EXILES of the Champions League
Civil war cost Qarabag their home 22 years ago. But they are a genuine threat to Celtic’s Euro ambitions
QARABAG FK regard their adopted home in t he Azerbaijani capital of Baku as a forced inconvienience. A shortterm rental arrangement which has lasted 22 years.
In two weeks’ time, this unfashionable venue will prepare an uncomfortable welcome for Celtic in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. But Baku’s Tofiq Bahramov Stadium should never be mistaken for their home.
Armenian forces entered the city of Agdam, 250 miles from Baku, in 1993 and razed the city to the ground. The battle of Agdam lasted a month-and-a-half and cl a i med 6,000 Azerbaijan casualties. A conflict created by ethnic tensions after the collapse of the Soviet empire, Qarabag suffered human losses during the war but, like the band on the Titanic, played on. Even as bombs and grenades fell on their city on a daily basis.
There was no celebration after the Azerbaijani Cup Final victory of 1993. No banquets or dinners. Players marked the occasion instead by searching the city for lost families and friends through the rubble.
The Imaret Stadium, where they played to packed houses, was destroyed and the name now belongs to a graveyard. Qarabag FK — like the people of Agdam — are now virtual strangers to the world’s largest ghost town.
An old bus once travelled from Baku to the refugee settlements in Agdam to cart supporters to games. This is a club which takes pride in their status as displaced persons. A representative of the near one million people unhoused by the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
In the aftermath of Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Montenegrin side Rudar, chairman Tahir Gozel cited the club’s Champions League success as a symbol of renewed hope and pride.
‘ We are pleased that, in our situation, we are able to bring joy to the people,’ said Tahir.
To paraphrase the Barcelona motto, Qarabag have become more than a mere club.
Former Azerbaijan international and coach Gurban Gurbanov has been the architect of success promoting a tiki-taki style of football made possible with the backing of Azersun Holdings, a government quango i n the f ood and farming sector involved in supporting aid projects for the shattered region of Agdam.
Financial strife and obscurity have been regular visitors, but since Qarabag defied the odds to win their first title in 21 years l ast summer, their results since have been impressive.
Red Bull Salzburg were toppled f rom the third round of the Champions League qualifiers last year. That Salzburg went on to completely outplay Celtic in Glasgow in the Europa League group stage, winning 3-1, serves as a warning to Ronny Deila’s side.
As Deila recognises, his team will have to play close to the level which ran Inter Milan close in the knockout stages in March to advance to the final play-off round.
‘Yes, they are a very good team,’ he said. ‘They beat FC Twente in the Europa League qualifiers and did well in the group, too. ‘So we have to be at the top of our game to win in the tie.
‘It’s a difficult draw but you can’t think like that. We have to take what is coming in front of us.
‘We know we are good enough. But we have to be at our best and at least we are at home first. That is going to be an important game.
‘It’s normal that, when you get bigger tasks, you step it up.
‘So we need to be at our Inter Milan level to get through.’
Inevitably, there will be focus on the logistics. Baku is a 6,500-mile round trip from Glasgow and a near six-hour flight. Yet the travel issues run both ways.
Qarabag’s second- l eg tie in Montenegro on Wednesday will now be followed swiftly by a trip to Glasgow. There are also visa issues, Tahir thanking the British authorities for assisting his club with a swift turnaround on the club website.
Until UEFA change the criteria to make visa dispensations a condition of entry to European competitions, these issues will arise. As Deila points out, the problems are not unique to Celtic.
‘It’s important to understand it’s going to be hard for them as well,’ he said. ‘They have to come to Scotland, the same as we have to go there.
‘They also have a difficult journey to come to Glasgow. But we have to prepare well and I think we will go there one day before the normal to adapt because it is five hours or something on the plane.’
With a smattering of Brazilian stars at their disposal, Qarabag ran Inter Milan and Dnipro close in their Europa League group l ast season, f i nishing above Saint-Etienne.
Defensive lapses of the kind which allowed Stjarnan an early glimmer of hope in Wednesday’s 4- 1 win i n Iceland risk more serious punishment against the champions of Azerbaijan.
Yet Deila was impressed by the way his team refused to panic following the loss of an early goal. In contrast with last season, there was mental strength in evidence.
‘I have been through games like that on artificial surfaces against teams you should beat,’ added the Norwegian.
‘And the most important thing is to stay calm because something stupid can happen if you don’t.
‘But I knew we were going to get chances and that if we got a goal, we would get more. We did that.
‘But, of course, you don’t want to concede. You want to have it at 0-0 as long as possible.
‘It would have been easy for us to panic at that stage.
‘But we stayed calm because we have turned around games like this before and we did it again here. That’s a strength we have.’
Deila is respectful of Qarabag, but believes a strong result in the first leg in Glasgow next week will see his side prevail.
‘Everybody knows that the longer you go in the competition, the better teams you meet.
‘And I’m just looking forward to next Wednesday. It’s in the head as much as the legs.
‘You have to be concentrated and tactically good. And you have to have good discipline in the team and patience is very important for us.
‘We are going to be prepared for next week.’