Uzbekistan Signs Fabio Cannavaro as Coach Ahead of World Cup

Cannavaro replaces Timur Kapadze, an Uzbekistani former pro football player

Fabio CANNAVARO has signed a contract with the Uzbekistan Football Association to coach the national team, which qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time in the country’s 34 years of independence.

“The Italian coach will prepare our team for the World Cup to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico,” the association said after the contract was signed on Monday at Uzbekistan’s National Football Center. It said Cannavaro had the experience and skills to deliver success for Uzbekistan, describing him as “a three-time World Cup participant, 2006 World Cup winner, one of the best defenders of the recent past, and a renowned expert.”

“We have seen that a defensive playing style brings results,” Ravshan IRMATOV, the association’s first vice president, said at a news conference. “We believe that with his international experience, professional culture, and tactical strictness, he will bring new spirit and a new system to our national team.”

At the news conference, Cannavaro said he was thankful for the trust shown in him and outlined some plans to help Uzbekistan’s national team get comfortable with the pace and demands of the World Cup level.

“The intensity of the Super League needs to be increased; we will discuss this with the management. The more we move at a high tempo during the game, the better the results will start to be. Players’ recovery is also very important. We would also ask the coaches at clubs to send daily, weekly, or monthly performance data of the players so that we can know whether their results are improving or not,” Cannavaro said.

“I had offers from 7-8 places. First of all, the fact that the team qualified for the World Cup and the seriousness of the project here encouraged me to accept the offer. Is it difficult to play at the World Cup? Yes, very difficult, but we will try,” he said.

Cannavaro replaces Timur KAPADZE, an Uzbekistani former pro football player who led the national team to its first-ever qualification for the World Cup with a 0-0 draw against the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi in June. Cannavaro said he had discussed the team with his predecessor, noting that having “local specialists” on the staff will help him learn about the players’ mentality and the culture of Uzbekistan.

To that end, Kapadze will remain for now as an assistant coach.

The Uzbekistan Football Association said the coaching staff that will help Cannavaro includes assistant coach Eugenio ALBARELLA, who has worked with Japan’s national team as well as Juventus, Udinese, and Dinamo Zagreb; fitness coach Francesco TROISE, who has collaborated with Benevento, Udinese, and Dinamo Zagreb; and goalkeepers coach Antonio KIMIENTI, who has experience with Italy’s national youth team, and the Sampdoria and SPAL clubs.

By the Times Of Central Asia.

Image: Davide Marchiol.

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