Georgia: Recent football incident organized by provocateurs
By Sara Rajabova
Georgian Foreign Minister said the incident that occurred in Baku after a match between Azerbaijani and Georgian football teams on July 31 was provoked by certain groups.
Maia Panjikidze noted that the incident after the football match between the "Neftchi" and "Chihura" was organized by provocateurs to worsen the existing friendly relations between Georgia and Azerbaijan.
"The incident happened during the visit of some Azerbaijani journalists to Georgia made at the invitation of the country's Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs. I'm confident that theMinistry would waste no effort to convince the Azerbaijani side that neither the state nor the Georgian football team fans stood behind this provocation," she stressed.
"During the football match between Neftchi and Chihura teams in Baku, some Georgian fans attempted to stage a provocation," Azerbaijani Interior Ministry said earlier.
Georgian fans hung a map from the tribune of Bakcell Arena stadium showing Azerbaijan's Zagatala and Gakh regions as Georgian territories. It sparked the sharp protest of local fans which led to a fierce scuffle. However, Azerbaijan's security forces prevented a mass clash.
Georgia's Ministry of Sport and Youth, Levan Kipiani downplayed the incident saying such conflicts between fans occur frequently in different stadiums in the world.
"I talked to the president of the club (Chihura), and during the night all the misunderstandings were resolved," Kipiani said.