Qarabag, the Champions League disruptors forced to leave their home

Qarabag celebrate their win against Eintracht Frankfurt
“Qarabag are one of the stories of this season’s Champions League. The Azerbaijani side are in contention for a play-off spot after a 3-2 win against Eintracht Frankfurt last week. That would mean a historic first appearance in the knockout rounds of Europe’s premier competition — but, before that, they visit Anfield to face six-time winners Liverpool. More than 3,000 miles separate Merseyside from Baku, where Qarabag play their home games. But they are actually from Aghdam, more than 186 miles to the west of the capital, in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the South Caucasus. This is disputed territory that neighbouring Azerbaijan and Armenia — two former Soviet states that regained independence in 1991 — each claim as its own. Qarabag is the Azerbaijani word for this mountainous territory. In Armenian, it is known as Artsakh. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Aghdam, pictured in November 2020