About Football Beyond Politics, but with a Sense of Central Asian Patriotism
ORIENT | Opinion. The first round of the FIFA World Cup, held in three countries – the United States, Canada, and Mexico – has concluded. Among the 12 groups, into which teams from around the world have been divided, Group K is attracting the most attention from Central Asians. After all, that's where the Uzbekistan national team is playing.
Part I. The Phenomenon of Solidarity: Why Do People from Ashgabat to Almaty Support the White Wolves?
More than 130 nationalities and ethnic groups live in Central Asia. But the vast majority (if not all) of them support the Uzbekistan national team. And for good reason – to date, it is the only team from Central Asia to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in the history of football.
When national teams or club teams meet in football in our region, they fight each other uncompromisingly until the last minute. But now that the Uzbek national team has entered the race for the coveted FIFA World Cup, fans of the "football" throughout Central Asia are rooting for them passionately.
And this situation is observed not only in football. A curious phenomenon exists in Central Asia today. When the national teams of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, or Tajikistan play each other, emotions often run high.
Fans of the opposing teams argue, worry, rejoice in victories, and take defeats painfully. Sometimes, sporting rivalries truly resemble old-fashioned neighborhood rivalries, where everyone strives to prove their superiority.
However, when one of the Central Asian teams reaches the global level, the situation changes almost instantly. While they are bitter rivals at regional competitions, rooting for their national teams, they are allies at international competitions. And even more so, they are the most devoted fans, regardless of which country in the region is competing.
And herein lies another unique thread that binds the peoples and states of the region into a unique Central Asian community. This theme extends far beyond sports and touches on issues of regional identity, social psychology, and the development of a sense of belonging to a shared space.
After all, by rooting for the Uzbekistan national team, many Central Asians are supporting more than just a neighboring country. In a sense, they are supporting the region, which includes all five Central Asian states.
A sense of collective representation of the region emerges. Many Central Asians perceive the success of such a team as a shared success—not in a political or state-based sense, but in a cultural and civilizational sense. The thought arises: "These Central Asians—representatives of our region—have entered the world stage!"
That's why the Uzbekistan national team's qualification for the World Cup was a significant event not only for Uzbek football but for all of Central Asia. For millions of people from Ashgabat to Dushanbe, from Bishkek to Almaty, it was proof that sporting achievements can transcend purely national perceptions and become a source of shared regional pride.
What's particularly interesting is the virtual absence of a political component. Unlike many other regions of the world, where football often becomes an extension of political disputes, in this case we see a different process. People in Central Asia support the Uzbek national team not because they are called upon to do so by the state or any other organization. It's happening naturally.
A unique "Central Asian patriotism" is emerging—not a political project or a supranational idea, but a feeling of emotional closeness and belonging. It can be expressed simply: on the regional field, we are rivals, but on the global stage, we are one team of fans.
We often talk about transport corridors, energy projects, trade, and diplomacy as the foundations of regional cooperation. However, symbols, emotions, and shared experiences are no less important. Sometimes, a single football match can do more for the mutual perception of peoples than dozens of official events.
In this sense, the World Cup becomes a platform where the people of Central Asia begin to see themselves not only as citizens of individual states, but also as representatives of a larger region with a similar history, cultural ties, and shared social values.
Today, Uzbekistan represents Central Asia at the World Cup. Tomorrow, it could be Kazakhstan, and the day after, another regional state's joint success. But the fan behavior pattern itself is already naturally developing: competition within the region, solidarity beyond.
Despite the rivalry, the peoples of Central Asia maintain a sense of closeness, which manifests itself precisely when one of their neighbors achieves major international success.
Part II. Cannavaro's Tactics Against Colombia and Portugal: A Debriefing
But any discussion of regional solidarity would be incomplete without answering the key question: "How prepared was the Uzbekistan national team for its debut at the world's largest football tournament?"
Now it's time to move from the fans' emotions to the events unfolding directly on the football field.
Let's make our position clear right away: our Uzbeks, regardless of the outcome of the matches, are regional heroes and truly great performers!
The fact that they've been ranked among the strongest teams in the world is already a great success. And their performance in the first round proved that they can compete on equal terms with the top teams. Experience in the world's largest tournaments is something that can be acquired.
And the Uzbekistan national team's opponents are quite strong. Therefore, coach Fabio Cannavaro was entirely justified in deploying a tight 5-3-2 defense from the outset. Nevertheless, the Uzbekistan national team, ranked 50th in the FIFA rankings, looked like footballing romantics and absolute debutants at the World Cup finals.
According to the experienced coach, despite their deep defense, the team relied on young players to attack at the right moment. Undoubtedly, the Uzbekistan national team boasts a talented generation of players who have been closely linked since their youth tournament days.
True, a lack of defensive composure initially took its toll against a powerhouse like Colombia. The team also struggled in one-on-one battles against larger, stronger, and faster opponents.
Despite the defeat, the Uzbeks showed their teeth in the second half. A goal in the 60th minute reignited the tension and proved that Uzbekistan is capable of penetrating the defenses of experienced teams. Despite their defeat due to initial jitters, the Uzbeks earned applause for their courageous play. Colombia, meanwhile, won pragmatically, with pure class, confirming their status as the World Cup favorites.
