[ 01 August 2015 05:30 ]
The statement reads, APA reports quoting the official website of the club: “The events in the match of the third qualifying round of the Europa League, “Apollo” – “Gabala” are a matter of deep regret. We bring to the attention of the football community that before the match, we informed the management of “Apollo” and UEFA representatives about the importance of taking measures to prevent undesirable incidents. We also informed both parties about the scandals that took place in Cyprus in the matches of the club level and the level of national teams. The captain of our team Javid Huseynov, playing for the national team of Azerbaijan U19, underwent physical pressure from the Cypriot fans during a match against Armenia in Cyprus in 2006. Alas, in this game similar events have occurred. Fans of "Apollo" tried to burn the flag of Azerbaijan, we have immediately protested to Cypriot leadership of the club, as well as to the UEFA representative, demanding to intervene. Only after that they prevented burning the flag. But despite all our warnings, adverse events continued. Fans of "Apollo" insulted the attributes of our country. Always guiding the principles of respect to the opponent, referees, fans, "Gabala" strongly opposes such incidents in sports arenas. In this regard, we urge fans not to give in to provocations and only support our team during the return match on 6 August, 2015.”
