Qarabag

The Team without a City and their Quest to Conquer Europe

Emanuele Giulianelli

• Publisher: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• eBook ISBN:
  9781801502573
• Year: 2022

A story of resilience, identity, and the beautiful game in a war-torn land.

In 1993, Agdam, Azerbaijan, was razed, its people displaced. From the rubble emerged Qarabag FK, a football team embodying the city's spirit. Exiled from their home, Qarabag became a symbol of hope, carrying the weight of a nation's dreams on their shoulders.

Qarabag chronicles the team's improbable journey to European glory, reaching the Champions League group stage and captivating the world. It's a tale of courage, cultural identity, and the enduring power of sports to unite and inspire. Discover how Qarabag FK became more than just a team—a beacon for a people longing to return home.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Transliteration
• 1. Qarabag is Agdam
• 2. Black garden, black gold
• 3. Escalation
• 4. Imaret
• 5. From Mehsul to Qarabag.
• 6. Black January and independence
• 7. From the end of the USSR to the fall of Agdam
• 8. The Azerbaijan title and the last game at the Imaret
• 9. The end is a new beginning
• 10. The ceasefire and the never-ending war
• 11. From that muffled scream to the bright lights of the Champions League
• 12. Qarabag and the legacy of Agdam
• 13. IDP
• 14. The Champions League
• 15. SOCAR
• 16. Karabatsi and Qarabag
• 17. The future of Qarabag
• Afterword: Return to Agdam
• Acknowledgements
• Bibliography
• Photos