Changed calendar , football without fans and how to win "Bunyodkor": thoughts from Bakhtiyor Ashurmatov

   After the first three match seasons of the Super League, "Kokand-1912", which is in third place with two wins and one defeat, has started training. Bakhtiyor Ashurmatov is making his debut as the head coach of this team. He also wants to have a bright face in front of the fans and justify the confidence placed in him. Due to this desire, he started training again. Ahead of the season, Kokand will face a difficult match against “Bunyodkor” in Tashkent. In turn, it is no secret that Kokand fans expect only positive results from their favorite team. Ashurmatov is well aware of the current situation and, taking into account them, expressed his views on some important issues for Sports.uz.

- About the preparation?

- due to the quarantine for 2.5 months, both players and fans will be bored without football. So it is clear that everyone was happy to be allowed to continue our championship. We started training in Kokand today. True, before that our players were training at home. However, it is different from team training anyway. We will play against "Bunyodkor" on June 13 and it is important to get our team in good condition before that match. According to the plan, we will train in Kokand on June 1-6. After a day off, we will continue training in Tashkent from June 8.

- Will there be a friendly match? 

- Of course, we will try to hold one friendly match before the official match. We are negotiating with the clubs in this regard. From June 5, official friendly matches will also be allowed. So we will also try to hold a friendly match. Our team hasn’t played in almost three months. It will be useful for us if we can have a little bit of rhythm before the official match.

- In what situation did the players return from quarantine?

- We have been in constant contact with our players by phone. The boys practiced individually depending on their ability at home. Because the players chose this profession, they took their work seriously anyway. In general, there is no evidence that our players are overweight. It is known that our players trained individually at home.

- After a three-month break, will our football lose its charm?

- Everything was unexpected. The pandemic that hit the world was a heavy blow. Unfortunately, it has also had an impact on sports and football in particular. And we have to get out of this situation. Perhaps some of our colleagues may say that the training period until June 13 is short. But I think the decision made by the PFL is right. Anyway, from game to game, our players recover their sports uniforms. True, this will not be easy. Still, the players will have to show a game that will delight the fans. Because fans also miss football. Unfortunately, for now, our games will be without fans. And we can say that 50 percent of our football loses its appeal. It’s hard to imagine football without fans, especially in the valley. We have to show the audience a beautiful game, even on TV. It is true that recently our fans have been protesting against the speed and tension in our football. Now it can be even harder to play games without them. For example, in the example of our own team, in the competitions in our stadium, our fans gave strength to our players. With the support of the fans, they encouraged us to play with great enthusiasm until the end of the game. Therefore, football without fans and after a three-month break can be relatively unattractive.

- Regarding the match against "Bunyodkor"?

- At the moment, I think all clubs are in the same physical condition. In the match against “Bunyodkor”, the team with the most thirst and desire to win, as well as the team with the best physical training, will win. I can tell our fans with confidence that our players will fight to the end for the victory. I'm sure of it.
How to swallow? On this issue, I can say that before the match with "Bunyodkor" we will develop plans against the opponent and prepare accordingly. But it’s hard to say anything in advance. The game will show who is stronger that day. We will try to prepare for the match with “Bunyodkor” both physically and tactically. Vadim Abramov formed a good team there. He finished 3rd last year. I think the match between Bunyodkor and Kokand-1912 will be one of the most interesting matches of our championship.