Ziyad Aliyev, head coach of Serbia’s women’s U15, U17, and U20 freestyle wrestling teams, spoke exclusively to Idman.biz’s correspondent in Zlatibor about his coaching journey, his transition from Azerbaijan to Serbia, and possible plans to recruit Azerbaijani talent for Serbia's national team.
- Did you begin your coaching career in Azerbaijan or Serbia?
- I represented Azerbaijan for many years, winning national titles across all age groups and clinching gold at the World Junior Championships. After retiring, I began coaching in Baku. Eventually, I continued my career in Serbia.
- How did you end up in Serbia?
- Fate played its part. I brought my 15-year-old son here for football trials with Partizan and Crvena Zvezda. Both clubs liked him, so we stayed. I contacted the Serbian Wrestling Federation and shared my credentials. Azerbaijani-born Yusif Abbasov, the federation’s vice president and now a UWW representative, supported me greatly.
- How did you land a role with the national team, rather than a club?
- Although I’ve lived in Belgrade for two years, I joined the national team last year. Freestyle wrestling in Serbia hasn’t developed as strongly as Greco-Roman, so they needed experts. Abbasov recommended me, and once they saw my background, they were interested. I presented my training plan, and that’s how it all started. One of my key goals is to get more young men into freestyle wrestling.
- What’s the current state of freestyle wrestling in Serbia?
- It’s just starting to develop. The main issue is the lack of qualified coaches. Greco-Roman has always been more popular since the Yugoslav era. For freestyle to grow, someone had to step in—and that’s what we’re doing now.
- So, it’s hard to compare with Azerbaijan?
- Absolutely. The gap is huge. Azerbaijan is a wrestling powerhouse. But Serbia has excellent Greco-Roman wrestlers with European and world titles.
- Do you seek advice from experienced Azerbaijani coaches?
- Not really. I research when needed or ask local colleagues. I’ve been in the sport for years, still learning, but I haven’t faced situations where I needed major help.
- Could we see you coaching Serbia’s senior national team in the future?
- It’s possible—never say never.
- Are you scouting Azerbaijani wrestlers for Serbia’s team?
- Yes. There’s interest in bringing Azerbaijani wrestlers in specific weight classes—65kg, 70kg, and 125kg. This initiative comes from Yusif Abbasov too. We want our national team to benefit from strong foreign-born athletes, just like other countries have done with Dagestanis.
- Any names?
- We have some in mind, but it’s too early to disclose. We’re still doing background research.
- We noticed you recording matches involving Azerbaijani wrestlers. Is that patriotism or scouting?
- It’s love for my homeland. Everyone here knows how much I care about Azerbaijan. Some even joked, “Your team’s coming—will you support them?” I said, of course! Some wrestlers are my former students, like silver medalist Gunel Karimli (50kg) and bronze medalist Gulay Khasmammadova (33kg), whom I trained alongside Elvin Aslanov for about a year.
- You mentioned coming to Serbia for your son’s football career. How’s that going?
- My son, Nazim Aliyev (born in 2010), plays as a number 8 and 10. He’s a product of Sabah Football Academy. We brought him to Partizan in April 2023, where he was accepted but later moved to the second team due to paperwork delays. Scouts then sent him to Crvena Zvezda. From his first touch, they knew he was special. Since August 2023, he’s been with their U-15 squad. Once his residency permit is ready next month, he’ll join the U-16 team officially.
- Will he continue representing Azerbaijan internationally?
- Yes, he's been called up multiple times. Last time, he missed out due to a broken arm, but now he’s fully fit. We're aiming for a bright future. If he had no potential, Zvezda wouldn’t keep him. He’s the club’s first Azerbaijani player, and we’re doing everything we can to help him succeed.
Tahir Hummatov
Idman.biz
