Baku will host the Baku Cup in memory of A. A. Banishevsky

Teams born in 2015 from Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Kazakhstan will take part in the competitions organized by the L. I. Yashin Dynamo Academy together with the Neftchi Academy: the team of the Dynamo Central Academy Moscow, the branch of the Dynamo Academy in Voronezh, young football players from Neftchi, Karabakh, "Ulduz", "Kairat", "Besiktas" and "Geztepe". The tournament will become not only a sports competition, but also a platform for strengthening friendship, respect and cooperation between young football players from different countries.

The tournament is dedicated to the memory of the outstanding Soviet striker, the legend of Baku football — Anatoly Banishevsky. He is one of the most prominent figures in the history of Soviet football. His name is inextricably linked with Baku, where he was born, grew up and became a real football legend.

Banishevsky spent most of his career with Neftchi Baku, becoming one of the club's most productive players. Over the years, he played 318 matches for the club and scored 136 goals, together with the team he won bronze medals of the USSR championship.

As a member of the USSR national team, Banishevsky played 50 matches and became the silver medalist of the 1972 European Championship. His name is forever inscribed in the history of football in Azerbaijan and the entire post-Soviet space. For many generations of fans, Banishevsky remains a symbol of football skill, loyalty to the team, character and sporting spirit.

But the legendary Banishevsky is not the only bright football player that Neftchi gave to the world. He has repeatedly stressed that he considered his teammate Yuri Konstantinovich Kuznetsov, who spent a significant part of his professional career at Neftchi, to be his teacher in football.

Yuri Kuznetsov was born on August 2, 1931 in Baku and it was here that he began his football career, already at a young age distinguished by football intelligence, accurate passing and the ability to create moments for partners. Later, the talented striker was invited to Dynamo Moscow, where he became a three-time champion of the USSR and proved to be a bright and technical forward.

After completing his playing career, Yuri Kuznetsov devoted himself to the development of football and working with young players. He was a member of the coaching staff of the Dynamo first team, collaborated with such well-known specialists as Alexander Ponomarev and Konstantin Beskov. Kuznetsov was considered one of the architects of the club's reserve training system, possessing a rare ability to find talent in young players and bring up a real Dynamo spirit in them.

Throughout his life, Yuri Konstantinovich remained devoted to the Moscow Dynamo, becoming a living link between the generations of the legendary Yashinsky era and modern football. Today, Yuri Konstantinovich's work is continued by his son, Alexander Kuznetsov, who heads the L. I. Yashin Dynamo Academy. This is also why participation in the Banishevsky Memorial tournament is of particular importance for Dynamo, uniting generations, countries and clubs and continuing the continuity of football history.

The Baku Cup is designed not only to determine the strongest team of the tournament, but also to preserve the memory of the great football players of the past, uniting young players around the values of fair play, respect for the opponent and love of football.