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The well-known volleyball team “Stod,” that had arrived in Baku for a match with the Azerbaijani team “Azerrail,” was held in hostage in the Baku hotel “Anatolia,” Azerbaijani information portal “Haqqin.az” reports, referring to radio “Liberty.”

According to the article, all Norwegian media outlets have covered the incident. When the Norwegian girls attempted to leave the hotel, the hotel management told the team managers that they were to pay an extra sum for their stay. When the Norwegian delegation refused to pay the money, the hotel management blocked the hotel rooms and refused to let the guests out, actually holding them in hostage. The worst part of the situation was that the incident took place only a few hours before their departure.

“When we tried to find out the reason of the incident, we were told that we hadn’t paid for the accommodation. I showed them the payment receipts, but they demanded an additional sum,” Swain Mir, the team manager, said.

According to the team manager, the hotel management blocked the door and called the Police, the portal reports. “When we learnt that they had called the Police, we called our Embassy. They recommended us not to deal with the local Police and pay the demanded sum,” Mir said.

The Norwegians explain the incident as the Azerbaijanis’ revenge for the victory of “Stod” over “Azerrail,” the article reads.

“I was told that similar incidents had happened before, too. The Azerbaijanis don’t love losing,” Swain Mir notes, stressing the fact the hotel “Anatolia” belongs to the chairman of the Volleyball federation of Azerbaijan. The portal points out the fact that the head of the Volleyball federation of Azerbaijan is Ziya Mammadov, the transport minister. And if Swain Mir, the Norway team manager, is right, the hotel “Anatolia” also belongs to the Azerbaijani minister.