Marked for Shahriyar Garayev
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Dec 2026
18 matches without a win for Khazar
The run now stands at 18, and the questions being asked around Khazar are no longer polite ones.
Match2 Dec 2026
Khazar out of the cup
Inter ended it 0‑1. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 7 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Match5 Dec 2026
Khazar cannot find the net
6 games without scoring. Strikers stop looking up, midfielders take the extra touch, and every shot that clears the bar is followed by a groan that has been building since the last goal.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Khazar
Cəlal Hüseynov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Loan watch7 Dec 2026
“I did not go to Sumgayit to sit and watch. I want to come back to Khazar and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 17 matches say the rest.
Match5 Dec 2026
Neftchi left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Vüqar Mustafayev, and the manager let it.
Squad7 Dec 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Namig Amirguliyev commits to Khazar for another 1 years.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
The dugout30 Nov 2026
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sumgayit have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market30 Nov 2026
Keffel wants European nights
The general version of this complaint is that a player wants more. The specific version names the thing: he wants to walk out under floodlights against clubs from other countries, and he has stopped pretending otherwise.
Squad30 Nov 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Rashad Nazarov and Sumgayit agree another 3 years.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Words at Sumgayit training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Aleksa Janković is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Match28 Nov 2026
Zira left with the points after a 1‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Ronaldo Vásquez was on a different afternoon to everybody else
8.09. There are performances a supporter describes to somebody who was not there and cannot quite convey; this was one, and the number does not help either.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Sumgayit
Nihat Əhmədzadə and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 1‑2 defeat, delivered by Eddy Huseynov to a room that had heard them before.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
87% of the income goes out in wages at Sumgayit
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Player ratings16 Nov 2026
2 goals, and the second was the one that settled it. Marked 8.55, and he could have had a third with better luck at the near post.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
Jeimes says Sumgayit went back on their word
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad16 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Sumgayit
Ronaldo Vásquez and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad16 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Sumgayit
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Aleksa Janković was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match14 Nov 2026
Three points for Sumgayit, 2‑1 the final word against Gabala in a contest settled by the finer margins.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Roi Kehat
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
“The players deserve the credit. My job was easy today.” It was not, and everybody in the room knew it; after 2‑1, Eddy Huseynov could afford to be generous.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
Rashad Nazarov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad16 Nov 2026
The system has changed and his position has not. A footballer can improve his form; he cannot improve the manager’s formation, and that is the whole of the problem.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match7 Nov 2026
13 matches without a win for Khazar
The run now stands at 13, and the questions being asked around Khazar are no longer polite ones.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Match7 Nov 2026
Nowhere to hide for Khazar
0‑3 against Qarabag, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
Match7 Nov 2026
Khazar are shipping goals every week
Two or more conceded in each of the last 7 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
Squad9 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Khazar
Richard Nazarov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Looking ahead9 Nov 2026
Khazar face Ravan in the game that matters most
Two sides from the bottom of the table, three points, and an afternoon that will be described afterwards as a relegation decider by whoever loses it.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom9 Nov 2026
Nobody left the Khazar dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
Loan watch9 Nov 2026
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Khazar, and 0 appearances in 13 say he has earned the hearing.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad9 Nov 2026
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Sumgayit
Ronaldo Vásquez and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad9 Nov 2026
A move Alessandro Serpa would have made for nothing
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Alessandro Serpa is living that version at Sumgayit, and it tends to show in the first month.
Squad9 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Sumgayit
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Aleksa Janković was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match7 Nov 2026
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Market9 Nov 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Cavid Guseynov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market9 Nov 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Afran Ismayilov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Player ratings9 Nov 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑2 Eddy Huseynov left the room before anybody could ask which.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 Oct 2026
No end in sight to Khazar's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Khazar has to find a result from somewhere.
Match10 Oct 2026
Chastening afternoon for Khazar
A 0‑3 beating by Zira was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
Nadir Orucov: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Khazar have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad12 Oct 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Mahir Sheydaev and Khazar agree another 4 years.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Words exchanged at Khazar
Cəlal Hüseynov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Loan watch12 Oct 2026
“I did not go to Sumgayit to sit and watch. I want to come back to Khazar and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 9 matches say the rest.
Match12 Oct 2026
The half-term report on Khazar
Position 10, 2 points, and every result so far reduced to one line. The second half of the season starts with the same squad and a different set of expectations.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Agil Medvedev, and the manager let it.
Boardroom12 Oct 2026
Doors closed at Khazar
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match12 Sep 2026
No end in sight to Khazar's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Khazar has to find a result from somewhere.
Market14 Sep 2026
Khazar say no — this time
The offer from Inter for Samir Ismayilov was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
Khazar offered $390.0K; Ravan said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Transfer targets14 Sep 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Match12 Sep 2026
A bad afternoon for Khazar against Ravan
0‑2 to Ravan, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Loan watch14 Sep 2026
“I did not go to Sumgayit to sit and watch. I want to come back to Khazar and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
“The supporters are entitled to be angry. So am I. We will put it right.” 0‑2, a manager saying the necessary things, and a dressing room that heard a different version of them.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
Renat Ozobic dropped after a run of poor form
The one version of being left out a player cannot argue with, and the one he takes worst. Somebody else has been better and the team sheet says so, in public, every week until it changes.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match29 Aug 2026
3‑0, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Squad31 Aug 2026
3 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
$930.0K on the table at Ravan. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
The deal with Defensores is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 21. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Player ratings31 Aug 2026
A performance of 9.56 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Market31 Aug 2026
Höccət Haqverdi has left for Gabala in a $120.0K deal. The accountants are pleased; the supporters are less certain.
Transfer targets31 Aug 2026
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Colón have kept their man, and Sumgayit go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The terraces31 Aug 2026
At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad24 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Sumgayit
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Aleksa Janković was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
Sumgayit asked and Temperley said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Player ratings24 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Match22 Aug 2026
Qarabag left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Sumgayit
Shahriyar Garayev and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Eddy Huseynov to a room that had heard them before.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
Defensores have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Transfer targets24 Aug 2026
San Miguel have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Sumgayit have gone to Qarabag with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Market10 Aug 2026
Ravan come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Sumgayit did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad10 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sumgayit this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Rachid Moumini and Sumgayit agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market10 Aug 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Rashad Nazarov has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market10 Aug 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Mahir Nadirov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market10 Aug 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Mahir Garayev is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Every shape has positions in it and this one does not have his. Sumgayit will either change the shape, change his job, or change his club, and he is waiting to hear which.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ronaldo Vásquez and Sumgayit agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Ronaldo Vásquez was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market3 Aug 2026
Keffel wants European nights
The general version of this complaint is that a player wants more. The specific version names the thing: he wants to walk out under floodlights against clubs from other countries, and he has stopped pretending otherwise.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Words at Sumgayit training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Aleksa Janković is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Market3 Aug 2026
Add another name to the list: Khazar have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Nadir Orucov. The answer from Sumgayit has not changed — yet.
Market3 Aug 2026
Still no offer on the table, and Aleksa Janković’s deal keeps shrinking. In boardroom language, silence this long stops being an oversight and starts being an answer.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
Patronato have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
Khazar have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Market3 Aug 2026
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Xəyal Fərzullayev has his answer from Sumgayit; what he does with it is the next window’s story.