UEFA Europa League museum in Baku

A pop-up UEFA Europa League museum was set up in Baku to set the scene for the competition final due to be held in the Azerbaijani capital on 29 May.

The opening ceremony was attended by Rovnag Abdullayev, the president of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), Azad Rahimov, the minister of youth and sport, Chingiz Huseynzade, the vice-president of the national Olympic committee, and members of AFFA’s executive committee and coaches committee.

Exhibits reflected the history of the Europa League, including signed kits from the teams and players that took part in the finals from 2008 to 2018, official Europa League balls and signed balls from the Europa League finals. Screens installed inside the museum played unforgettable moments from the competition’s history, such as goals netted in the finals and various other interesting game snapshots.

The event featured a series of autograph days, on which visitors were able to meet famous players – legendary Argentine striker Hernán Crespo and members of the Azerbaijani national team, Mahir Madatov, Tamkin Khalilzade and Mirabdulla Abbasov – ask for autographs and take photos with them.

Anyone whose heart beats for football was able to enjoy the museum as access was free to all.

This article originally appeared in UEFA Direct 183