Yuriy Maksymov has been appointed as the head coach of the Azerbaijani club Araz. The Ukrainian specialist, who had been out of work for over a year, is now returning to independent coaching abroad.
The length of Maksymov’s contract has not yet been disclosed. After six rounds of the Azerbaijan Premier League, Araz currently sits at the bottom of the table, having collected only two points. Maksymov is no stranger to Azerbaijani football; during the 2017/18 season, he managed Keşla (now known as Shamakhi), leading the team to victory in the Azerbaijan Cup by defeating Gabala in the final, a side coached by Roman Hryhorchuk. This achievement made him the first Ukrainian coach to win the Azerbaijan national cup.
Maksymov’s last coaching role in Ukraine was with Vorskla Poltava, which he left in the summer of 2025 following the club’s relegation to the First League. At that time, many predicted he would face difficulties finding new employment within Ukraine, and those predictions have proven accurate…
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