Football in Tajikistan
Encyclopedia
Football is the most popular sport in Tajikistan
, a country that gained independence in 1991. The national association regularly takes part in competitions organised by FIFA
and the Asian Football Confederation
at senior and youth level. However, the country has not yet enjoyed any real success. While funds are limited, costs for travel and accommodation for international matches are prohibitively high. It is therefore extremely difficult for the national teams to gain experience, apart from in official competitions.
In 1937 the first championship of the Tajik SSR
(i.e. Tajik League
) was held, which composed of over 20 teams. Dynamo Stalinabad
became the first champion, while Spartak Stalinabad came second and Dinamo Kirovabad came third. In the same year, Dynamo Stalinabad
made her debut in the USSR Cup, where defeated Spartak Tashkent 2-1, however lost to Lokomotiv Baku
5-0. Dynamo Stalinabad squad that year was as follow: D. Mansurov, G. Rebrov, V. Kashirskii, V. Goldobin, S. Kostyukhin, R. Doltabaev, A. Koryukin, K. Pogorelov, AV Smolin, P. Babich, S. Hodak, H. Dontsov, M. Gazizov, A. Timofeev, B. Garritsky.
In 1938 saw establishment of the first Tajik Cup
, where Dynamo Stalinabad
defeated Spartak Leninabad 4-0 in the final. In 1947 Dynamo for the first time in the history of the Tajik Football was represented in the national championship. Dynamo played in the Central Asian zone group three times, along with Spartak Tashkent, ODL Tashkent, Lokomotiv Ashgabat, a team from Frunze
and a team from Alma-Ata
. As a result, the Dynamo has gained 25 points and was the winner of the tournament. In September, the winners of the six zonal tournaments left for Moscow to identify the club, which in 1948 will have to play in the first group of the USSR championship. Unfortunately, players of Tajikistan took only 5th place. That's who played in the first republic to the national championship: B. Boyko, G. Titov, N. Meshcheryakov, A. Sokolov, F. Rukavishnikov, K. Zakharov, M. Meekin, E. Kuzmin, V. Leichenko, K. Pogorelov, AP Babich, B. Fomichev, Yu Piskunyan, N. Emelianov.
The only football club from Tajik SSR
that played in USSR Top League was SKA-Pamir Dushanbe
, where played three consequetive seasons from 1989-1991.
Between 1979 and 1992, several Tajikistani footballers had been members of USSR national football team
and CIS national football team
:
and Tajik Cup
resumed in 1992. In 1994, Tajikistan National Football Federation was reestablished.
Tajikistan national football team
success came in 1993, when it came third in ECO Cup
, also performed well in the 1998 Asian Games
where reached the second round. However, the greatest performance was champions of 2006 AFC Challenge Cup. Performance in subsequent appearances in Challenge Cup were also satisfactory, runner-up of 2008 AFC Challenge Cup
and third place 2010 AFC Challenge Cup
.
At youth level, Tajikistan national under-17 football team
won bronze at AFC U-17 Championship 2006
and the following year reached round-of-16 at 2007 FIFA U-17 World Championship.
Since its foundation in 2005, Tajik football teams have won or at least reached the final in AFC President's Cup
apart from 2007.
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, a country that gained independence in 1991. The national association regularly takes part in competitions organised by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
and the Asian Football Confederation
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
at senior and youth level. However, the country has not yet enjoyed any real success. While funds are limited, costs for travel and accommodation for international matches are prohibitively high. It is therefore extremely difficult for the national teams to gain experience, apart from in official competitions.
Soviet Period
Football in Tajikistan started to develop in the 20's. Tajikistan National Football Federation was established in 1936.In 1937 the first championship of the Tajik SSR
Tajik SSR
The Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Tajik SSR for short, was one of the 15 republics that made up the Soviet Union. Located in Central Asia, the Tajik SSR was created on 5 December 1929 as a national entity for the Tajik people within the Soviet Union...
(i.e. Tajik League
Tajik League
Tajik League is the top division of the Tajikistan Football Federation, it was created in 1992.-Tajik League Clubs - 2011:*CSKA Pomir Dushanbe*Energetik Dushanbe*FK Khujand*Guardia Dushanbe*Istiqlol Dushanbe*Khayr Vahdat FK*Parvoz Bobojon Ghafurov...
