President Ilham Aliyev Receives Members of the Azerbaijan National Team, Winners of the Minifootball World Championship
Speech by President Ilham Aliyev
The Minifootball World Championship held in Baku concluded yesterday. The Azerbaijan national team showed professionalism and determination to win in all matches and earned the world champion title. I wholeheartedly congratulate you on this occasion. First and foremost, I congratulate the players, coaches, specialists, the Minifootball Federation, and everyone who participated in this victory. You have given the Azerbaijani people the joy of a new victory!
Becoming a world champion is a great honor and requires great skill, especially in a team sport. This is now a beautiful part of history, and you are the ones who have written it. I am glad that we have such strong minifootball players in Azerbaijan.
Those who watched the championship could see for themselves the complete superiority of our players. I watched your last four games and can confidently say that this victory was achieved through fair competition. You deserved this victory. On the football field, you outplayed all your opponents and at the same time showed great team spirit. I see that the players are very close to each other, like a family. Of course, this wonderful atmosphere and climate within the team are among the factors that determined your victory, and all the spectators saw this vividly.
Those who watched the games at the gymnastics arena and on television rejoiced in your victory. Again, I say you deserve this victory, and overall, victories suit Azerbaijan. We are a victorious nation on the battlefield, in the political arena, and in sports arenas. It is precisely our talented and professional youth who bring us this joy of victory. I sincerely congratulate you. I wish for these victories to continue. Of course, maintaining this title will not be so easy. The competition was very intense, and naturally, the teams represented at the world championship are the strongest. However, I believe you have great potential to continue making our people happy and keeping Azerbaijan’s sporting glory at the highest levels.
Once again, I congratulate you and, on behalf of the Azerbaijani people, thank you for bringing this victory joy to our nation. Thank you.
President of the Azerbaijan Minifootball Federation, Orkhan Mammadov, said:
– Dear Mr. President, on behalf of the entire federation, the players, and the coaching staff, I extend our deep gratitude to you for receiving us today. Truly, today is both an honorable and successful day for us. We became world champions on home soil. This is a very significant event for every player.
I can tell you that during all the matches, all the fans supported us. Our people supported us in front of their televisions. Of course, the players worked very hard and gave their spirit and energy in every match like a family. Truly, the fans pushed them forward.
Dear Mr. President, of course, your support for sports, for youth, and in general for all football and minifootball enthusiasts was the main pillar of our success. Every player knows this, and we extend our deep gratitude to you.
Also, the support you provide to entrepreneurs is evident. They are investing in this type of football. We have a very strong championship. Sponsors support it. Of course, by gathering the best from this championship, we created today’s national team. They became both European champions and now world champions. Last time you received us, we promised to strive for new titles and new achievements. It is a great honor for us to bring this World Cup before you.
Thank you very much — we dedicate this victory to our people, our homeland, to you, and to the esteemed First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
Head Coach of the National Team, Elshad Guliyev, said:
– Dear President, on my own behalf and on behalf of the team, I thank you for inviting us. When we became European champions in 2022, you spoke sincerely with us and gave your instructions. Since that day, we have worked to achieve new successes. Thankfully, we became world champions yesterday. For this, we thank you greatly, and we say “Thank you very much!” to our people and our federation. Thank you.
President of the World Minifootball Federation, Filip Juda, said:
– Dear Mr. President, it is truly an honor for me to be here today with all these individuals who so magnificently represent Azerbaijan. I would like to once again congratulate them on this great success and express my gratitude to you for bringing this tournament to Azerbaijan.
I believe this is my eighth visit to Baku. I was first here in 2017 when I met with people from the Azerbaijan Minifootball Federation. I must say they have done a truly great job. They have achieved European and world championships. I wish you success in future championships. I know your schedule is very busy — I saw you today at the opening of Baku Energy Week. Thank you for finding the time to meet with us and all these individuals. I hope that thanks to this success, a new generation of minifootball players will emerge in Azerbaijan. Without a doubt, this achievement contributes positively to the development of minifootball, to the people, and to society as a whole.
As I understand, the Azerbaijan Minifootball Federation is making great efforts to have a minifootball arena in the country. I hope that with the support of the World Minifootball Federation and local government, this will become a successful project. Without question, these people truly deserve it, having won the European championship in 2022 and now the world championship in 2025. I am proud that they are here today before the President.
Thank you for the invitation, and I wish you all success.
At the end, the President of the Azerbaijan Minifootball Federation, Orkhan Mammadov, presented a commemorative gift to the head of state.
