Is Cannavaro leaving Uzbekistan? He spoke about his future and his contract until 2027

The desire to manage the Italian national team, rumors about offers from South America, and his future in Uzbekistan. Fabio Cannavaro answered questions that caught the attention of journalists ahead of the match against Russia. One of his statements is particularly noteworthy: right now, his entire focus and attention are on the Uzbekistan national team.

Speculation surrounding the future of Uzbekistan national team head coach Fabio Cannavaro continues. After the Italian expert's thoughts on his desire to manage his home country's national team became widespread, questions arose about how long his tenure in Uzbekistan would last.

During a press conference held ahead of the friendly match against Russia, Cannavaro clarified these topics. He stated that his relationship with the Uzbekistan Football Association is good and that his current contract is scheduled until the autumn of 2027.

The dream of managing the Italian national team: What did Cannavaro say?

Journalists asked the expert to comment on his previous remarks regarding his desire to become the head coach of the Italian national team. Cannavaro did not hide that such a dream is natural for him. After all, he is a player with a great history in Italian football.

"I played for that team for 20 years. Every Italian wants to be the head coach of the Italian national team. It is not my fault that my interviews were widely circulated.

I am a professional, and right now, when I wake up every day, I think about giving all my strength to the Uzbekistan national team. As for the reports about me managing one of the South American national teams, they are just rumors," said Cannavaro.

In this response, the expert emphasized two aspects: the desire to manage the Italian national team is his personal dream, but his current professional duty is to work with the Uzbekistan national team.

When does Cannavaro's contract with Uzbekistan end?

One of the most important points of the press conference was this very issue. The Italian expert emphasized that his relationship with the Uzbekistan Football Association is good and announced that his current contract is valid until the autumn of 2027.

"Our relations with the Uzbekistan Football Association are excellent. My contract is intended until the autumn of 2027. However, considering that the Asian Cup has been postponed, we will discuss this issue with the management. There is no problem with that. I am only thinking about Uzbekistan," said the head coach.

Therefore, for now, there is no official decision or statement confirming his intention to leave Uzbekistan. The expert stated that his contract is in effect and that he is focused on continuing his work. Changes in the Asian Cup calendar may be a reason to re-discuss the contract issue.

Why does Cannavaro want to play against strong opponents?

During the press conference, the Italian expert urged journalists to focus more on the upcoming match, the opponent, and tactics rather than non-football topics.

In his opinion, it is very important for the development of the Uzbekistan national team to play regularly against strong opponents. In such matches, identifying the team's strengths and weaknesses is more important than winning.

"I always tell the management that we need to play against strong opponents. The result is not important in such matches. The most important thing is to learn our shortcomings.

The match against South Korea showed us what the intensity in the team should be and that it is possible to achieve a result by scoring two goals out of three chances. The upcoming matches will be the same kind of experience for us," said Cannavaro.

As can be seen from these thoughts, the head coach does not want to evaluate the match against Russia solely from the perspective of the result. For him, such games are an opportunity to test the team's readiness for international-level competition.

Why were Masharipov, Urunov, and Sergeyev not called up to the national team?

At the press conference, the fact that Jasur Masharipov, Oston Urunov, Igor Sergeyev, and Yusupov were not involved in the national team training camp was also discussed.

Cannavaro openly stated that there is no conflict between him and these players. Thus, he emphasized that there is no basis to link their absence from the current training camp to personal disagreements.

From January to September: the national team's next plans

Cannavaro also provided information about the national team's future preparation plans. According to him, a separate training camp without legionnaires is planned for January. It is important not to interfere with the training and competition processes of the players at their clubs.

Also, national team training camps will be held as usual in March, June, and September within the framework of FIFA dates.

These plans mean that the national team will continue to prepare regularly in the next stage, and work on evaluating different squads and player capabilities will continue.

Uzbekistan — Russia: when does the game start?

As a reminder, the friendly match between the national teams of Uzbekistan and Russia will take place on November 12 at the Pakhtakor Stadium in Tashkent.

The match will start at 20:00 Tashkent time.

For Cannavaro, this match is not only a test against a strong opponent but also an opportunity to evaluate the current state of the national team. Fans are eagerly waiting to see how the Uzbekistan national team will perform against Russia.

One thing is certain for now: despite various speculations about his future, Cannavaro emphasized in his statement his loyalty to the Uzbekistan national team and that his main focus is on this team.