Gerkules
12-02-2004, 12:02 PM
Uzbekistan vowing to make their people proud
2 December 2004
by OC 2006 FIFA World Cup
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/gen/afp/20040908/t/874903377.jpg
(http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/photos/index.html?aid=100327&d=1)
The big names in Asian football gather on 9 December in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to witness the draw for the final phase of qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™. Alongside favourites Japan, Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia, many observers rate Uzbekistan as a potential surprise package.
The side coached by German boss Jürgen Gede put up strong showings at the AFC Asian Cup and in their 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying group to stake a convincing claim for elite status within the Asian Confederation. FIFAworldcup.com discussed the current state of Uzbek football with Bakhtier Rakhimov, General Secretary of the Uzbek Association since 2001 and operations manager for the national team under the leadership of influential Interior Minister and Association President Zakirjan Almatov.
Bakhtier Rakhimov, 2004 is a milestone year as Uzbekistan joined FIFA exactly a decade ago. Is it also the best year ever for your national team?
We regard 2004 as a continuation and improvement on an upwards trend which has its roots in 2002. We've opened a new chapter in the history of football here in Uzbekistan. 2005 will be critical, as our goal is to make our people proud by successfully qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Uzbekistan reached the final qualifying round for the FIFA World Cup finals in both 1998 and 2002. You played extremely well in 2002 and only narrowly missed out on a place at the finals.
That's right. We finished first in our preliminary round group four years ago with 14 points and contested the final qualifying round. However, in 2004 we've looked very convincing on two fronts. We won our first three games at the Asian Cup in China without conceding a goal. One of those wins was significant because we beat Saudi Arabia, but we were desperately unlucky to miss out on the semi-finals in a penalty shoot-out against Bahrain. And in the FIFA World Cup preliminary round we wrapped up the group with a game to spare.
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/gen/fifa/20040722/t/2465279629.jpg
Enlarge Photo (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/photos/index.html?aid=87523&d=1)
Photo Gallery (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/photos/index.html)
Uzbekistan won their qualifying group with a total of 16 points, an even bigger margin than four years ago. Does this statistical improvement reflect greater strength in depth?
We look more mobile nowadays, we have better discipline and we've improved tactically. In this respect, and despite a poor start to qualifying with a 1-1 home draw against Iraq, we've definitely made progress. But above all, the team is a lot more experienced than four years ago when we first blooded a clutch of young players.
The draw for the final round in Asia takes place on 9 December in Malaysia. How do you rate Uzbekistan's chances of finishing first or second in one of the four-team groups to guarantee a berth at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany?
There's always the possibility of finishing third and coming through a play-off for a place at the finals. But it really doesn't matter how the draw in Kuala Lumpur on 9 December turns out, we're aiming for one of the top two places.
Who do you think are the favourites?
Japan, Korea and Iran.
And a fourth name?
Uzbekistan. I think we have a fifty-fifty chance.
Is that better than four years ago?
Definitely, a lot better! A large part of that is down to the work of our German coach, our good friend and highly competent expert Jürgen Gede, who we regard as the best coach we could possibly have.
Gede took full charge of the national team in March 2004 after the disappointing opening against Iraq and has led the team to the next round with a record of five victories in five qualifying fixtures, featuring 15 goals for and just two against. How has this performance gone down with the Uzbek public?
He's a genuinely popular figure, highly valued as an expert in terms of tactics and professionalism. Our positive results at the Asian Cup and in World Cup qualifying are fundamentally down to him. We also highly value the exceptional professionalism of German specialists Dr. Dieter Ehrich and Dr. Roland Stutz, brought in by Gede from Frankfurt for a few days around key matches to add a scientific dimension to our preparation and rehabilitation. This is exactly what we need. We're hoping to continue the partnership from the beginning of 2005.
Why doesn't Jürgen Gede appear officially in public as head coach of the national team? For the 6-1 victory in your final group fixture against Taiwan, his predecessor Ravshan Haydarov was named as coach on the official match report.
This was a compromise and a temporary solution agreed by both parties for political reasons. We intend to change this in time for the next qualifying round. We're currently negotiating an extension to his contract, and I very much hope we'll come to a positive conclusion.
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/gen/fifa/20040908/t/1105660864.jpg
Enlarge Photo (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/photos/index.html?aid=100755&d=1)
Photo Gallery (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/photos/index.html)
How important is the national team in the structure of football in Uzbekistan?
