THE ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT STATE OF NEFTCHI FOOTBALL CLUB AND WAYS TO IMPROVE CLUB MANAGEMENT

This paper presents an analysis of current problems which one of the historically most important football teams in Azerbaijan, Neftchi Football Club, is experiencing, and consequently, searches for ways to solve them in its management and performance. Despite its bright history and established reputation, Neftchi has been struggling in the last years, achieving only incomplete success on both domestic and international scenes. Mismanagement, poor decision-making, breakdowns in communication, and misguided transfer of players and coaches have been identified as some of the important problems. This study also looks into sponsorship and financial mismanagement as a factor for poor performance. By identifying best practices that have been observed in the management of football clubs elsewhere, and by drawing lessons from both the successes of the past and the current challenges, this study comes up with actionable recommendations on how such a club could be managed to restore its competitive level and return to its previous status among leading names in Azerbaijani football.