Cup controversy in Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijan Cup final ended in acrimony on Tuesday as the match was abandoned seven minutes from time.

Controversial decision
With the scores level at 0-0 in Sumgait, FC Shamkir players walked off the pitch after their opponents FC Neftchi were awarded a penalty kick as midfield player Zaur Ismaylov was allegedly brought down by defender Aslan Kerimov.

Alleged corruption
Aslan Aslanov, a powerful figure at Shamkir, ordered his side off the field amid allegations of corrupt refereeing, posing an immediate test to the authority of the joint organisational committee which has been in charge of Azeri football since ten Yuksek Deste clubs refused to play under the authority of Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA).

Shamkir objection
Shamkir had objected to the referee appointed to oversee the match by the joint organisational committee, Tair Suleymanov, and although he was replaced by Emin Iskanderov just 15 minutes before kick-off, it clearly did little to appease the club’s owner.

Neftchi awarded cup
The penalty kick was never taken as Shamkir's players refused to return to the pitch and Neftchi were controversially awarded the Azerbaijan Kuboku in their opponents' absence. AFFA have yet to announce whether the winners of the competition would be nominated for a place in the UEFA Cup next season.

'No contact'
"I swear there was no contact between me and Ismaylov," said a tearful Kerimov after the game. "He fell as soon as he saw I was going to challenge him."

'No penalty'
"Let us be clear - that was no penalty," added Shamkir assistant coach Zahir Mahmudov. "We were expecting something like this - only in this way would Neftchi be able to beat us and win anything."

Neftchi strike back
Neftchi, however, are adamant that they deserved both the penalty and the cup. "They should not have abandoned the game," said Neftchi head coach Kazbek Tuayev. "If we quit after every penalty in any match, then we would not be able to complete any games at all."