While our team weaved together a fine combination of moves around the opponent's penalty area, the Colombians made the most of their rare chances. They mercilessly punished the debutants for the slightest positional errors in defense, tearing apart the flanks with their explosive speed.
The Uzbek players' strengths also include their undaunted opposition and their bold play, with high pressure and ball control. Colombia, on the other hand, deliberately surrendered the initiative, relying on well-practiced, rapid bursts from defense to attack.
Portugal's unexpected 1-1 draw with DR Congo and Uzbekistan's defeat to Colombia will force both coaches to change their initial plans. Fabio Cannavaro understands perfectly well that attempting to play open football against Portugal, as they partly did against Colombia, could end in a heavy defeat.
Before their second-round match in Group K, both teams, Uzbekistan and Portugal, find themselves in a situation where spectacle must give way to prudent tactical conservatism. It would be entirely justified if our players abandon their full-field pressing and adopt a more defensive formation than they did in the 5-4-1 game against Colombia. The aim of this approach is to deprive the Portuguese of space between the playing lines.
Considering the tactical errors, they made in the first round against the DR Congo, we can expect the Portuguese to methodically undermine our team's defense, using their advantages in experience, technique, and physical fitness.
But we'll find out how the game will actually unfold on Tuesday, June 23, at 10:00 PM Ashgabat time.
Part III. Spy Drones, Kitchen Knives, and Caribbean Records: Curiosities of the First Round
Overall, the first round brought many interesting and amusing moments. Among the highlights of the first round of the group stage, however, were the successful performances of stars like Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé for the Argentina and France national teams.
Messi, as expected, took the lead among the scorers, scoring three unanswered goals against Algeria. The score could have been 4-1, thanks to goals from Messi and Fares Chaibi, but the vigilant referee disallowed the goals for offside.
Nevertheless, with his hat-trick, Messi set a record of 16 goals scored at World Cups, sharing first place with Germany's Miroslav Klose. The US team also beat Paraguay by a landslide (4-1), while England defeated Croatia (4-2).
...Of course, England has always demonstrated consistently good football on the field, which has given their competitors no peace. For example, the national team's staff had to hire a squad of drones to protect closed training sessions from the eyes of the ubiquitous "football spies."
To make matters worse, a shooting occurred near the England team's base in Kansas. But what can you do—that's America, after all. And fortunately, there were no casualties. Amidst this series of unfortunate events, it went almost unnoticed that the England team's chef was unable to fly to the United States on time. All because he absolutely refused to check his cherished kitchen knives.
...Germany staked its claim to a high place in their very first match, thrashing the Curacao team with a hockey-like score. I'm sure not everyone can find this country on a map. And if anyone wants to visit, look for the island in the Caribbean Sea, part of the Lesser Antilles, in the Leeward Islands subgroup. (Better write it down, otherwise you won't remember it.)
A little over 150,000 Curacaoans live there, and they communicate in Papiamento. They support their compatriots so obsessively that they even managed to qualify for the World Cup.
Just over 150,000 Curacao residents live there, and they communicate with each other in Papiamento. They support their compatriots so obsessively that they even managed to qualify for the World Cup.
However, the unfortunate Curacao goalkeeper, with the resounding name of Eloy Rom, managed to set a record for the first round, and perhaps for the entire current championship, by saving the ball from his own net seven times. And this despite the fact that the goalkeeper saved his team several times in very difficult situations. His colleagues heroically responded with a single goal against their implacable opponents. The final score was 7-1 in favor of the German "football machine."
...But the biggest surprise of the first round (and potentially of the entire World Cup) was the little-known Cape Verde team, which achieved a goalless draw against the title-winning Spain, a team whose resume includes the 2010 World Cup and four-time European Championship. Because of this completely unexpected result, one football fan, who had placed an accumulator bet on a seemingly inevitable Spanish victory, lost one million dollars!
It's common to see weak teams, when facing top-tier professionals, resort to tactics that go beyond the pale due to a lack of technique and match experience.
One of the Cape Verdeans' undoubted strengths is their impeccable discipline on the field. This was demonstrated by just one foul in the game against the formidable Spain. And this is the best indicator of team discipline since such statistics began being kept at World Cups.
The surprises included the points lost in the first round by Brazil and the Netherlands, who drew with Morocco (1-1) and Japan (2-2).
As for the Japanese fans, they once again delighted the organizers and journalists by cleaning up all the trash in their designated stands.
And they didn't do this out of a surge of positive emotions following their favorites' successful performance – they had also cleaned up their section at previous championships. Such is the national character of the enigmatic inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun...
This is how the first round of the World Cup will be remembered. The coming days will tell what the second round will be like. For millions of Central Asian fans, this will be more than just a continuation of the football celebration, but a new opportunity to support the team representing our region for the first time at the world's premier football tournament.
Bekdurdy AMANSARYEV
Expert, Center for Strategic Studies, Institute of International Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan
