Did you know that part of Eintracht, which reached the final of the Europa League, belongs to Uzbek businessman Kazim Aripov? SPORTS.uz presents an exclusive interview with our compatriot, conquering the football world!

It is clear that this information will surprise you. Let's first get to know who Kozim Aripov is. The head of the German company NEOTRANS GmbH in 2011 buys shares of Eintracht Frankfurt. At that time, the team was in 10th place in the lower division of the Bundesliga. Despite the fact that the Club is in the epicenter of financial problems, our heroine did not stop working with the club. Eintracht soon returned to the elite. He is now expected to attend the final of the second-tier tournament in the UEFA classification as a favorite. So who is this person really? How did the top five team buy shares? What are their plans for the future? In order to get answers to these and other questions, we turned to Kazim Aripov. Taking this opportunity, we express our special gratitude to the close partner of the BMB Trade Group company, the representative of the Football Association of Uzbekistan in Europe Dilshod Ruzmetov for his help in organizing the conversation.

- What was the main purpose of buying shares of the Eintracht team? Is it love of football or just business?

At the end of the 90s, my family and I moved to Germany. I started a hotel business there. I was attracted by the football atmosphere in Germany. Over time, I became a fan of the Eintracht team. In 2011, a regular customer of my hotel told me that he was going to sell his shares in the Frankfurt club. At that time, Eintracht was a mid-tier lower league (10th team from the 2nd Bundesliga). It was even risky to fall into a lower league. Without thinking for a second, I said that I wanted to exchange my hotel and all the money saved for club shares. I think I did it because of my love for football, and I have never regretted it. Eintracht is a big family and I am proud to be a part of it. I can't say that Football is a business for me. It is my feeling and love, I didn't expect big dividends from the money I spent on him, but I also don't want to hide that I've been making a good profit lately.

- Do you follow Uzbek football? Do you have no desire to own one of today's Uzbek football clubs?

I'm a real football fan. I also follow Uzbek football. I will not be mistaken if I say that our love for sports is brought up at the family level. Both of my sons are masters in football. One is a striker and the other is a goalkeeper. From a young age, I tried not to miss matches with the participation of the Pakhtakor team, I watched almost all home matches from the stadium. I have been thinking a lot about buying our own club shares, but I have to put this idea aside as there is an injustice.
In Germany, there is no such thing as a phone on top or placing a player in the main squad for money. In the main squad, only the strong come out on the field. Therefore, football among the Germans is developed at the world level. Nevertheless, it should be recognized that football has been developing in Uzbekistan lately. I was very glad that the Nasaf team reached the ACLplayoffs. I watched all the Dragons matches live. It's worth admiring, the guys have rightfully reached the next level!

- Eintracht was in the lower league at the time when you were a shareholder of the team. Since then, 10 years have passed, and the club has reached the final of the Europa League, one of the most prestigious competitions in the UEFA classification. What is behind this progress?

It has been more than 11 years since I acquired Eintracht shares. I can say with confidence that during this time I managed to study German football from the inside. The Germans consistently reach the playoffs in any competitions they participate in. This success of theirs can be divided into two parts. First of all, I can indicate the programs that are systematically established for the development of children's football. For example, the "local talent search program" presented several candidates for German football. As a second aspect, I can point out that German football pays great attention to physical fitness. Not limited to this, the coaches taught the players to improve their efficiency in team play and to approach each young player individually. Eintracht managers paid attention to the work of the coaching staff without pressure and the opening of new names.

- Can Uzbek football players appear in the Frankfurt club? Why do you think our legionnaires can't perform well abroad?

Since the day of the acquisition of the shares of the team, I dream that the Uzbek guy will become the main star of our team. Therefore, I called several of our local players for a team review several times, but none of them could justify the declared trust. After this incident, I no longer interfered with the work of the scouts of the club. I spoke with the representative of Ufa in Europe Dilshod Ruzmetov on this issue. He can talk for hours about the painful problems of our football. The most interesting thing is that Georgian football players perform without problems in almost all the strongest leagues. Although they are far below us in the FIFA ranking. I think our players don't want to torture themselves because of language problems. In addition, much more financially advantageous offers from Arab clubs quickly "kill" their enthusiasm for moving to Europe.
In my opinion, it is necessary to improve children's football by cooperating with European clubs. As an example, I can give the Nasaf team. The leaders of the Karshi club can negotiate with the grandees and turn their players into European-level performers.

- If the Glasgow Rangers team gives up in the final, you promise to give a great interview for the website SPORTS.uz?

To be honest, in Germany everyone expected that the Europe League final would be between German teams. Now we have to fight with Glasgow Rangers. I have no doubt that my team will win the final. Therefore, you can prepare for a big video interview.