A day that left an eternal mark in the history of Uzbek football, awakening deep pain and longing in hearts, is August 11, 1979. This date is inscribed in the memory of the national football community in black letters.
At those moments, an unimaginable grief occurred for all the sports fans of the country. At 13:35:38 Tashkent time, the TU-134 aircraft operating the Tashkent–Guryev–Donetsk–Minsk route collided in mid-air with another liner of the same type operating the Chelyabinsk–Chisinau flight. This disaster occurred at an altitude of about 8,400 meters above the ground, and all 178 passengers and crew members on both aircraft died. Among them were 17 members of the main squad and coaching staff of the “Pakhtakor” club, which at that time was raising the honor of Uzbek football to high levels.
The first report of the tragedy was delivered by the crew of an AN-2 aircraft that was in the air. They transmitted via radio: “In the Kurilovka area, we see aircraft parts falling from the sky. Possibly, these are fragments of a TU-134.”
This dreadful event left a great void not only on the football fields but in the entire sports life of the country. “Pakhtakor” was showing confident and strong play in that season, competing for top places in the league table. Many experts noted that the team was capable of participating in European Cup competitions in the coming years.
Among the dead were all the team members, coaches, the doctor, and administrators:
- Idgay Borisovich Tazetdinov (13.01.1933) – Coach
- Vladimir Vasilevich Chumakov (08.12.1932) – Doctor
- Mansur Inomjonovich Tolibjonov (04.04.1944) – Administrator
- Mikhail Ivanovich An (19.11.1952) – Midfielder
- Vladimir Ivanovich Fyodorov (05.01.1956) – Forward
- Olim Masolievich Ashirov (25.01.1955) – Defender
- Ravil Rustamovich Agishev (14.03.1959) – Defender
- Konstantin Aleksandrovich Bakanov (25.05.1954) – Midfielder
- Yuriy Timofeyevich Zagumennikh (07.06.1947) – Defender
- Aleksandr Ivanovich Korchyonov (04.05.1949) – Midfielder
- Nikolay Borisovich Kulikov (25.04.1953) – Defender
- Vladimir Vasilevich Makarov (09.03.1947) – Midfielder
- Sergey Konstantinovich Pokatilov (20.12.1950) – Goalkeeper
- Viktor Nikolayevich Churkin (25.01.1952) – Forward
- Sirojiddin Ahmadovich Bozorov (10.08.1961) – Forward
- Shuhrat Mosinovich Eshbotayev (08.02.1959) – Forward
- Vladimir Valievich Sobirov (14.01.1958) – Forward
Today, even though more than thirty-five years have passed, this day has not been erased from the memory of football fans, the team, and those who knew them personally. That “Pakhtakor” lineup has remained in history not only as professional mastery but also as a symbol of courage and unity, serving as an example for the youth.
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