Sherzod Azamov: "If Uzbek clubs bring in players like Doriev, fans will return to the stadium"

In the next episode of the "90minutuz" podcast, former Uzbek football player Sherzod Azamov expressed his thoughts on Sogdiana striker Lupcho Doriev and the policy of Uzbek teams in selecting foreign players.

Azamov recalled a conversation he had with Pakhtakor striker Dragan Cheran, and revealed some interesting information:

"When I talked to Cheran, he told me that Sogdiana had signed contracts with very high-level foreign players. At that time, these players had not yet arrived in Uzbekistan. Dragan emphasized that they were high-quality and good players, but they were very expensive," said the former player.

According to Azamov, the salary of Macedonian striker Ljubco Doriev at Sogdiana was a huge amount for Uzbek football:

"As it turned out, when Doriev signed a contract with Sogdiana, he received a salary of 30 thousand dollars per month. This is a very large amount. At that time, Sogdiana also wanted to see Dragan Ceran in their ranks and offered him a similar amount," explained Sherzod Azamov.

The former player also highly appreciated the legionnaires selected by the Jizzakh team, but expressed his dissatisfaction with the excessive spending of some clubs in Uzbek football on weak legionnaires:

"If we consider Sogdiana as a step above the average club, they did a great job in selecting legionnaires. Such legionnaires are truly worthy players. Wouldn't it be better for Uzbek clubs to offer one high-level player like Doriev instead of bringing in five average-level foreign players? If so, the fans will definitely return to the stadium,” he stressed.

In this regard, Azamov also mentioned the work of Artur Gevorkian, using the example of the Nasaf club:

“For example, at one time Artur Gevorkian could not find his place in the Shurtan and Pakhtakor teams. But after he came to Nasaf, hundreds, even thousands of fans began to come to the stadium in Karshi just to watch him play. This is a vivid example of the importance of quality foreign players,” said Sherzod Azamov.

Indeed, the arrival of high-level foreign players will increase interest in Uzbek football and bring fans back to the stadiums. This may be the beginning of positive changes for the country's football. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!