It's clearly at the top of the pile and the most important institution in Uzbek football. Our league is a long way short of the major leagues in Europe in terms of importance and image among the fans. Our longest established and best club, championship record-holders Pachtakor Tashkent, fell in the Asian Champions League semi-finals two years in a row, so most of the focus goes on the national team.
A lot of your recent success can be ascribed to your overseas players, seven of whom lined up against Chinese Taipei. Do you have any problems getting them released by their Russian and Ukrainian clubs?
It's a struggle every time, because some of them, such as Dynamo Kiev striker Maxim Shatskikh, midfielder Vladimir Maminov of Russian champions Locomotive Moscow, playmaker Mirdjalal Kasimov of Alania Vladikavkaz or keeper Polyakov from Rostov, are almost too valuable for their clubs and they don't want to let them go. But our talented home-based players did a fine job at the Asian Cup and in other matches as well.
Do you think it's an advantage or a disadvantage that Jürgen Gede has the option of summoning up to ten overseas players for national duty?
It's definitely an advantage to have our best players at strong clubs abroad where they can develop faster, make the breakthrough and pick up much more experience than they would in our domestic league. It's good for the image of our country and a motivating factor for our talented youths, not least because when the stars go abroad it frees up places for the youngsters to develop in teams at home such as Pachtakor. But the bottom line is this: when we uncover a promising youngster, he eventually has to leave, find a major European club and try and hold his own there. One example is 20 year-old Alexander Geynrikh, a fantastic prospect up front, who's trying his luck with CSKA Moscow.
What's the situation regarding your youth set-up?
I have to be frank and admit we're not happy with the situation this year. We intend to bring in new coaches for the youth section at the end of this year. My personal belief is that we should follow the example of the senior team and hire foreign coaches and specialists to work alongside our home-based staff so they can learn from these experts in youth development. Unlike in 2003, when Jürgen Gede worked as director of the entire youth section and our U-20 made the World Youth Championship finals, we got nowhere in any form of qualifying in 2004. What is the financial framework behind the national set-up, in terms of sponsorship for example?
Unfortunately we don't have a main sponsor at the moment, a manufacturer who would supply all our kit and equipment needs for example. We're trying to attract this kind of sponsor, and we hope our success this year might help. The national team and Pachtakor receive financial backing from the company owned by my brother Batir Rakhimov. He's vice-president of the Uzbek Football Association and President of Pachtakor.
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/041126/18/2pa3.html
2 December 2004
by OC 2006 FIFA World Cup
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/gen/afp/20040908/t/874903377.jpg
(http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/photos/index.html?aid=100327&d=1)
The big names in Asian football gather on 9 December in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to witness the draw for the final phase of qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™. Alongside favourites Japan, Korea, Iran and Saudi Arabia, many observers rate Uzbekistan as a potential surprise package.
The side coached by German boss Jürgen Gede put up strong showings at the AFC Asian Cup and in their 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying group to stake a convincing claim for elite status within the Asian Confederation. FIFAworldcup.com discussed the current state of Uzbek football with Bakhtier Rakhimov, General Secretary of the Uzbek Association since 2001 and operations manager for the national team under the leadership of influential Interior Minister and Association President Zakirjan Almatov.
Bakhtier Rakhimov, 2004 is a milestone year as Uzbekistan joined FIFA exactly a decade ago. Is it also the best year ever for your national team?
We regard 2004 as a continuation and improvement on an upwards trend which has its roots in 2002. We've opened a new chapter in the history of football here in Uzbekistan. 2005 will be critical, as our goal is to make our people proud by successfully qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Uzbekistan reached the final qualifying round for the FIFA World Cup finals in both 1998 and 2002. You played extremely well in 2002 and only narrowly missed out on a place at the finals.
That's right. We finished first in our preliminary round group four years ago with 14 points and contested the final qualifying round. However, in 2004 we've looked very convincing on two fronts. We won our first three games at the Asian Cup in China without conceding a goal. One of those wins was significant because we beat Saudi Arabia, but we were desperately unlucky to miss out on the semi-finals in a penalty shoot-out against Bahrain. And in the FIFA World Cup preliminary round we wrapped up the group with a game to spare.
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/gen/fifa/20040722/t/2465279629.jpg
Enlarge Photo (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/photos/index.html?aid=87523&d=1)
Photo Gallery (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/photos/index.html)
Uzbekistan won their qualifying group with a total of 16 points, an even bigger margin than four years ago. Does this statistical improvement reflect greater strength in depth?
We look more mobile nowadays, we have better discipline and we've improved tactically. In this respect, and despite a poor start to qualifying with a 1-1 home draw against Iraq, we've definitely made progress. But above all, the team is a lot more experienced than four years ago when we first blooded a clutch of young players.
