Qarabag v Arsenal: The rise of Azerbaijan’s five time champions
When Arsenal take the field tonight, they will be hoping that it is just the first of two visits this season to the Baku Olympic Stadium.
The Gunners are making a 5,000-mile round trip for their second Europa League group stage fixture against FK Qarabag, a record distance for the club in major competitions.
Should they make it to the final they will have to repeat the journey, with Azerbaijan’s ultra-modern national stadium set to stage the showpiece match in June.
The 69,700-seater venue is additionally being used for four matches at Euro 2020, giving the nation a profile on the European stage that it has never previously enjoyed.
Azerbaijan’s rise to prominence on the footballing landscape is signified by the emergence of Qarabag as a consistent contender in the early stages of elite European competitions.
The club have won the Azerbaijan Premier League five years in a row and have now featured in the group stages of either the Champions League or Europa League every season during that spell.
Qarabag are ranked 67th in Uefa’s club rankings, above the likes of Real Betis and Dinamo Zagreb and only a few places below Galatasaray. They finished last season’s Champions League campaign with two credible draws against Atletico Madrid while a record attendance of 67,200 watched their narrow 1-2 defeat at home to Roma.
The Baku Olympic Stadium will host the Europa League final next June (Source: Getty)
Their squad now features several players with backgrounds in Spain such as midfielder Michel, who previously starred for Getafe – as well for Birmingham in the Premier League – while winger Dani Quintana, who has scored 28 goals in 105 games, featured for Gimnastic and Huracan.
This success is reflective of the investment made in the oil-rich nation by state-backed Azersun Holding, a conglomerate specialising in food production, retail and farming. Azerbaijan has previously sought to boost its cultural and tourism profile through efforts to host the Olympics, winning Eurovision and sponsoring Atletico Madrid to the tune of €12m. Now it has turned to football.
The country has faced criticism over its recent human rights record, with accusations that the government has sought to deflect from serious questions over civil liberties with massive investment in sports and culture.
Nevertheless, the story of Qarabag has some inspiring elements. The club was founded in 1951 and was originally based in Aghdam, in the west of the country. The club won the inaugural Azerbaijan Premier League in 1993 but the city was desolated during the Nagorno-Karabakh war, forcing its 28,000 inhabitants to flee. The ruined city is now held by the Republic of Artsakh while the club relocated to the capital, residing in the shadow of established side Neftchi Baku.
Despite serious financial difficulties the club continued to compete and enjoy the support of their fan base of refugees. Qarabag’s problems were resolved when Azersun Holding started sponsoring the side in 2001 and directing the policies of the club.
They have since overpowered their Baku rivals, and have kept their nickname “The Horsemen” after the horses of the Karabakh region, where the club used to call home.
Qarabag, then, have come a long way metaphorically and literally. Tonight is it Arsenal’s turn to make the trek.