Mirziyoyev meets U-17 team, calling them President’s source of pride 

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the newly established National football center in Yukori Chirchiq district, where he met with Uzbekistan’s U-17 national football team led by Islombek Ismoilov, the presidential press service reported. 

The U-17 national football team of Uzbekistan triumphed at the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia, securing a spot at the World Cup in April of this year. President Mirziyoyev met with the young players to express his support and encouragement.  

“We are striving to take a worthy place in the world in every sphere, and our athletes can achieve this faster. With your determined victory, you have once again proven that when our people work hard and persevere, they are capable of anything. With you, the entire world has seen that the new generation of Uzbekistan is resolute, proud, and never retreating from its aspirations. From now on, we will support football two or three times more than before. Young people like you are the trust of our nation and the source of joy for the President”, Shavkat Mirziyoyev said. 

Two years ago, during his visit here, the head of State emphasized the need to build a modern complex adjacent to the existing stadium. Shortly thereafter, on November 3, 2023, the President signed a decree “on measures to expand the network of football education institutions and to develop football infrastructure in line with international standards.

Commissioned on the eve of Independence Day, this center represents a highly important link to the country’s sports infrastructure. It can simultaneously host training camps for six of our national teams. To this end, stadiums, academic buildings, sports halls, and a hotel have been constructed. Additional facilities include a beach football field, a futsal arena, a swimming pool, and a rehabilitation unit. 

The complex includes four institutions dedicated to training professional football players and specialists, the Center for training and research of football specialists, the National teams’ training center, the Republican football academy, and the Sports medicine and rehabilitation center. The President familiarized himself with the facilities created within them. 

The Football medicine and rehabilitation unit has been equipped with foreign-made devices and has adopted the most advanced methods, allowing players to recover physically in a short time. At the Football academy, young talents are selected and trained. To organize this process at an international level, specialists from countries such as Argentina, Hungary, and Croatia have been invited. They are involved in training qualified coaches, referees, analysts, scouts, and football managers. The complex also houses a dedicated VAR Center. 

At the site, the head of State spoke with veteran athletes and young football players. He emphasized that football is the most popular sport in Uzbekistan and that its consistent development will continue. In recent years, the football system has undergone fundamental improvements, with greater attention given to children’s football, training clubs, academies, teams, and championships. 

The athletes expressed their gratitude to the President for these facilities and pledged to justify the trust of the people.  

Uzbekistan’s U-17 national team, which is continuing preparations for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, will begin training in Ferghana city on August 20. From September 1, the second stage of the training session will be held in Spain. Under the guidance of Islombek Ismoilov, the team will take part in an international tournament, facing fellow 2025 U-17 World Cup participants, England, Canada, and Morocco.