A refereeing team from Turkmenistan, consisting of FIFA referee Alibek Sapayev from Dashoguz and his assistants Babanazar Haknazarov from Ashgabat and Palvan Palvanov from Dashoguz, officiated a friendly match between two leading clubs from Russia and Kazakhstan - "Krasnodar" and "Astana".

According to the Football Federation of Turkmenistan, the game took place in the capital of the United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi, where 13 football referees and 2 FIFA instructors from our country are conducting a training camp as part of their preparation for the upcoming national championship starting on March 4.

During the camp, Turkmen referees, under the guidance of FIFA instructors Allabergen Sapayev and Maksat Seyitkuliev, are engaged in physical training, practice in the sports hall, study the theory and rules of the game, and also officiate in friendly matches.

The match between "Krasnodar" and "Astana" was the first such match, ending in a victory for the Kazakh club with a score of 4:2. The goals for the winners were scored by Marin Tomasov (7th minute), Usuman Kamara (23rd minute), Max Ebong (35th minute) and Ramazan Karimov (66th minute). Kadi (38th minute) and John Cordoba (47th minute) scored for Krasnodar.

"Astana" is a seven-time champion and the reigning silver medalist of the Kazakhstan championship. "Krasnodar", on the other hand, is leading the Russian Premier League table with 38 points after 18 rounds, 2 points ahead of second-placed "Zenit".

The training camp for Turkmen football referees in the UAE will continue until February 24.