In 2007, a talented troop of Tajik players managed to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in South Korea.
In their opening group game, Tajikistan shocked favourites USA with a stunning 4-3 win, as a teenager named Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev scored the winner. Narrow defeats against Belgium and Tunisia followed, but it couldn’t dent the team’s qualification to the knockout stages.
Tajikistan faced mighty Peru in the Round of 16. A resilient performance meant the match ended 1-1 after 120 minutes. Fatkhuloev converted from 12 yards, as did three other teammates but Farhod Vosiyev’s miss would prove costly as Tajikistan bowed out of the tournament after a valiant campaign.
A Tajik football tenor. Fatkhuloev (Photo: The Tajikistan Football Federation)
Senior national team emergence
13 August 2008. The AFC Challenge Cup final between India and Tajikistan was staged at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi. It turned out to be a significant day in the history of Indian football as India clinched qualification to the AFC Asian Cup 2011 for the first time in 27 years. The final score read 4-1 in favour of India, with Sunil Chhetri grabbing all the headlines with a fantastic hat-trick.
The Tajiks were so close to qualifying for their first-ever major tournament, but it ultimately ended in heartbreak. Little did anyone know that the boy who had scored the consolation goal for Tajikistan would go onto become the heartbeat of a nation. Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev was on the scoresheet that night. His first-ever senior goal for his nation was ahead of what was to be a storied career.
Conquering his homeland
Fatkhuloev started his senior club career with Dynamo Dushanbe in 2007. A series of eye-catching performances prompted Tajik giants Istiklol to snap him after just one season in the top-flight.
He became a mainstay in the team, as Istiklol won back-to-back league titles in 2010 and 2011. The club, founded only in 2007, went on a ride of constant dominance in the Tajikistan Higher League, culminating in five consecutive league titles between 2014 and 2018. The Lions also captured six Tajik Cups and five Tajik Super Cups during this period. Fatkhuloev was well and truly at the centre of it.
Indian connection continues as a bid to conquer Asia begins
Five years since that heartbreaking loss to India, Tajikistan welcomed the Blue Tigers for an international friendly. Fatkhuloev would get on the scoresheet once again, this time inspiring his side to a 3-0 victory.
In 2015, Fatkhuloev brought his talents on the continental stage when he was a pivotal member of an Istiklol side that reached the AFC Cup final. It ultimately resulted in a narrow loss against Johor Darul Ta’zim.
Two years later, Istiklol was at it again. And as fate would have it, a meeting against Indian giants Bengaluru FC in the Inter-zonal play-off final followed. Fatkhuloev played an instrumental role as his team ran out 3-2 winners on aggregate, to book a place in the final. However, it was a repeat of what happened two years ago. Istiklol failed to clear the final hurdle as they again lost narrowly, this time to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya.
Trying his luck abroad
After nine trophy-laden years with Istiklol, Fatkhuloev made his first foray abroad, when he joined Indonesian side Persela Lamongan. He helped his club win the President’s Cup, but very soon the club needed a central midfielder, and a mutual termination was agreed. After a short spell back in his home, Fatkhuloev penned a deal for Uzbek side Buxoro. He was a crucial component in helping his side beat the drop in 2019.
In 2020, he helped FK Khujand to a creditable runner-up finish back home, only behind of serial winners Istiklol.
Fatkhuloev: A Trailblazer
On 15th October 2020, two-time Indian Super League (ISL) champions Chennaiyin FC announced Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev. It was a significant transfer in many ways, as ISL clubs seldom sign players from the West/Central Asian region.
The only previous player from that region to have featured in the ISL was Argentine-born former Palestine international Carlos Salom. Salom had plied his trade for Chennaiyin FC in the 2018/19 season.
Ahead of the 2020/21 ISL season, a new rule was introduced which meant that ISL clubs had to sign at least one player from an AFC-affiliated country. Nine out of the 11 clubs signed players from Australia, but Chennaiyin FC made the brave decision to bring in Fatkhullo Fatkhuloev. He thus became the first player born in the West/Central Asian region to feature in the ISL.
Over the years, the 30-year-old has gone onto becoming Tajikistan’s most-capped player. With Fatkhuloev showing the way, we might see other players from that region venturing in India, as the ISL continues to take giant strides on the way to becoming one of Asia’s most competitive leagues.
Photo via Chennayin FC official website.
