18 January 2017•Update: 18 January 2017
By Hilmi Sever
ANTALYA, Turkey
A football team from occupied Karabakh, separated from its home ground for over 20 years, has told Anadolu Agency its exile is hurting its chances in European competition.
Qarabag FC coach Gurban Gurbanov spoke to Anadolu Agency in the southern Turkish city of Antalya, where the team is training ahead of its next Europa League fixtures.
Gurbanov -- a former Azerbaijani international -- said: “We are playing in the Europa League but we cannot take on European teams at home. Now it seems impossible, but we will keep our hopes up.”
The side has been based in the Azerbaijani capital Baku since 1993 due to the Armenian occupation of Karabakh.
Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan in 1991 with Armenian military support and a peace process has yet to be implemented.
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a six-year war over the region in the early 1980s until a 1994 cease-fire.
However, in April 2016, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, more than 270 military personnel were killed in the worst breach of a 1994 treaty between the two sides.
Qarabag has been successful domestically, having won the Azerbaijan league for the last three years, going on to qualify for the UEFA Europa League.
Gurbanov, who has been coaching the team for nine years, said he appreciated the support of all Azerbaijani football fans and added:
“Our fans don’t abandon us. They stand by us even when we are defeated. They help us keep the name of Karabakh alive, at least on the soccer field. They back us with a great enthusiasm which provides our players with a big motivation.”
The team faces a tough battle in Group J of this year’s Europa League, having lost their last two games to Italian side Fiorentina and Slovan Liberec from the Czech Republic.
Three UN Security Council Resolutions (853, 874 and 884), and United Nations General Assembly Resolutions 19/13 and 57/298 refer to Karabakh as being part of Azerbaijan.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe also refers to the region as being occupied by Armenian forces.
