This was reported to the “Fergana” agency by an employee of one of the clubs, “Adyrna” reports.
According to the source, an agreement on organizing a friendly match for one of the Turkmen clubs at a foreign training camp in February was reached in December. However, in mid-January, the management of the Turkmen club announced that the authorities had banned all clubs from participating in training camps abroad. In this regard, the schedule of games was changed, and it was necessary to look for a new opponent.
It is known that games against the “Arkadag” and “Akhal” clubs were included in the training camps that foreign clubs held in Türkiye and the UAE. “Arkadag” was supposed to play in Türkiye with Kazakhstan’s “Kaisar” and Armenia’s “Urartu”, and “Akhal” was supposed to play in Türkiye against Uzbekistan’s “Surkhan” team. But all these matches did not take place.
According to the “Fergana” agency, a small fine is provided for unilaterally refusing to play games – in the amount of 3 to 5 thousand dollars. However, the Armenian, Kazakh and Uzbek clubs did not demand any compensation from the Turkmen side. One club reported that they “understood the situation and provided support.”
It should be noted that holding winter training camps in countries with a warm climate is a normal practice for football teams that are preparing for competitions and training in comfortable conditions. The Turkmenistan championship starts in March. Also in March, the “Arkadag” club, the champion of the country, will hold the first playoff matches of the League of Challenges tournament in its history.
