The Neftchi Sentinel
The dugout14 Aug 2028
João Scatolin keeps the receipts
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Neftchi may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Player ratings14 Aug 2028
Felipinho goes up and wins it — 7.96
A defender on the scoresheet, which happens rarely enough that everybody in the ground remembers who took the corner. 1 for him, and a mark of 7.96 for the rest of it.
Transfer targets14 Aug 2028
Carlos Alvarado turns down Neftchi
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Sporting Cristal keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Squad14 Aug 2028
A falling-out at Neftchi
Sessi D'Almeida and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Boardroom14 Aug 2028
5 academy players handed senior numbers at Neftchi
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
Transfer targets14 Aug 2028
Door shut on Felipe Santos
Neftchi asked and Araz-Nakhchivan 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 dugout14 Aug 2028
Steve Solvet gets it from the manager
“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.
Match12 Aug 2028
Ağadadaş Salyanskiy sends Neftchi past Shamakhi
It finished 2‑0, and it was Ağadadaş Salyanskiy’s afternoon: on the scoresheet when it mattered, and the reason the points belong to Neftchi.
Market14 Aug 2028
Tamkin Medvedev steps up from the Neftchi academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Tamkin Medvedev has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
In brief
- Market One of our own: Samir Dadashov joins the Neftchi first team
- Market One of our own: Mahir Ozobic joins the Neftchi first team
- Market Neftchi promote Renat Medvedev from within