Azerbaijan extend contract with coach Vogts

The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) has extended the contract of former German football player and coach Berti Vogts for two years.

According to AFFA's decision Wednesday, Berti Vogts, 67, will continue managing the national football team of Azerbaijan till the European Championship qualifying games in 2016, reports Xinhua.

In April 2008, Vogts was appointed as the coach of Azerbaijan's national football team on a two-year contract.

In November 2009, AFFA extended Berti Vogts' contract for two years, making him the first manager to coach the national team in two qualification cycles.

In November 2011, AFFA once again extended Berti Vogts' contract for a further two years, until the end of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification cycle.

Under Vogts, Azerbaijan performed poorly with the team losing to second-string sides, forcing Vogts to face major criticism, protest and demonstration from local supporters and the media.

However, Azerbaijan managed to finish qualification cycle in fourth place, teams' best ever finish. In October, 2013, Azerbaijan beat its ranking record by reaching 88th place in FIFA World Rankings.