The draw for the final round in Asia takes place on 9 December in Malaysia. How do you rate Uzbekistan's chances of finishing first or second in one of the four-team groups to guarantee a berth at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany?
There's always the possibility of finishing third and coming through a play-off for a place at the finals. But it really doesn't matter how the draw in Kuala Lumpur on 9 December turns out, we're aiming for one of the top two places.
Who do you think are the favourites?
Japan, Korea and Iran.
And a fourth name?
Uzbekistan. I think we have a fifty-fifty chance.
Is that better than four years ago?
Definitely, a lot better! A large part of that is down to the work of our German coach, our good friend and highly competent expert Jürgen Gede, who we regard as the best coach we could possibly have.
Gede took full charge of the national team in March 2004 after the disappointing opening against Iraq and has led the team to the next round with a record of five victories in five qualifying fixtures, featuring 15 goals for and just two against. How has this performance gone down with the Uzbek public?
He's a genuinely popular figure, highly valued as an expert in terms of tactics and professionalism. Our positive results at the Asian Cup and in World Cup qualifying are fundamentally down to him. We also highly value the exceptional professionalism of German specialists Dr. Dieter Ehrich and Dr. Roland Stutz, brought in by Gede from Frankfurt for a few days around key matches to add a scientific dimension to our preparation and rehabilitation. This is exactly what we need. We're hoping to continue the partnership from the beginning of 2005.
Why doesn't Jürgen Gede appear officially in public as head coach of the national team? For the 6-1 victory in your final group fixture against Taiwan, his predecessor Ravshan Haydarov was named as coach on the official match report.
This was a compromise and a temporary solution agreed by both parties for political reasons. We intend to change this in time for the next qualifying round. We're currently negotiating an extension to his contract, and I very much hope we'll come to a positive conclusion.
http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/fifa/gen/fifa/20040908/t/1105660864.jpg
Enlarge Photo (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/photos/index.html?aid=100755&d=1)
Photo Gallery (http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/photos/index.html)
How important is the national team in the structure of football in Uzbekistan?
It's clearly at the top of the pile and the most important institution in Uzbek football. Our league is a long way short of the major leagues in Europe in terms of importance and image among the fans. Our longest established and best club, championship record-holders Pachtakor Tashkent, fell in the Asian Champions League semi-finals two years in a row, so most of the focus goes on the national team.
A lot of your recent success can be ascribed to your overseas players, seven of whom lined up against Chinese Taipei. Do you have any problems getting them released by their Russian and Ukrainian clubs?
It's a struggle every time, because some of them, such as Dynamo Kiev striker Maxim Shatskikh, midfielder Vladimir Maminov of Russian champions Locomotive Moscow, playmaker Mirdjalal Kasimov of Alania Vladikavkaz or keeper Polyakov from Rostov, are almost too valuable for their clubs and they don't want to let them go. But our talented home-based players did a fine job at the Asian Cup and in other matches as well.
Do you think it's an advantage or a disadvantage that Jürgen Gede has the option of summoning up to ten overseas players for national duty?
It's definitely an advantage to have our best players at strong clubs abroad where they can develop faster, make the breakthrough and pick up much more experience than they would in our domestic league. It's good for the image of our country and a motivating factor for our talented youths, not least because when the stars go abroad it frees up places for the youngsters to develop in teams at home such as Pachtakor. But the bottom line is this: when we uncover a promising youngster, he eventually has to leave, find a major European club and try and hold his own there. One example is 20 year-old Alexander Geynrikh, a fantastic prospect up front, who's trying his luck with CSKA Moscow.
What's the situation regarding your youth set-up?
I have to be frank and admit we're not happy with the situation this year. We intend to bring in new coaches for the youth section at the end of this year. My personal belief is that we should follow the example of the senior team and hire foreign coaches and specialists to work alongside our home-based staff so they can learn from these experts in youth development. Unlike in 2003, when Jürgen Gede worked as director of the entire youth section and our U-20 made the World Youth Championship finals, we got nowhere in any form of qualifying in 2004. What is the financial framework behind the national set-up, in terms of sponsorship for example?
Unfortunately we don't have a main sponsor at the moment, a manufacturer who would supply all our kit and equipment needs for example. We're trying to attract this kind of sponsor, and we hope our success this year might help. The national team and Pachtakor receive financial backing from the company owned by my brother Batir Rakhimov. He's vice-president of the Uzbek Football Association and President of Pachtakor.
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/041126/18/2pa3.html