February 11, 2006 - 13:52 AMT
Armenian and Azeri National Football Teams to Meat in September 2007
Yesterday, during a Brussels meeting of representatives of football federations of teams included in Euro-2008 A group the tournament schedule was composed. According to it, the first meeting of Armenian and Azeri national football teams will be held on 8th September, 2007 in Baku, while the return match in Yerevan will be September 12. Meanwhile, according to Azerbaijan's team coach Shahin Diniyev, when determining the schedule the matter of the venue was not decided. UEFA representatives were informed that AFFA is for holding the matches in a neutral field, while the Armenian party does not conceal it wants to play in Baku and Yerevan. «The UEFA gave us understand that the two football federations should jointly decide the venue. THe UEFA will not interfere with the issue,» Diniyev reported.

Earlier Secretary General of the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) Armen Minasyan stated the Armenian national team is ready to go to Azerbaijan and play a match. "Right after the drawing of the lots of the European Championship 2008 the FFA leaders assured their Azeri colleagues that the Armenian party is ready to provide for high security measures, properly meet the guests and organize the contest in compliance with all norms, regulations of the UEFA," Minasyan said. "If similar guarantees are provided by Azerbaijan, Armenia's national team is ready to be the first to visit Baku for a match," he said. Minasyan also said that the FFA now does not consider the holding of the contest in a neutral field, as, in their opinion, there is no need in that. "If there are specific official proposals on the occasion, the FFA will discuss these without fail," Minasyan added.