) was held, which composed of over 20 teams. Dynamo Stalinabad
Dynamo Dushanbe
Dynamo Dushanbe is football club based in Dushanbe in Tajikistan. The currently play in the top division of the country.-Achievements:*Tajik League: 1*SSR Tajikistan League: 7*SSR Tajikistan Cup: 12-Performance in AFC competitions:...
became the first champion, while Spartak Stalinabad came second and Dinamo Kirovabad came third. In the same year, Dynamo Stalinabad
Dynamo Dushanbe
Dynamo Dushanbe is football club based in Dushanbe in Tajikistan. The currently play in the top division of the country.-Achievements:*Tajik League: 1*SSR Tajikistan League: 7*SSR Tajikistan Cup: 12-Performance in AFC competitions:...
made her debut in the USSR Cup, where defeated Spartak Tashkent 2-1, however lost to Lokomotiv Baku
Lokomotiv Baku
Lokomotiv Baku is an Azerbaijani women's volleyball club.-Team 2009-2010:As of December 2009...
5-0. Dynamo Stalinabad squad that year was as follow: D. Mansurov, G. Rebrov, V. Kashirskii, V. Goldobin, S. Kostyukhin, R. Doltabaev, A. Koryukin, K. Pogorelov, AV Smolin, P. Babich, S. Hodak, H. Dontsov, M. Gazizov, A. Timofeev, B. Garritsky.
In 1938 saw establishment of the first Tajik Cup
Tajik Cup
The Tajik Cup is the top knockout tournament of the Tajik football.-Soviet time:*1938 Dinamo Stalinabad*1939 Dinamo Stalinabad*1940 Dinamo Stalinabad*1941 Dinamo Stalinabad*1942 Kharkovskoe Voennoe Avia Uchilische*1943-45 no tournament...
, where Dynamo Stalinabad
Dynamo Dushanbe
Dynamo Dushanbe is football club based in Dushanbe in Tajikistan. The currently play in the top division of the country.-Achievements:*Tajik League: 1*SSR Tajikistan League: 7*SSR Tajikistan Cup: 12-Performance in AFC competitions:...
defeated Spartak Leninabad 4-0 in the final. In 1947 Dynamo for the first time in the history of the Tajik Football was represented in the national championship. Dynamo played in the Central Asian zone group three times, along with Spartak Tashkent, ODL Tashkent, Lokomotiv Ashgabat, a team from Frunze
Bishkek
Bishkek , formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and the largest city of Kyrgyzstan.Bishkek is also the administrative centre of Chuy Province which surrounds the city, even though the city itself is not part of the province but rather a province-level unit of Kyrgyzstan.The name is thought to...
and a team from Alma-Ata
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
. As a result, the Dynamo has gained 25 points and was the winner of the tournament. In September, the winners of the six zonal tournaments left for Moscow to identify the club, which in 1948 will have to play in the first group of the USSR championship. Unfortunately, players of Tajikistan took only 5th place. That's who played in the first republic to the national championship: B. Boyko, G. Titov, N. Meshcheryakov, A. Sokolov, F. Rukavishnikov, K. Zakharov, M. Meekin, E. Kuzmin, V. Leichenko, K. Pogorelov, AP Babich, B. Fomichev, Yu Piskunyan, N. Emelianov.
The only football club from Tajik SSR
Tajik SSR
The Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Tajik SSR for short, was one of the 15 republics that made up the Soviet Union. Located in Central Asia, the Tajik SSR was created on 5 December 1929 as a national entity for the Tajik people within the Soviet Union...
that played in USSR Top League was SKA-Pamir Dushanbe
SKA-Pamir Dushanbe
CSKA Pomir Dushanbe is a football club from Tajikistan and currently play in the top division. Its origins are in the Tajik Army, like its rivals CSKA Dushanbe....
, where played three consequetive seasons from 1989-1991.
Between 1979 and 1992, several Tajikistani footballers had been members of USSR national football team
USSR national football team
The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union...
and CIS national football team
CIS national football team
The CIS national football team represented the Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional confederation formed by 12 of the 15 newly formed sovereign states that emerged out of the break-up of the Soviet Union between 1990 and early 1992...
