At today’s plenary session of the Milli Majlis, a draft law on amendments to certain laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan in connection with the implementation of the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 150-VIIQD dated March 7, 2025, on amendments to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Combating Corruption” was submitted for discussion.
According to elchi, committee chairman Fazil Mustafa spoke during the discussions.
He stated that the recent situation in Azerbaijani football could negatively affect investors’ interest in sports and raise serious questions about the effectiveness of funds allocated over many years.
Fazil Mustafa noted that the events occurring in Azerbaijani football in recent days are causing serious concern. In this sense, the MP recalled the decision made by UEFA regarding the Tovuz club “Turan”. He stated that a businessman invests millions in a football club, the team achieves results and qualifies for European competitions, but then faces problems regarding participation:
“A businessman goes, takes over a team, spends millions, qualifies for European cups, and then it turns out that this team cannot participate in Europe for 10 years. If this information was not provided in advance, this is a very serious issue.”
According to the committee chairman, such cases could influence the decisions of entrepreneurs who want to invest in sports in the future:
“Which businessman would spend millions to take over a club and try to revive sports life in a district after this?! These issues cannot be viewed as minor episodes.”
The MP also emphasized that transparency and management issues in the field of football require separate attention:
“We should not look at corruption issues only as isolated incidents occurring in a state institution. The result of this also affects the efficiency of funds allocated over the years.”
Fazil Mustafa also made comparisons with regional countries and stated that Azerbaijan lags behind in terms of the number of legionnaire football players:
“Uzbekistan has 60 legionnaire football players, Georgia has 120, and Armenia has 40 players performing in various countries, earning income for their countries. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, has only 9 football players playing abroad, and most of them do not perform in high-level football countries. This means bringing foreign currency to the country and increasing the country’s prestige. Therefore, a more systematic approach is needed to the problems in the field of football.”
The committee chairman cited the fact that the Azerbaijan national mini-football team is a World and two-time European champion as an example. He stated that this fact is a solid answer to the claims of some that Azerbaijan is not a football country. (musavat)