Following your team around Europe is the pinnacle for most football fans – but it is destinations like Madrid, Milan and Munich that are most commonly associated with a continental tour.
Newcastle fans are this week pushing the limits and travelling the 2,529 miles from Tyneside to Baku, the Azerbaijan capital, ahead of their Champions League play-off against Qarabag.
There are no direct flights from northern England to the city which has a mix of European and Asian cultures. Oil-rich Azerbaijan, like Armenia and Georgia, competes in UEFA competition due to its former Soviet links.
Daily Mail Sport has caught up with Newcastle fans – there are expected to be some 2,000 of them making the pilgrimage – to get a flavour of their journeys…
The line crackles as David Harnett warns us he does not have long to chat as his group are moving on to another bar any minute.
‘It’s cheap as owt, mate,’ he says in between sips of his Xirdalan lager. ‘The place over here is absolutely fantastic. It’s friendly at the minute.
Newcastle fans are hitting the beers in Azerbaijan after a 2,529-mile journey
One group of fans posted with delight: ’20 degrees and £2.50 a beer. Geordie boys in Azerbaijan’
‘We got a train to Manchester, then a plane to Istanbul, then to Baku. Got here at 4am this morning, had a couple of hours’ sleep and got on the beers!
‘This is the furthest I’ve ever been (for a match). I went to Ukraine in 2013 (for a 1-0 win over Metalist Kharkiv in the Europa League) before it started getting blown up, like. Baku is a nice place, clean, loads of Newcastle fans, every pub is full.’
As all good tour guides should, every answer to us starts with how much it is for a pint. Tom Johnston is straight on it. ‘It’s a stunning city,’ he says. ‘I didn’t know what to expect but the locals are friendly, so much culture…
‘The £1.50 vodkas and £2.50 help! I should have brought some shorts, though, it’s 16C, I thought it would be freezing for some reason. I feel totally safe, I am sure there’s the odd chancer but the locals seem proud to show off their city.’
Another fan, Jay, tells us: ‘A few of our group went to Aston Villa on Saturday and headed straight to Baku after that game. We flew from Stansted and stopped in Turkey before heading on, 10 hours of flying each way and trains to Stansted on top of that.
‘The flights were £280, hotel was £80 each for four nights in a four-star hotel and our visa was £20. The food, drink and taxis are ridiculously cheap. I paid £1.50 for a 20-minute taxi journey yesterday.’
Qarabag themselves are not playing at home. Originally from the Aghdam some 230 miles west, the club were forced to flee in 1993 as Armenian forces seized the territory during a six-year war and 40,000 Azerbaijanis were displaced. Former manager, Allahverdi Baghirov, was killed.
Aghdam has been a ghost town ever since. Former Qarabag press officer Nurlan Ibrahimov was banned for life in 2020 for calling for the killing of all Armenians ‘old and young without distinction’.
Many flew out on Tuesday morning, looking forward to taking advantage of the ‘ridiculously cheap prices’
Around 2,000 supporters are following Eddie Howe’s men in the Champions League play-offs
Amnesty International accused Azerbaijan of trying to ‘sports wash its appalling human rights record’ by hosting four matches at Euro 2020 and the 2019 Europa League final. Qarabag are trying to return home to Aghdam but the number of planted explosives in the area is an issue.
Qarabag are no mugs: the team have won 11 of the last 12 league titles and achieved 10 points in the league phase, drawing against Chelsea and beating Benfica. The manager, Gurban Gurbanov, has been in his position since 2008.