Tuesday, 12 September 2017

QARABAG, KARAKAKORA KAKKARAKAK

If you happened to be around on Boxing Day 1967 you might have spotted the Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky, Mick and Tich pop chart number 3 Zabadak. Well, I am easily old enough to have strut my stuff at some party when Dave Dee and boys were booming out from a record player.

Enough of that; the name of the club opposing Chelsea tonight just reminded of that song. SADDO!

Qarabag Futbol Klubu play in the UEFA Champions League tonight, the first team from Azerbaijan to reach the qroup stages. They beat FC Copenhagen on the away goal in their qualifying tie to make history.

The club was formed in 1951 and they no longer play "at home". It is 27 years since they were at home in Agdam City which eventually was destroyed by Armenian forces in the 1990s during the Nagorno-Karabakh war when 30,000 were killed and many more made homeless.

The Karabakh horse is part of the club's badge.

The refugees from Agdam fled to Baku in 1993 and that is where Qarabag plays some games. Needless to say their stadium back home was destroyed. In August 1993 the club won their first national title, playing 230 miles away from their roots at the Tofiq Bahramov National Stadium, that holds 33,000 and matches up to UEFA requirements.

The club has been financially backed by the state food company Azersun since 2001, a move that hinted at money laundering, a suggestion not proven.

Manager, Gurban Gurbanov, is the country's best known player, Dino Ndlovu at 27 years old, is the team's top scorer, who has played in South Africa, Israel and Cyprus. Sadly, their most loved "coach" Allahverdi Bagirov was killed by a land mine trying to save refugees during the conflict.
I have mentioned this lot before when they played the Spurs.
http://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/tottenham-spurred-on-to-beat-horsemen.html

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