Sahib Mammadov, the new head coach of the Azerbaijan national beach soccer team, shared his thoughts on his appointment in a statement to the AFFA.az website.
He first introduced himself: "I was part of the national beach soccer team from 2008 to 2014. After playing for two years in Turkey, I lived in Lithuania from 2016 until now. I retired from football in 2018 and worked as the head coach of the Lithuanian national team from 2019 until May of this year. Last year, we won Division B of Europe, and for the first time in history, the Lithuanian national team qualified for Division A".
Sahib Mammadov expressed his happiness about returning to Azerbaijan, stating: "I am grateful to the management for their trust and invitation. Working in my home country brings me great joy. My experience in Turkey and Lithuania has prepared me well, and I am committed to giving my best for the successful performance of the Azerbaijan national team".
The head coach stated that there are excellent conditions for the development of beach soccer in Baku: "Baku has a fantastic beach soccer field. The facilities at the Water Sports Palace are unparalleled anywhere in the world. The weather also allows for training here, not only in summer but also in winter. It would be fantastic if a national championship were held to promote the development of beach football. This would attract participants from a wide range of nationalities. Furthermore, participating in international tournaments would enhance the experience of the football players. The more games there are, the faster the development will be".
Sahib Mammadov also announced his future plans and goals for the national team: "We will commence training on August 1. I have sent invitations to 12 players, all of whom have sufficient experience. You can retain this staff for two years. However, my aim is to train at least 5-6 young players and integrate them into the national team. In October, the qualifying round of the world championship will take place in Spain. Our objective is to qualify for the final stage of the world championship. Our national beach soccer team has never partaken in the World Cup. The qualifying round occurs biennially. Despite the limited time, we will exert our best efforts to create this history. Next year, we will compete in the B Division of Europe. Our intention is to ascend back to Division A as champions of Division B".
Note that the contract period with Sahib Mammadov is 1 year.
