Aliyar Aghayev has been appointed to referee the UEFA Conference League clash between AEK Larnaca and Crystal Palace on Thursday.
The Azerbaijani will oversee the second leg of the Round of 16 tie – according to Azerbaijani news outlet Offside Plus – which is all to play for after a stalemate at Selhurst Park in the first leg.
Igor Pajac was roundly booed by Crystal Palace supporters for his dismal performance while overseeing the first leg, but has Aghayev proved he can do better? Let’s have a look.
Aliyar Aghayev drew complaint from Evangelos Marinakis before Olympiacos clash but has vast experience of UEFA competitions
Marinakis complained about John Textor last summer to eventually get us kicked out of the UEFA Europa League, and the Nottingham Forest chief – who also owns Olympiacos – was also at it in March 2023.
The man from Greece kicked off about Aghayev being selected to officiate the second leg of the Greek Cup semi-final between Olympiacos and AEK Athens, feeling a referee from one of the top five European leagues should have been selected instead.
That felt harsh on the 38-year-old, who is a FIFA Elite official and was also the first Azerbaijani to referee in the UEFA Champions League.
Aghayev even defended himself during an interview with Idman Biz, saying: “The complaint wasn’t specifically against me. Maybe they expected referees from bigger countries and made that statement. I had officiated several Olympiacos games before with no complaints. Big clubs like to exert pressure.”
In total, the man from Baku can boast strong experience in UEFA competitions, overseeing 19 UEFA Europa League matches, six UEFA Champions League games and five in the UEFA Conference League too.
Aghayev has also officiated 271 games in the Azerbaijani Premyer Liqa – so it feels like he is experienced enough to be able to manage the clash between AEK Larnaca and Crystal Palace on Thursday.
| Games | Yellow Cards | Red Cards (two yellows) | Straight Red Cards | Penalties Awarded |
| 432 | 1775 | 55 | 32 | 123 |
