Central Asia is one of the most overlooked and unrepresented regions on earth.
Given its size and positioning, it should well be a significant player at least on a continental standpoint, if not on the international stage.
Yet still, given its history, and the continent’s penchant for segmentation, it remains an enigma across Asia, no less than when it comes to football.
Their image as such has regularly been pitted as the outsider looking in, masquerading as a team countering from the outside, and all too often falling at the final hurdle. A stark contrast to its former Soviet brothers Russia, there remains a distinct underdog spirit within Central Asia’s four “Stans” that sets them apart from anyone in the AFC, a reputation that looks difficult to break free from.
From closeted Turkmenistan, across Kyrgyzstan & Tajikistan, to the regional powerhouse Uzbekistan, the charm, nuance and backstory of each individual nation offers more than any collective regional grouping could ever.
As we mark the start of a new decade, however tainted by the long tentacles of COVID-19, Central Asian football stands on the edge of something considerable.
All four national teams are increasingly competitive, underlined by this current round of World Cup qualifiers. There is a significant youth base emerging with interest. And on the club scene, representation at the pinnacle of the game is due to be expanded come 2021.
Uzbekistan, forever the bridesmaid of Asian football, finally seem to have a coach that both understands Uzbek football culture, but can accelerate their technically gifted attacking players to another level.
Vadim Abramov has been blessed admittedly with back-to-back successful youth cohorts that have pushed the likes of Eldor Shomurodov and Jaloliddin Masharipov into European club sides’ considerations, yet his direct but committed style has rekindled the effectiveness even of their more peripheral would be national stars.
As ever the coming years will be a testing stage to assess the mental state of the region’s football. Long been downtrodden to the outskirts of true success continually, their fragility of late hasn’t been technical but mental. A rising focus on professionalism across the region will go along way to bridge the competitive gap that continues in crunch moments to this day.
Turkmenistan, a true champion for state secrecy and control have ironically spearheaded this idea of progress and change, having revamped their domestic and international structures to ultimately improve quality and competitiveness at national team level.
Their domestic Yokary Liga, as I’ve delved into on many occasions on this site is as corrupt and state controlled as they come, yet to see them top their WCQ group ahead of South Korea with three games to play, the TFF must be doing something right to ensure the very best out of those at the pinnacle.
While closure from the outside is one avenue to proceed down, Tajikistan have demonstrated the polar opposite. The heady days of April, where the domestic Higher League was centre stage as one of only a few competitions still playing admits a global pandemic, significant energy and focus was put in to casting a light on their product for the rest of the world to witness.
With every positive, Central Asia usually brings with it a caveat however, tending inevitably to surround match manipulation and questionable officiating.
Given the boost in interest, highlighted by a significant youth presence across the league, it’ll be interesting then to see how the THL emerge from its COVID-19 lockdown given it’s fall from the public eye.
And then there’s Kyrgyzstan, one of the most eye catching outfits at last year’s Asian Cup, coached by one of the most forward thinking coaches in Asian football and blessed with a talent pool that stretches the globe.
The way Kyrgyz football has gone the last five years looks to be a blueprint for others to follow, so their recent plateau raises eyebrows to where they’ll go next.
Over the coming months, we’ll investigate all matters that make Central Asian football so fascinating; looking back, to historic lessons and successes, at the present, all eyeing a place at Asia’s top table and forward, as they attempt to break the regional glass ceiling. With plenty to celebrate and infuriate across the weeks to come I’m sure, grab yourself a bowl of plov, and join us down the rabbit hole.
