Farhod Nishanov: "I'm not afraid to quit, we lost because of bad luck"

As you know, the Uzbek U-20 national team recently returned from participating in the U-20 Asian Championship held in China.
Our representatives reached the quarterfinals in the competition and lost to South Korea (3:3, pens, 1:3) in the quarterfinals for a place in the World Cup, missing out on a place in the World Cup.

Today, a press conference was held in the UFA conference hall with the participation of the head coach of the national team Farkhod Nishonov, assistants Pavel Zakharov, Ruslan Matniyozov, Ayder Kurbayev, and Rauf Inileev. At it, the media received answers to questions of interest to them.

“Some people, journalists in quotes, are exaggerating our work with all sorts of words, making dubious statements, and slandering us. We have not done anything suspicious so far. We knew exactly what our goal was. We served our country.

The coach is responsible for the result. This is normal. We will not be discouraged. You saw the games, we were a little unlucky. Even the players who said they would score in the penalty shootout could not score. I think this is not due to pressure or mental state, but simply due to luck, - he said.

- Did our team hold more training sessions than necessary before the Asian Championship?
- We learned about the possibility of our participation in Korea or Japan after the draw. They also held 20 matches, like us. There are also unofficial ones.

The clubs are starting training sessions on January 15. The domestic championship ends in November, the Asian Championship starts in February. Would you take the guys to the continental championship on January 20? There is preparation for the competition, recovery, that's why we started training earlier.

If we had won in the penalty shootout, you would be asking us a different question now.

At the previous conference, they asked whether the players' physical condition had fallen into the red zone in the game with Saudi Arabia. This does not mean that the players' condition was bad. Moreover, the players who leaked this information from the inside were removed from the team. There was no problem with their physical condition.

The problem was the players' injuries. This bothers us a lot. Urinbaev, Khaydarov, Khairullaev, Rizaqulov, Fayzullaev, Ibragimov and Muratbaev were injured right before the games. Some came with old injuries from their clubs.

- Urinbaev did not have surgery because of important games?
- X-rays can show different results because they are young. When we were examined in Qatar at the strongest FIFA clinic, they said that no surgery was needed, that individual work was needed. Then we did that. He had a separate doctor work with him, and in the meantime he went to Turkey for treatment and joined the general team in our last games.

- What exactly did the journalists say or say that angered you?
- I can say with confidence that we did not introduce any corruption into the team. There was no pressure from above. The management supported us. During this period, the players' form varies. Some grow early, some grow late. We had players who could not show themselves. They did not have enough time, some were injured.

Some were dissatisfied with the team's training camps. How can young players grow if they do not play for the national team? The difference between the Super League and the Pro League and the youth league is huge. The Super League clubs are not to blame for not playing them. They also have their own tasks. In time, young players will also play for the main team.

If Argentina or France call you during FIFA, would you go and play? They are also inviting us because they see us as worthy opponents. They say that Korea and Japan have not played a single game. In fact, we have played with both the Koreans and the Japanese. They have also prepared for the competition. They are not gathering their team for the start of the Asian Cup, after all.

We need to understand the players correctly. International friendly matches are a great experience for our youth. We should not believe any rumors and block their paths. They are still young and will play for their clubs when the time comes. The youth national team will prepare them for their clubs.

- Did Laziz Mirzaev and Amirbek Saidov lose in the competition?
- They should have been in their clubs. But they did not come in the form we expected and simply lost in the competition.

- Did you form the coaching staff yourself?
- When I came to this team, there was the current staff. I came and worked with them. Everyone knows their job well and the main thing is that they are clean people in their work. That's why I stayed with this staff and I will believe in them until the end.

- This national team is preparing for the 2028 Olympics. Will you continue to manage the national team yourself?
- We could not fulfill the task assigned to us. Our goal was to become a champion and we could not even qualify for the World Cup. We are a coach and we understand everything correctly. If they fire us, we have another club and we will work there. Most likely, they will give us other coaches. The management will decide this. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”