A large-scale press conference entitled «Arkadag» Football team – the pride and future of Turkmen football» was held in Ashgabat. Robert Frantsev, head of the Central Asian Bureau of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (ASTRBC), shared his perspective on the phenomenon of young club with a «GA» correspondent during the media forum.
According to the expert, FC «Arkadag» has long since outgrown its status as a sports initiative, becoming a national-scale image project. Frantsev praised the Turkmen football club as a significant social and public project and admitted that the journalist team will be rooting for «Arkadag» in the upcoming match against «Al Nassr» from Saudi Arabia.
«This is an effective achievement for Turkmenistan in terms of image and recognition of the country. Considering the world football «stars» «Arkadag» will be playing against tomorrow, a huge number of people will simply discover Turkmenistan in a new way. This is also a major event not only of a sporting nature. Speaking about the sporting aspect, we see how quickly the club has achieved historic results; such success also speaks to the level of its preparation», − the Russian journalist said.
Robert Frantsev noted that from the very first match, it was clear that this was not just a team being created, but a flagship project. Its goal is to set the pace for development not only in football but in Turkmen sports as a whole. Frantsev called the athletic results of «Arkadag», achieved in such a short time, historic. However, this «sprint» is the result of long and systematic work by the leadership of country.
«It is also important to mention the development of amateur sports. It is impossible to develop professional sports without building on mass, truly popular sports. We have seen how, for many years, National Leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and President Serdar Berdimuhamedov have set an example for young people with their personal approach to sports», − shared a media forum participant.
In this context, the interlocutor of editorial staff focused on the experience of the 2017 Asian Games, whose facilities in Ashgabat are being actively integrated into the training system for new generations of athletes.
«My first encounter with Turkmen sports was with the major sporting event, the 2017 Asian Games. And the main question that always remains after such international tournaments is why this enormous infrastructure is being built, and what will happen to it afterward? Of course, when the competitions themselves are taking place, everything is overloaded. But we see that nine years have already passed. «And all this modern infrastructure is being actively utilised», − R. Frantsev emphasised.
Finally, his Russian colleague placed special emphasis on international support. According to him, the upcoming games of FC «Arkadag» are perceived as an important event not only for Turkmenistan, but for all of Central Asia.
«Only victory! Only forward! We are rooting for «Arkadag»! And, I'd like to point out, we've spoken with colleagues from various countries here, and everyone is rooting for «Arkadag». This is a key match for all Central Asian countries. Everyone is supporting the Turkmen team», − Robert Frantsev concluded.
