UEFA warns players of Azerbaijan soccer club Qarabag against military salute

Players and officials of Azerbaijani club Qarabag who me military salutes at a Europa League game while country was in conflict with Armenia were warned by UEFA on Thursday. incident on October 1 came days after hostilities flared between Azerbaijan and neighboring Armenia over disputed territory of Nagor-Karabakh.

UEFA listed 13 players and 14 club officials who me gesture in stium in Poland where Qarabag played Legia Warsaw. y included players from Colombia and Cape Verde. UEFA said performing military salute (is) considered as inappropriate given specific political context at time. 

Qarabag beat Legia 3-0 in playoff and vanced to a group st campaign beginning Thursday away to Maccabi Tel Aviv. UEFA previously ruled national and club teams from Azerbaijan and Armenia cant host games in its competitions until furr tice.

Nagor-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been controlled by ethnic Armenian forces since 1994. A separatist war started after breakup of Soviet Union three years earlier. 

(Photo Credit: Twitter/FKQarabagh)