Conflict arises over 'Barcelona' academy in Kyrgyzstan

A conflict has erupted in Kyrgyzstan over the only “Barcelona” academy in Central Asia, which was completed in 2023 in the city of Jalalabad, and another branch of the academy under construction in the country’s capital, Bishkek. News has emerged that the children of the country’s wealthy and officials will study at the newly built branch of the Catalan club’s academy in the neighboring republic. The Kyrgyz publication “Kloop” was the main cause of the conflict in this regard. The head of state Sadir Japarov also reacted to this situation. We will discuss this further.

The First “Barcelona” Academy in Central Asia

In the summer of 2023, the first “Barcelona” academy in Central Asia was inaugurated in Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan. The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the country, Sadir Japarov, and the club’s head, Joan Laporta. On August 30, a friendly match was organized between the Barcelona club and the legends of Central Asian football.

All responsibility for the construction and opening of this academy fell on the chairman of the Football Union of Kyrgyzstan and the National Security Committee, Kamchibek Tashiyev, and his family members. This construction work was carried out by Tashiyev and his relatives.

The Barcelona Academy in Bishkek is also being built by the relatives and friends of Kamchibek Tashiyev. It is also planned to construct residential areas for the elite of this academy. The Property Management Department of the Presidential Administration allocated a total of 17 hectares of land for construction. The Barcelona Academy in Bishkek is being built by the Zhal Group Asia company and is scheduled for completion in 2027.

The Site That Started the Conflict

Another 11 companies in Bishkek are participating in the Barcelona Academy project. Kloop and Temirov Live investigated these companies and found that most of them are connected to Tashiyev’s relatives and associates. Among them are Tashiyev’s nephews, Tolqinbek Kanibekov, Siymik Tinibekov, his son-in-law Nurlan Shaydillayev, and Sadir Japarov’s son-in-law Rakatbek Asanboyev. The head of Zhal Group Asia, Oybek Aliboyev, did not hide the fact that the Tashiyev family is building both Barcelona academies in Kyrgyzstan and that this idea is being promoted by the head of the State Committee for National Security himself. In addition to Tashiyev’s close associates, people associated with the highest-ranking officials of Kyrgyzstan are also involved in the construction of the academy.

These individuals include:

The founder of Muras Global Asia LLC, Ulanbek Juraev, is the son of former Jokargi Kenesh deputy Murod Juraev. In 2021, former supporters of President Japarov, Juraev Jr. and Melis Aspekov, were arrested by the State Committee for National Security on charges of extorting $250,000. Juraev was released under house arrest two months later and was fined 260,000 soms.

Timur Ibrohimov, the founder of Stroy Partner i Ko LLC, was a co-founder of the Russian company Vega Radio Engineering Concern. His brother Ramazon Ibrohimov is the head of a department at the Prosecutor General's Office. Ulanbek Juraev is reported on social media to be a relative of the Ibrohimovs.

Qalibek Akmatov, the founder of Softprom LLC, headed the Customs Digitization Department. His father Bolotbek Akmatov is a judge of the Supreme Court.

According to Kloop, the Cabinet of Ministers exempted friends and relatives of the Deputy Chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers from taxes, representing a clear conflict of interest.

In addition to the “Barcelona” academy, the Zhal Group Asia company is building the “Barcelona” multifunctional residential complex. It will be built on a 17-hectare area south of the capital, at the foot of the mountain. The center of the complex will be a football academy, with about 1,600 luxury apartments, a kindergarten, a school, a hotel, a business center, and other buildings built around it. The subcontractor of the residential complex, the “Hai Tien” company, is a branch of the Chinese construction company “Hai Tien Group” in Kyrgyzstan. “Hai Tien” is also listed among the companies exempted from VAT and sales tax for the construction of the academy.

In addition to tax exemption, the Zhal Group Asia company will also receive another benefit related to the lease of land for the new residential complex and academy from the Presidential Property Management Department. It is unclear how much the land lease will cost Barcelona and what agreements Zhal Group Asia has with the Presidential Property Management Department. There is no information in public documents that the company has paid any rent. Independent appraisers from Business Expert calculated that the cost of land in this area is $378 per square meter, estimating the cost of 17 hectares at $64.3 million.

How Much Does It Cost to Study at the Barcelona Academy?

According to Oybek Aliboyev, president of Zhal Group Asia, the construction of the residential complex will be fully completed in August 2027. He noted that the Barcelona residential complex will have 180,000 square meters of residential and commercial real estate, and the cost of buildings in the complex will start at $2,000 per square meter, meaning that the total income of the developer will not be less than $360 million.

Currently, studying in Jalalabad with housing costs $19,500 per year, and without housing, it costs $12-15,000. This means that people with an average monthly salary of about $450 in Bishkek will not be able to enter the Barcelona complex. Only wealthy people will be able to educate their children and buy apartments here.

How Did Sadir Japarov React to This Situation?

Commenting on the rumors surrounding the Barcelona football academy in the country, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadir Japarov said that the children of officials and wealthy people do not play in the country's national team.

“Sport does not understand nepotism. Especially if you are not talented in football, even if you are the son of a king, you will not be accepted into the team. If you are strong, even if you are the son of a peasant from the provinces, they will gladly accept you. Look at the current composition of the Kyrgyz national team. There is not a single son of a rich man or an official there. On the contrary, the guys playing are ordinary people. For example, the late Jonibek Alikulov - his son plays as a striker in our team. He was not an official, but an ordinary artist, a comedian,” said Japarov.

Japarov also answered the question of whether relatives of the President and the Chairman of the State Committee for National Security are involved in the construction of 1,600 apartments in the country.

“Whoever participates in the construction is fine. This is a large-scale project, along with the construction of housing, a football academy, kindergartens, educational institutions, two stadiums, and other infrastructure facilities are being built. Including residential buildings. The income from the sale of housing will be directed to the construction of the social facilities I listed, as well as to the payment for the franchise. This project will pay for itself only in 20-30 years. If those from 'Kloop' want to participate in the construction, let them come. Let them build 3-4 blocks, let them build, but I'm not sure they can even lay a single brick. Over the past 30 years, people have understood everything about such critics. The dog barks - the caravan passes,” said Japarov.

The presence of such academies in a country, be it Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, will undoubtedly increase the interest of the population, especially the younger generation, in football. However, a country that aims to develop football and have local players play in the strongest leagues and clubs in the world should focus on strengthening the domestic championship rather than increasing the number of expensive academies. This way, scouts will observe the players of the local championship and invite them to their championship, which will cost much less than building several academies worth $360 million.