Is the CFG network about to further expand with the acquisition of a club in Uzbekistan?
Football heritage, the country's economic transformation, and strengthening political ties with the United Arab Emirates are likely to be behind the decision
In recent days, Otabek Umarov - First Vice President of Uzbekistan’s National Olympic Committee - has said that City Football Group (which is under UAE ownership) is actively exploring opportunities in Uzbekistan, which may lead to it taking ownership of a club in the Central Asian country.
Umarov haș been reported as saying, “God willing, they plan to acquire a club – from Uzbekistan”, and that during August an Uzbek delegation will visit England to study Manchester City’s training processes, scouting systems, and player development programs.
Following Manchester City’s signing of Uzbek international Abdukodir Khusanov earlier this year, many people will be unsurprised by rumours about further CFG involvement in Uzbekistan.
For keen observers of football in the country, there will also be little surprise as the country has long produced a flow of talented football players, Odil Ahmedov being one such example.
For a business dependent on talent acquisition, the appeal to CFG of closer relations with Uzbekistan is therefore obvious, though there are economic justifications too.
After years of post-communist isolation, over the last five years the country has been engaged in a massive programme of economic and financial transformation.
The emphasis has been upon the privatisation of state entities, as well as on improving the efficiency, profitability and governance of non-state entities.
As part of the programme, Uzbekistan is seeking inward investment from other countries and has also set up the National Investment Fund of the Republic of Uzbekistan (something similar to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund).
Observers have labelled the country ‘Central Asia’s rising star’, following dramatic recent improvements in economic performance.
There’s money to be made in Uzbekistan (a country of 37 million people), where annual economic growth now exceeds 6%.
Such numbers presumably caught the attention of the UAE, which earlier this year signed a declaration of strategic partnership with Uzbekistan.
The primary objectives of this agreement are to increase bilateral trade tenfold and expand the investment portfolio involving both countries to US$50 billion by 2030.
In 2024 alone, the volume of investments from the UAE into Uzbekistan reached US$1.3 billion.
Among the sectors that are being targeted for investment is culture, which one assumes includes football.
Indeed, Otabek Umarov claims that CFG are keen to sign another Uzbek player, which would be consistent with this.
The development of CFG’s franchise network has always been fascinating, driven by a combination of talent need and business logic.
However, as have seen previously, there is often a geopolitical dimension to things, a template into which Uzbekistan apparently fits.