Azerbaijan’s five-time world and eleven-time European karate champion Rafael Aghayev has revealed that he is going through one of the most difficult periods of his career – and his life.
Speaking to Musavat.com, Aghayev said he has stepped away from all professional activity:
.
“I’m not doing anything right now. I’ve left everything to God. I have no expectations. I pray and continue my life.”
According to the champion, he is not preparing for any tournaments and is not training students:
“I only work out to stay in shape. Otherwise, I spend time in teahouses and rest. I’m in depression (laughs). Hopefully things will get better.”
A deepening conflict with the Azerbaijan Karate Federation
Aghayev’s latest comments follow a storm of controversy after he openly criticized the Azerbaijan Karate Federation, revealing years of tension and, in his words, mistreatment.
In an interview with Azerisport.com, the champion said he repeatedly faced dismissive and disrespectful responses when he requested medical support for injuries:
“When I asked for medicine because of my injuries, they told me: ‘You’re irritating us’.”
He added that even younger athletes who liked his social media posts were punished:
“They cut their salaries if they liked my posts. They said: look, Rafael talks too much. No one said that I was right.”
Aghayev said he often competed while severely injured:
“At European and World Championships, I fought while injured. Once I needed an injection just to be able to move. Their answer was: ‘You’re irritating us.’”
Prize money disputes
Aghayev also described controversial demands about his prize earnings:
“When I won 150,000 manats at the European Games, another 150,000 at the Islamic Games, and 300,000 at the Olympics – they said we should put the money together and distribute it to everyone. But where were these people when I was preparing?”
