'World Cup in Azerbaijan is important milestone in women's football development'

  The day before the start of the U-17 Women's World Cup in Azerbaijan, Baku hosted a press conference at the “Four seasons” Hotel.

Speaking before the media were FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter; Elkhan Mammadov , Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee; Anastasia Tsichlas, Acting Chairwoman for the FIFA Organizing Committee; Tatjana Haenni, FIFA Head of Women’s Competitions and Rovnag Abdullayev, President of the Azerbaijan Football Association.

AFFA President Rovnag Abdullayev thanked those present and noted the importance of the World Cup, making stress on development of sports in the country, as well as football.
"All the teams have already arrived. I say to all: Welcome to Azerbaijan! The World Cup allows us to demonstrate our hospitality and show Azerbaijan. And we will do our best to hold the tournament at the highest level. We have a young team, but we expect that it will show its best side. I thank Joseph Blatter for entrusted us with hosting this World Cup," Abdullayev said.

Addressing the news conference, FIFA president, in particular, said: “It’s a great moment in FIFA’s development of women’s football for us to have the possibility to organize this women’s competition in a country where the culture is different to every other country where we have organized women’s football so far. Azerbaijan and Baku are at the joining point of different civilizations and different cultures and this shows football is a game for everybody and shows that women’s football is open to all”.


/AzerTAc/