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Football London
Football London
Sport
Aidan McCartney

What the Azerbaijan FA said about Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp's Europa League final comments

Arsenal take on Chelsea in the Europa League final tonight.

The match in Baku has caused controversy with many complaints about the venue choice with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp one of those to speak out about it.

Speaking his pre-match press conference last week, Klopp hit out at the location, explaining: "These guys who make the decisions, I don't know what they have for breakfast really when they do it."

The Azerbaijan FA issued a statement through general secretary Elkhan Mammadov.

"I was unpleasantly surprised by the remarks of Jurgen Klopp ," he is quoted as saying.

"He always gave an impression of a very positive person. Moreover, we all know that he is a great specialist who has achieved really outstanding results in football.

"But with all this, I strongly disagree with his opinion that football should be geographically limited.

"We must respect and promote the values of football. And one of our main values is the expansion of the boundaries of football and its globalization.

"Europe has long gone beyond the borders of the countries of the western part of this continent.

"And I am convinced that holding European Championship matches and European Cup finals in Eastern Europe opens up new opportunities for developing football in these countries, serves to make it more popular among the younger generation, attracts young people to football.

Internal view of Baku's Olympic Stadium ahead of the Europa League final. ((Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images))

"The same can be said about the organization of the Champions League final in Kiev or 10 years ago in Istanbul.

"Yes, perhaps this year the prices in Madrid have risen because of the Champions League final, but this is the so-called side effect of a market economy and it happens everywhere on the eve of big sporting events.

"I agree that getting to Baku by bus from London will be difficult, but [since] when was the distance a barrier for real fans?

"I want to remind you that three cities participated in the tender for the final: Seville, Istanbul and Baku. No one limited the ability of other countries to participate.

“I am sure that there will be a real football holiday in Baku. And I am also confident that the same will happen in Madrid."

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