Dilshod Rahmatov: "Who does not know this will be blind"

As you know, Uzbekistan national futsal team was not able to adequately participate in the "CAFA Futsal Cup 2023", which was held for the first time in futsal. Before the last match of the competition, there was even news that 5 of the futsal players were expelled from the national team. Some other sources also wrote about the involvement of bookmakers. In order to clarify the situation, we contacted the captain of our national team, Dilshod Rahmatov.

- What happened in Tajikistan? Why were 5 futsal players expelled from the national team at once?

CAFA competition in futsal for the first time! Good conditions were created for us by the federation. Our training was good.

5 futsal players were not expelled and there was no totalizer. I'm saying this because I know the team member and the environment in the team better than any fan and some intelligent journalists in the team!

We don't want to compete with smart people who think they know futsal very well after watching futsal for 2-3 years! With any luck, we'll reciprocate with good results! In the last 10 years, we have won medals in almost all competitions at the Asian Championship! We played in the world championship 2 times. It didn't happen by itself! Young fans who started watching futsal only yesterday do not know and do not understand these results.

- Why did the leaders leave? Does Bakhodir Akhmedov have anything to do with the departure of the guys who left the team? How did the coach react to this?

Our fans always expect the best from futsal. They have a right to it. It goes without saying that a good game is always required from the leaders. Unfortunately, we were not able to show our best performances in the competition. We could not show even half of the result that the coach expected from us. Judging from this, they gave us a break in the match with Kyrgyzstan.

- Before the Futsal World Cup in our country, won't these events have a negative impact on the domestic environment?

I'll say it back. No one was expelled from the national team. World Cup is a really big event! We should accept it with dignity. Even the strongest ones play in the national team. No one has secured a place in it. I have no doubt that my teammates will fight on the field for the honor of the country. "CAFA Futsal Cup 2023" was just a "slap" to us.  

- Do you think that proper preparation for the upcoming Futsal World Cup has begun?

We don't have much time until the start of the World Cup. At the same time, no less. I believe that we will make good use of this time. The federation is organizing friendlies with strong opponents, which we need. Frankly, I have been waiting for these days. If we do not appreciate it, it is clear that we will be "blind", to put it bluntly.

- There is a lot of opinion that a stronger coach should be brought from abroad instead of Bakhodir Akhmedov. How do you feel about it?

I have a different option. For example, if a foreign coach works in tandem with Bahadir Akhmedov, the door of more opportunities can be opened for us. Take, for example, that Mendes we know. The fact that he is invited to the national team now, as before, will be a good plus now.