It can be lonely being a football fan – especially if you are cheering on your side away in far-off Azerbaijan and have spent three days getting there.
Mark Corbett might just be Estonia’s most dedicated fan. At one point he was the only away fan to have a ticket to Azerbaijan – and he’s not even Estonian.
The Englishman lives in Estonia, regularly watches their national side and when the Nations League fixtures came out, found an adventure too tempting to turn down.
His epic trip, including several flights and a ride with farmers, saw him overcome a number of obstacles before he took his place among a handful of away fans on a cold evening in northern Azerbaijan – only for Saturday’s Nations League Group C1 game to end in a goalless draw.
The 44-year-old flew from Tallinn in Estonia to Rome and then on to Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, only to find the game would not be staged at the country’s usual venues the Baku Olympic Stadium, which hosted the 2019 Europa League final between Chelsea and Arsenal, or the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, across the city.
“Of course I was assuming the game would be in Baku. I was wrong,” said Corbett.
“After I’d booked flights and accommodation, they confirmed, at around four weeks’ notice, it would be in a very small mountain town a five-hour drive north of Baku called Gabala (population 12,808).
“But by that time I’d committed myself to going so I decided ‘what the heck, I’ll find a way’.
“I’m a member of the Jalgpallihaigla (Estonian national team supporters’ club). I go to all the home games and watched them away twice before. Plus I like discovering new countries and I’d never been to Azerbaijan, so I thought, ‘what the hell, why not’.”
He contacted the Estonian FA regarding availability, only to be told he was the only person to have enquired before being sent a free ticket – though the home fans would only be paying the equivalent of £2.15 for a view along the side of the pitch or 80p for a behind-the-goal seat anyway.
“I don’t know if it was free because the Estonian FA couldn’t be bothered to collect such a tiny amount from me or perhaps because I was one of the few going so they just gave me a complimentary ticket,” said Corbett.
One problem overcome but another one was looming: how to get to the ground.
An extended public holiday in Azerbaijan ruled out the limited train service which normally only runs at weekends anyway and there were no buses from Baku to Gabala.
Luckily, Corbett knew someone in Azerbaijan who came to the rescue with the offer of a minibus ride to the ground, travelling along with his contact’s “uncle and a group of farmers from the Gabala area”.
“The journey from Baku to Gabala was an interesting experience,” said Corbett. “The roads vary wildly in quality, constantly switching from modern highway to pot hole-ridden dirt track.
“And the less said about the ‘services’ toilets we stopped at, the better. It was a hole in the ground with the most unbearable stench.”
So, after a three-day journey that started in Tallinn and went via Rome, Baku and a lengthy minibus journey, Corbett, who originally comes from Oldham but has lived in Estonia for six years, was flying the flag for Jurgen Henn’s side.
It turned out he was one of only eight people cheering on Estonia and there was no segregation so the fans sat alongside those from Azerbaijan.
“There was a group of five, a group of two, and me on my own but we didn’t know each other,” added Corbett. “None of us had a clue the others were going, we all went there thinking we might be the only ones.
“There was no friction with the home fans. At full-time they wished us well and some wanted to swap scarves.
“After the game I enjoyed chatting with locals over some beers. They thought I was crazy for travelling there but at the same time loved the concept and expressed a wish to do the same with their country.”
The long trip almost earned an instant reward as Estonia, after only 12 seconds, hit the crossbar through Henri Anier, although the hosts also rattled the woodwork later in the first half from Elvin Jafarquilyev’s 25-yard free-kick.
Azerbaijan, managed by Fernando Santos, who guided Portugal to Euro 2016 glory, were the better side in the second half with Ozan Kokcu hitting the post, but neither side could find a winner.
Estonia held on for a draw, a result that ensured they avoided automatic relegation to the bottom tier of the Nations League, with some of the players then handing over their shirts to the travelling fans.
Corbett said: “Was it worth it? 100%. The nerves as Estonia held on under pressure. The release of tension as the final whistle went and we knew we were safe from relegation, the players being kind enough to acknowledge us, the people I met, the sights I saw, the things I learned about Azerbaijan and especially the food I ate.
“These kind of experiences, that the combination of sport and travel gives you, are just priceless for me.”
So, is that the end of his adventure? Not exactly.
“When looking for cheap flights out of Azerbaijan, Budapest came up,” said Corbett.
“Knowing Hungary borders Slovakia, I couldn’t resist checking how feasible it is to get to the stadium in Trnava when Estonia are the visitors on Tuesday.
“Turns out it’s easy enough by bus… So I’ll be there.”
