People from tribunes were calling Alexander Samedov ‘‘Samedyan’’ during Russia – Azerbaijan football match in Baku
Journalist of "Sport-Express" Boris Levin told Eurosport portal about his impressions of the football match held between Russian and Azerbaijani teams in Baku. According to him, Alexander Samedov had the worst experience, whom the fans from tribunes were shouting "Samedyan."
"This is Samedov’s surname, distorted in Armenian. For the Azerbaijanis, alas, the Armenians are implacable enemies," Levin said.
He says that the rest of the Russian team players supported Samedov not only in the moment when he left the field. "When our players came out to the playground Igor Akinfeev hugged Samedov, and hit on his hands. Kerzh told him something then. But during the first minutes Sasha was obviously wound up. This is understandable: the whole stadium is against you only. One needs steel nerves not to respond to such things. But he did well. He managed to calm down and presented a great match," says Levine.
According to Levine, this kind of attitude of Azerbaijan towards Samedov was related to his pre-match interview: "It was, by the way, rather politically correct one. But you have to know the local mentality: because of one wrong word "to punish" a whole story was inflated in Baku. However, they see in it a slightly different, much more offensive meaning than our football player. "
Halfback of Russian team Alexander Samedov in the "Sport Express" newspaper shared his views on the upcoming match to be held against Azerbaijan. To the question that Vogts wards show better overseas samples of self-PR Samedov answered: "Really? Well, God with them, no problem. And we will try to punish them for their self-confidence." On the question whom his father will support for who was born in Azerbaijan, he said, "that my father will support the team, where his son plays. The answer is obvious: for Russian, of course!". He also said that he was tired of the eternal questions about his Azerbaijani roots.
During the match, which was held in Baku on October 15, the audience in the stadium booed the Russian national team halfback Alexander Samedov, they threw at him coins and lighters. After the game, the representatives of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan apologized to Russian players for the unpleasant incidents during the football World Cup qualifier match - in 2014 held between Azerbaijan and Russia.