During a meeting with youth on the Day of Youth marked on June 30, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev spoke about the Uzbekistan national football team’s historic run at the FIFA World Cup.
"As one nation, with one heart and soul, our entire country followed our national team's matches across stadiums in the United States and Mexico with immense pride and emotion. It is fair to say that through matches against Portugal—ranked 5th in the FIFA world rankings—Colombia, ranked 13th, and a Congolese side featuring numerous players from top European clubs, our football players gained invaluable experience and truly breathed in the atmosphere of the World Cup. Abbosbek Fayzullaev and Eldor Shomurodov scored their first-ever World Cup goals, bringing immense joy to our people. Diverse opinions are currently being shared regarding our national team's performance at the World Cup," the President remarked.
"However, turning against our national team players with excessive emotion or searching for someone to blame when they fought for the honor of our motherland is not who we are as a people. On the contrary, supporting them today and boosting their morale is more important than ever," the President said.
He emphasized that greater victories still lie ahead, and to achieve this, even better conditions will be created and investments will be increased to develop the sport. First and foremost, the focus on youth football will be intensified to transform the sport into a truly nationwide movement.
Preparations will begin immediately for the AFC Asian Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia next January.
"We believe in our team, and our entire nation will stand behind them in this tournament as well!" the President declared.
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