Azerbaijani flag raised at Félix-Bollaert stadium in France
By Aynur Jafarova
The three-colored flag of Azerbaijan was raised at the French Stade Félix-Bollaert stadium in the Lens city together with the French flag.
This became possible after the purchase of stock of the French football club Lens by President of Azerbaijan's Baghlan Group Company Hafiz Mammadov.
The Armenian diaspora in France has expressed protest regarding the raising of the Azerbaijani flag and made several attempts to prompt the club's management to lower the flag.
This season, the Lens club players will also wear uniforms saying "Land of Fire, Azerbaijan" printed on their chests.
Players of the Spanish Atletico Madrid football team will also wear uniforms saying "Azerbaijan - Land of Fire" until June 2014, as part of the cooperation between Atletico Madrid and Azerbaijan's major football club Baki.
Founded in 1998, the Baghlan Group is one of the leading holdings operating in oil and gas, construction and transportation sectors. Against the background of the dynamically changing world and the growing economy of Azerbaijan, the company strives for sustainability in its business and transparency in its operations.
Stade Félix-Bollaert is the main football stadium in Lens. The stadium, built in 1933, was originally named after Félix Bollaert, a director of Compagnie des Mines de Lens, who was keen to promote the development of sports clubs in the city. It was renamed Stade Bollaert-Delelis in 2012 after the death of André Delelis, a politician who served as Minister of Commerce under President François Mitterrand.
Racing Club de Lens is a French football club based in the northern city of Lens in the Pas-de-Calais department. Its nickname, sang et or (English: blood and gold), comes from its traditional colors of red and gold.