Manchester City’s owners set sights on Uzbekistan: New club and player in focus

Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, Umarov said that CFG is actively exploring opportunities in Uzbekistan, following the growing interest in Manchester City after Abdukodir Khusanov, an Uzbek player, joined the club.

“Uzbekistan has a population of 37–38 million people, and because of our footballer, fans from other Central Asian countries are now regularly following Manchester City,” Umarov stated.

He added that City Football Group not only intends to bring in another Uzbek player, but also wants to add an Uzbek club to its global network.

“Currently, CFG owns 12 football clubs. God willing, they plan to acquire a 13th club – from Uzbekistan,” he said.

According to Umarov, a delegation from Uzbekistan is expected to visit England in August to study Manchester City’s training processes, scouting systems, and player development programs.

“We’ve outlined a number of plans. There is still a lot of work ahead in this direction,” Umarov emphasized.

State of football in Uzbekistan

As of January 2025, only 3 out of the 16 clubs in Uzbekistan’s Super League – Dynamo, Pakhtakor, and Surkhon – have private sponsors (Agromir, Akfa, and Eriell, respectively). The remaining clubs are funded by state-owned enterprises, including Uzbekneftgaz, and various regional governments.

The privatization of state-owned football clubs was outlined in a presidential decree dated March 24, 2023. In line with this, Tashkent’s Pakhtakor club was put up for sale in January 2024 along with a 24.1-hectare land plot. However, public backlash against selling the land led to a halt in the privatization process.