The key facts

  • 33-year-old Islombek Ismoilov became head coach of the reigning champion Neftchi
  • He chose the club from Fergana, which he had supported since his youth and where his father played
  • In nine to ten months of work, there were no serious conflicts with the players

A young coach takes charge of the reigning champion

33-year-old Islombek Ismoilov has become the head coach of Neftchi, the reigning champion of the country. The appointment has raised many questions: can he find common ground with experienced players and change the team's style of play? About this, as well as about Cristiano Ronaldo, Fabio Cannavaro's career, plans to work abroad and the hardest blow of his life, the coach spoke in an interview with Kun.uz.

Why Neftchi

According to Ismoilov, he felt no fear when joining the club, although there were doubts: he moved from the youth national team straight into a team with big objectives. «If I had been afraid, I would not have taken this path,» he noted. Support, he said, came from Khairullo Bozorov, the governor of Fergana region, who expressed his trust and gave him confidence.

Choosing the club and relations with the players

This year, three clubs with big ambitions made him offers — Neftchi, Navbahor and Andijan — and the coach thanked them all. He named a personal connection as the main reason for choosing Neftchi: he is from Fergana himself, had supported the team since his youth, and his father played and worked at Neftchi. «Choosing another team would have been an injustice to myself,» the specialist said.

Working with the stars

Ismoilov admitted that the club's players differ noticeably from those in the youth national team: they are experienced, well-known Uzbekistani players who have played abroad and at a high level. According to him, the early period was not easy, but gradually he understood what the players wanted and relations improved. In nine to ten months of work, no serious conflicts arose with any player, the coach asserts.

The significance of the appointment

The appointment of a 33-year-old specialist to a club of the reigning champion's level is a notable experiment for Uzbekistani football, where experienced coaches are usually trusted. For Neftchi fans, the coach's personal connection with the team matters, while for Ismoilov himself the bar of expectations is high: as he himself notes, if there are no results, he will have to leave. So far, sources have not reported any tournament results of his work; only the facts of the appointment and his own assessment of relations within the team are known.