A long-standing record in the history of the Azerbaijani football championships has been repeated after nearly 15 years during Round XVII of the Misli Premier League.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, citing the official website of the Professional Football League, seven foreign head coaches led their respective teams during the latest round of matches. The 2026 season's opening games featured Valdas Dambrauskas (Sabah), Kurban Berdiyev (Turan Tovuz), Sasha Ilich (Sumgait), Andrey Demchenko (Araz-Nakhchivan), Yuri Vernidub (Neftchi), George Kashkilya (Imishli), and Kakhaber Tskhadadze (Gabala).
Notably, Sasha Ilich and Kakhaber Tskhadadze managed their teams from outside the technical zone rather than the dugout due to disciplinary sanctions. This milestone matches a record previously set on April 30 and May 1, 2011. At that time, the league also featured seven foreign managers, including Kakhaber Tskhadadze (Inter), Almir Hurtic (Mughan), Tony Adams (Gabala), Gjoko Hadzievski (Simurq), Naci Sensoy (Turan), Mircea Rednic (Khazar Lankaran), and Alexander Starkov (Baku).
Historically, this occurrence has only been recorded during the 2008/2009 and 2011/2012 seasons. In the 2008/2009 season, the opening round made history as the first time seven foreign specialists were at the helm of Azerbaijani clubs simultaneously.
The Misli Premier League, the top professional football division in Azerbaijan, has seen a significant influx of international coaching expertise over the past two decades. This trend reflects the league's ongoing efforts to integrate global tactical standards and enhance the competitive quality of the national championship. The inclusion of renowned specialists from various European and CIS countries is part of a broader strategy to improve the performance of Azerbaijani clubs in UEFA club competitions and foster the development of local talent under diverse footballing philosophies.
