A few days ago Fariz Nacafov, vice president of Qabala FK, told the local media that prosecutors had dropped one of the charges against the club’s former striker, Cavid Huseynov, who has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Nacafov claimed that Huseynov is no longer accused of organizing the beating death of the journalist, who passed away in hospital a few hours after being beaten up in Baku. 

The defense lawyer, however, says the footballer had never been charged with organizing the crime in the first place. 

The footballer was in fact charged with failing to report the crime, Mustafayev said. 

The lawyer accused the football club of trying to influence the investigation.

Aliyev, 31, a reporter with ANN, was beaten up by a group of men in Baku in August and died later in hospital. His death prompted criticism by local and international media rights groups.

Police arrested several people, including Cavid Huseynov, a leading soccer player from Qabala FK, on suspicion of involvement in the murder.  

Speaking in hospital hours before his death, the journalist said he was attacked by Huseynov's supporters after criticizing him in a Facebook post.