:
| Name | Position | Team | Caps(Goals) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edgar Gess Edgar Gess Edgar Yakovlevich Gess is a retired Soviet football player. -International career:Gess played his only game for USSR on 5 September 1979 in a friendly against East Germany.-References:... |
Midfield Midfield Midfield is the part of a sports pitch that lies approximately in the center. It is a term most commonly associated with football to refer to the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region, but it can be used in field hockey to describe the same area, or in... |
 USSRUSSR national football team The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union... |
1(0) | 1979 |
| Oleg Shirinbekov Oleg Shirinbekov Oleg Khakimbekovich Shirinbekov is a Tajikistani football coach and a former Soviet and Tajikistani player.-European club competitions:With FC Torpedo Moscow.* European Cup Winners' Cup 1986–87: 2 games, 1 goal.... |
Defender Defender Defender usually refers to a position in association football .Defender or The Defender may also refer to:-Film and television:* The Defender or The Bodyguard from Beijing, a film starring Jet Li... |
USSR USSR national football team The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union... |
3(0) | 1988 |
| Oleksiy Cherednyk Oleksiy Cherednyk Oleksiy Valentynovich Cherednyk is a retired Soviet and Ukrainian football player and a current scout.-Honours:* Olympic champion: 1988.... |
Midfield Midfield Midfield is the part of a sports pitch that lies approximately in the center. It is a term most commonly associated with football to refer to the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region, but it can be used in field hockey to describe the same area, or in... |
USSR USSR national football team The Soviet Union National Football Team was the national football team of the Soviet Union. It ceased to exist after the break up of the Union... |
2(0) | 1989 |
| Sergey Mandreko | Midfield Midfield Midfield is the part of a sports pitch that lies approximately in the center. It is a term most commonly associated with football to refer to the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region, but it can be used in field hockey to describe the same area, or in... |
 CISCIS national football team The CIS national football team represented the Commonwealth of Independent States, a regional confederation formed by 12 of the 15 newly formed sovereign states that emerged out of the break-up of the Soviet Union between 1990 and early 1992... |
4(0) | 1992 |
Since Independence
Following the civil war, Tajik LeagueTajik League
Tajik League is the top division of the Tajikistan Football Federation, it was created in 1992.-Tajik League Clubs - 2011:*CSKA Pomir Dushanbe*Energetik Dushanbe*FK Khujand*Guardia Dushanbe*Istiqlol Dushanbe*Khayr Vahdat FK*Parvoz Bobojon Ghafurov...
and Tajik Cup
Tajik Cup
The Tajik Cup is the top knockout tournament of the Tajik football.-Soviet time:*1938 Dinamo Stalinabad*1939 Dinamo Stalinabad*1940 Dinamo Stalinabad*1941 Dinamo Stalinabad*1942 Kharkovskoe Voennoe Avia Uchilische*1943-45 no tournament...
resumed in 1992. In 1994, Tajikistan National Football Federation was reestablished.
Tajikistan national football team
Tajikistan national football team
The Tajikistan national football team represents Tajikistan in association football and is controlled by the Tajikistan National Football Federation, the governing body for football in Tajikistan. Tajikistan's home ground is Pamir Stadium in Dushanbe....
success came in 1993, when it came third in ECO Cup
ECO Cup
The ECO Cup is a football competition for members of Economic Cooperation Organisation. Previously it was known as RCD Cup, RCD abbreviates Regional Corporation for Development and was an economic cooperation between Iran, Pakistan and Turkey from 1964 to 1979. A new organisation, ECO, was set up...
, also performed well in the 1998 Asian Games
1998 Asian Games
The 13th Asian Games were held from December 6 to December 20, 1998 in Bangkok, Thailand. This was the first time that Thailand bid for the event after it shouldered the two postponed hosting rights in 1970 and 1978.-Emblem:...
where reached the second round. However, the greatest performance was champions of 2006 AFC Challenge Cup. Performance in subsequent appearances in Challenge Cup were also satisfactory, runner-up of 2008 AFC Challenge Cup
2008 AFC Challenge Cup
The 2008 AFC Challenge Cup football tournament was hosted by India and played from July 30 to August 13, 2008. India won the final against Tajikistan...
and third place 2010 AFC Challenge Cup
2010 AFC Challenge Cup
The 2010 AFC Challenge Cup was the third edition of the tournament which was held from 16–27 February 2010 in Sri Lanka. India, the defending champions, fielded their under-23 team for this tournament in preparation for the 2010 Asian Games later that year...
.
At youth level, Tajikistan national under-17 football team
Tajikistan national under-17 football team
The Tajikistan national under-17 football team, is controlled by Tajikistan National Football Federation and represents Tajikistan in international under-17 football competitions.-FIFA U-17 World Cup record:...
won bronze at AFC U-17 Championship 2006
AFC U-17 Championship 2006
The 2006 AFC U-17 Championship was the 12th AFC U-17 Championship football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation , which was held between September 3 and September 16, 2006 in Singapore...
and the following year reached round-of-16 at 2007 FIFA U-17 World Championship.
Since its foundation in 2005, Tajik football teams have won or at least reached the final in AFC President's Cup
AFC President's Cup
The AFC President's Cup is an annual international association football competition between domestic clubs sides run by the Asian Football Confederation .-Competition format:...
apart from 2007.