Recently, there have been several discussions about the progress of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty. Besides the widely known examples of Armenophobic behavior by Azerbaijanis, some significant instances are less known.
One of the most significant examples of such behavior is the 1959 Soviet Class B football match between FC Shirak Leninakan and FC Tekstilshchik Kirovabad and what happened following the match.
In October 1959, Azerbaijan and Armenia were considered “fraternal” nations, so their football teams were placed in the same Soviet League, which was Soviet Class B. At the time, FC Shirak Leninakan ranked second in the standings, while FC Tekstilshchik Kirovabad was at the bottom.
The interest in the match was huge, despite the differences in standing. The fans eagerly waited for the match. In Kirovabad, the two main ethnic groups were the Armenians, who supported FC Shirak Leninakan, and the Azerbaijanis, who were supporting FC Tekstilshchik Kirovabad. Most of the city structures and public institutions were located in the part of the city where Azerbaijanis resided, while the part of the city where Armenians resided was mostly suburban.
The “Spartak” Stadium was situated in the Armenian-populated part of the city. It was a small stadium that accommodated about 7-8 thousand people, and tickets were not sold at the box office. Instead, they were distributed by city authorities to whomever they wanted. FC Shirak Leninakan fans were the minority at the stadium. However, many fans from Gyumri had arranged to watch the game in buildings adjacent to the stadium and were well equipped with stones and bottles.
Apparently, the fans from Gyumri were unable to stay at the hotel that they had made reservations for, even though they had arrived two days in advance. When the Armenian fans from Gyumri initially arrived at the hotel, they were met with angry Azerbaijanis who threatened them and prevented their entry. As a result, local authorities escorted and transported the fans from Gyumri to Getashen to control the situation.
However, going to Getashen would have been an extreme measure, and the leadership of FC Shirak Leninakan understood it well, as well as what sanctions could be applied to the team in that case. The last word was on the Chief of Police, Colonel Mehtiyev, who was responsible for maintaining order in the city. Colonel Mehtiyev, respected by both Armenian and Azerbaijani communities, gave a personal guarantee and insisted that FC Shirak Leninakan stay in the city. He did his utmost to ensure that the pre-match period was without escalations. Fans from Gyumri stayed in the city. The football players of FC Tekstilshchik Kirovabad paid them a visit and demonstrated solidarity, courage, and honesty.
Jacques Suprikyan, one of the forwards of FC Shirak Leninakan who was directly engaged in the match, has explained his experience regarding the developments of that day. According to his memories, while they were in Gyumri, news spread that the political leadership of Kirovabad forced the football players of FC Tekstilshchik Kirovabad to demonstrate particular cruelty towards the Armenian team’s football players. The reason was the 6-0 losses by the Azerbaijani team in the last two matches.
The main hero of the match, Onik Abrahamyan, said that they had known about the tense situation in the city before their arrival. The football players of FC Shirak Leninakan were prohibited from going out of the city and interacting with locals. FC Shirak Leninakan was not even allowed to do training.
The football players of FC Shirak Leninakan arrived at the stadium 20-25 minutes before the match, escorted by the military, quickly changed clothes, and entered the field accompanied by the servicemen.
During the match, Azerbaijanis threw eggs and rotten tomatoes, so Armenian football players were afraid of implementing throw-ins. When the score was 2:1 in favor of FC Shirak Leninakan, what happened next was pre-planned. Angry Azerbaijanis started to throw stones in the direction of the football players, and one of the stones hit Jacques Suprikyan’s head. The match was stopped. The doctors provided first aid to Jacques, and he returned to the field.
His return made Azerbaijanis more furious. They started to throw stones, eggs, and rotten tomatoes at the football players more intensively. At that moment, a barrage of stones from the neighboring rooftops began to fall on the stands. The referee decided to stop the match. But the captain of FC Shirak Leninakan, Papik Papoyan, clearly stated that regardless of what happens, FC Shirak Leninakan will play till the end.
The referee canceled the decision, and the match continued amid shouts from the stadium. A few minutes before the end of the game, Onik Abrahamyan scored the third goal against FC Tekstilshchik Kirovabad. What happened after the final whistle was unbelievable: A crowd of furious Azerbaijanis attempted to invade the field like a group of mad vigilantes. A police barricade restrained the furious horde with difficulty. The security forces took the football players in a tight ring and escorted them to the dressing room.
In response to these provocations, Armenians started throwing stones from the rooftops. Shots were heard, and everything became even more tense. FC Shirak Leninakan football players were escorted to the Armenian border without even being allowed to change their clothes. Meanwhile, the situation in Kirovabad was getting out of control.
Seeing off the Gyumri fans and the team, the Armenians calmed down a bit, despite the clashes that had taken place at the stadium and outside its borders. But soon the shots were heard again, and the first blood was shed. Azerbaijani policemen started to openly support their compatriots. However, fortunately, there were also Armenian policemen who were ready to support Armenians. But the angry Armenian crowd from the nearby districts changed the power balance, and the Azerbaijani horde ran away, destroying everything in their way.
Reaching their part of the city – furious, dissatisfied, and deceived in their best expectations – Azerbaijanis unleashed their wrath on the Armenians returning from that part, mainly on women. Beaten and blood-covered Armenians returned to the Armenian part of the city where a crowd of thousands gathered, ready for revenge. People had truncheons and shovels. The Armenian crowd lined up towards the bridge that separated the Armenian and Azerbaijani parts of the city.
At the intersection of Korganov and Japaridze streets, they were stopped by the car of the Chief of Police, Colonel Mehtiyev. He asked the Armenians to go home, stay calm, and promised that the city authorities were taking measures to protect them. Meanwhile, news arrived that two women were beaten by Azerbaijanis and thrown off the bridge. The crowd became unmanageable, and people turned over Mehtiyev’s car and moved firmly towards the bridge.
Three Armenian women, who happened to be in that part of the city for different reasons, were caught by the violent Azerbaijanis and cruelly killed. Irregular shots were heard from both sides, and after a while, an alarm signal was sounded. The military demanded that people go home from both sides of the bridge, and in the distance, the sound of tank tracks was heard. People began to leave.
As a result of the “football war,” 20 people were killed, of whom 11 were Armenians, mostly women. The 2nd department of the Kirovabad police was dissolved, where 90% of the employees were Armenians, including the police chief. Most importantly, the mass emigration of the Armenian population of Kirovabad began.
Undoubtedly, in the best traditions of the USSR, the incident was not reported in newspapers, and to this day, little is known about this dark period.
