ukraine.

 

Let's hope our dghak kick some dirty Azeri ass.

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We're currently tied dead last w/ Azerbaijan, but they've played 1 more game then us. We both have 1 point, they drawed against Kazakhstan and we drawed Finland...but we have yet to score a goal lol. Azeris lost yesterday against Poland 5-0.
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