Sensational project in Uzbekistan: FC Barcelona expected to open its academy

Unexpected and exciting news for Uzbek football fans and young talents! One of the world's most famous and grand clubs — Catalonia's FC Barcelona in Uzbekistan may open its official football academy.

Recently, very important online negotiations were held with club representatives via the Zoom platform, led by Minister of Sports Adham Ikramov.

The negotiations were also attended by the legend of Uzbek football, Ravshan Irmatov, First Vice-President of the Uzbekistan Football Association. On behalf of the Catalan club, Cesar Martinez, a member of the FC Barcelona executive team, and Albert Mundet, General Director of Barca Innovation Hub (the club's scientific and innovation platform), participated.

What will this project bring to our country?

The main topic of the meeting in Uzbekistan was the possibility of establishing an official international football academy «Barca Academy». Through this project, the following innovations are expected to enter Uzbek football:

• La Masia Methodology: Training will be conducted based on the famous La Masia system, which produced stars like Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, and Lamine Yamal.

• Modern Football Philosophy: Modern tactical and methodological approaches will be introduced to youth football.

• Coaching Skills: International-level Catalan specialists will be involved to improve the qualifications of local coaches.

• Talent Scouting: A systematic selection process for the strongest young players will be established.

How is it with neighbors? The first official Barca Academy in Central Asia began operations in 2023 in the city of Jalal-Abad, Kyrgyz Republic. Currently, they are working hard on opening a second academy in Bishkek. Now, this experience in Uzbekistan is also planned to be implemented.

At the end of the meeting, the parties agreed to jointly study the possibilities of launching the project in our country and to outline future cooperation steps.