Neftchi, which finished the last championship with a medal, was diligently preparing for the next season. First, Otar Korgalidze left the team. Because according to the head coach's philosophy, a young local talent could be more effective than an older legionnaire . In addition, Mirbagir Isayev and Afgan Talibov left the team. Instead, after a year-long trip to Israel and Mingachevir, Samir Alakbarov returned to Neftchi. Vladimir Tuayev also joined the "black and whites".          

After a one-year break, the confrontation between Neftchi and AFFA resumed. This time the target was not Aydin Ibrahimov, but Rasim Rafiyev. AFFA President Fuad Musayev openly attacked him in the media, and even managed to turn the leaders of "Karabakh", "Kur-Nur" and some other clubs against him. Even Fuad Musayev interfered in the internal affairs of the club and demanded the expulsion of Rafiyev from Neftchi, otherwise he threatened to expel the club from the championship. Despite all the pressure, Rafiyev remained in the team and continued to provide financial support to the club.        

Ahead of the events, we can say that not only the vice-president, but also the head coach and the players were under pressure from AFFA. AFFA was not looking for the reasons for the national team's 0:10 defeat to France in September, but for the coaches and players. This was reaffirmed at the AFFA Executive Committee meeting in September. Vagif Sadigov was severely criticized at this meeting . According to Fuad Musayev, Sadigov " cannot work properly with young people in the club, he destroys their talent ." For this reason, Bakhtiyar Musayev and Mirbagir Isayev are unable to show their football qualities.      

By the decision of the executive committee, Sadigov was dismissed from the post of national team coach and his license was revoked. In addition, Neftchi was recommended to dismiss Sadigov as head coach. Bakhtiyar Musayev was disqualified for three years, Samir Alakbarov, Yunis Huseynov and Elkhan Hasanov were suspended until the end of the season and expelled from the national team.   

AFFA changed the rules of the 5th championship. Thus, the championship was again held in a two-stage system. Initially, the teams had to go through a two-round preliminary round. In the second round, they would compete for 1-6 and 7-12 places. In fact, the teams had to start the second stage not from scratch, but with gold points. This was done because the teams were determined to go to every game.

Despite all the pressure, Neftchi started the championship with great confidence. The Baku team did not suffer defeat in the first eleven matches, only lost in the twelfth match in Tovuz.

It was during the winter break that serious personnel changes took place in the team. Unable to withstand the pressure and resigned Vagif Sadigov said . Asif Aliyev has been officially appointed the new head coach of Neftchi . Here again, the peculiar laws of Azerbaijani football came to the fore. Asif Aliyev was officially considered the head coach. In fact, this was not the case. Kazbek Tuayev, who was also the head coach of the national team at that time, led the team. Asif Aliyev, like Boyukaga Agayev , was one of his assistants. In addition to the head coach, some players also left the team. Fuzuli and Khagani Mammadov brothers turned to Rostov. Nazim Aliyev , one of the leaders of the team's offensive line, changed the Baku representative to "Karabakh". Bakhtiyar Musayev had to defend the honor of the OIC because he was called up for military service. In addition to these players, Ali Abushov, Gulammirza Asadullayev, Kamil Bayramov also left the team. Instead, several strong players were recruited. Ilham Mammadov and Vidadi Rzayev from Turan had to move to Baku. Rasim Abushov also came to Neftchi from Karabakh. The team, which underwent such a serious personnel change, still did not give up its claim.                  

The new team of coaches was able to continue the work of Vagif Sadigov. The team, which is now tasked with advancing to the second round, has resorted to some tournament tactics. Thus, "Neftchi" pays more attention to the games that bring golden points, and sometimes suffered unexpected losses with weak teams.

Neftchi finished the first stage of the championship in the 5th place. According to the number of gold points, the team was 2 points behind "Kapaz" and 1 point behind "Khazri".

According to the decision of AFFA, the matches of the second stage were held in Baku and Sumgayit among the teams vying for medals. This was for the teams to compete in the same conditions. Of the teams that reached the finals, only for "Kur-Nur" , the championship could be considered almost over. Each of the remaining five teams had a chance to win gold medals. This was an indication of how tense the continuation of the championship will be. After the start of the final games, it became clear that "Karabakh" is not ready for such a tense struggle, and the people of Agdam were left out of this struggle. The other four teams had to share the medals.      

Neftchi started the second stage with confidence. However, the team received the first blow from "Kapaz". It is very interesting that in both games, in which Neftchi lost in the second round, the opponent was Kapaz. However, the "whites and blacks" did not suffer the defeat again, playing well with other opponents. As a result, in the end, Neftchi 's players were able to hang gold medals around their necks. Thus, the flagship won its second championship. Vidadi Rzayev , who held the championship at a high level, was named the best player of the season.