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Fact-finding trip to Azerbaijan

Senior FIFA and UEFA officials have been assessing football's development in Azerbaijan.

By Erkin Ibragimov

A decade on from joining FIFA and UEFA, the development of football in Azerbaijan has been assessed by senior officials from the two governing bodies this week. UEFA vice-president Senes Erzik and UEFA Executive Committee member Michel Platini joined FIFA president Joseph S. Blatter on a visit to the country for an in-depth look at the progress made there.

Mini-pitch opened
The FIFA and UEFA delegates visited the new complex at the Shafa stadium in the capital city, Baku, which features a training centre and two newly built artificial pitches. They also took part in the opening ceremony for the mini-pitch delivered by UEFA as part of the European body's HatTrick programme. UEFA's HatTrick Board is providing a prototype mini-pitch (21mx13m) for each member association as the ruling body celebrates its Golden Jubilee.

Football development
The delegation placed a wreath at the Alley of Shahids in memory of victims of the Karabakh armed conflict, and held talks with national president Ilham Aliyev and Ramiz Mirzoyev, president of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), on the development of the game in the country. The AFFA was founded in 1992, and membership of FIFA and UEFA subsequently granted in 1994.

Platini masterclass
The delegates visited a museum dedicated to the late Azerbaijan president Geydar Aliyev, who was known for his passion for football, while former French international Platini found time to deliver a masterclass to a group of young Azeri footballers.

Bakhramov ceremony
Also on the agenda was the unveiling of a statue of Tofik Bakhramov, the Azeri assistant referee involved in one of the FIFA World Cup's most controversial incidents – when he awarded a disputed goal by England's Geoff Hurst in the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany. Bakhramov ruled that Hurst's shot had bounced down off the crossbar and over the goalline. The visit concluded with attendance at the World Cup qualifying match between Azerbaijan and England.

Essential visit
FIFA and UEFA consider visits such as this to be essential in the process of improving football in the former Soviet republics. "Both FIFA and UEFA will continue their work on development programmes for such countries as Azerbaijan," Platini said. "Azerbaijan entered the world football family relatively recently and still needs support."