UEFA - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 9

Sports

Real Madrid to Play Kairat in Almaty in UEFA Champions League

Almaty’s Kairat will face European giants, including 15-time champions Real Madrid, in the UEFA Champions League group stage, marking a historic milestone for the Kazakh club. Kairat has never before reached this phase of the competition. Earlier this summer, the club became only the second team from Kazakhstan, after Astana, to qualify for the group stage by overcoming four rounds of qualifiers. Prior to the August 28 draw, head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin expressed a wish to be grouped with Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Liverpool. The draw delivered on one of those wishes: Kairat will now face Real Madrid, the most decorated club in European football history. Also in their group are Inter Milan, three-time Champions League winners, and Arsenal, a top English club with 13 domestic league titles but still seeking their first Champions League crown. Kairat's group stage schedule includes away matches against Sporting Lisbon and Copenhagen, while they will host Belgium’s Club Brugge, Greece’s Olympiacos, and Cyprus’s Pafos in Almaty. The group stage will be played between late September 2025 and the end of January 2026. “We are delighted to be playing Real Madrid. It's not often that such a club comes to Kazakhstan,” said Urazbakhtin. He acknowledged the disparity in skill levels but emphasized the importance of home support and maximizing their advantage in Almaty. A total of 36 clubs are competing in this season’s group stage. Each team plays eight matches, four home and four away, against different opponents. The top eight teams overall will advance directly to the playoffs, while clubs ranked 9th to 24th will enter a playoff round in February 2026 to fight for the remaining spots in the round of 16. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kairat earned their Champions League berth after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Celtic, with reserve goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov playing a decisive role in the victory.

Sports

Backup Goalkeeper Anarbekov Secures Champions League Berth for Kairat Almaty

Temirlan Anarbekov, the reserve goalkeeper for Kazakhstani football club Kairat Almaty, played a starring role as his team reached the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time. On August 26 Kairat secured its place in Europe’s premier club competition this season by beating Scottish champions Celtic in the final qualifying round. Kairat entered the Champions League qualifiers after claiming their fourth domestic title last year. This summer, the Kazakh champions successfully navigated three qualifying rounds, defeating Slovenia’s Olimpija, Finland’s KuPS, and Slovakia’s Slovan Bratislava, to reach a decisive playoff against Celtic. The Scottish club, a regular participant in recent Champions League group stages, posed a formidable challenge. Kairat, by contrast, had previously reached the autumn phase of European competition just once, in the lesser UEFA Conference League three years ago. In the first leg in Glasgow last week, Kairat held Celtic to a 0-0 draw. However, the result came at a cost: first-choice goalkeeper and national team regular Alexander Zarutsky sustained a leg muscle injury and had to be substituted. Temirlan Anarbekov, the team’s backup, stepped in. With Zarutsky still sidelined, Anarbekov started the return leg in Almaty. He delivered a flawless performance, keeping a clean sheet through regular time and two 15-minute periods of extra time. The match was ultimately decided by a penalty shootout. Anarbekov stole the spotlight by saving three out of five attempts. Kairat won the shootout 3-2. The team became only the second from Kazakhstan to reach the Champions League group stage, following Astana’s breakthrough in 2015. Kairat will discover its group-stage opponents during the Champions League draw on August 28. They are Kazakhstan’s sole representative in European competition this season, after Aktobe failed to qualify for both the Europa League and Conference League, and Shymkent’s Ordabasy and Astana exited in earlier rounds. Meanwhile, in neighboring Uzbekistan, the national football federation continues its search for a new head coach. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, former South Korea and Portugal manager Paulo Bento is the frontrunner for the role.

Football

UAE Player Fails to Attend World Cup Qualifiers Due to Fake Uzbekistan Passport

On October 15 , Uzbekistan's national football team will compete against the UAE in the 3rd round of the 4th round of the World Cup Qualifiers. According to a report issued by the Uzbekistan Football Federation, Fabio de Lima, a Brazilian player in the UAE, will not be joining his team in Uzbekistan for personal reasons. It transpires that although Fabio de Lima received citizenship in Uzbekistan in 2013 and was registered as an Asian legionnaire in the UAE Championship, his documents were fake. Uzbek football specialist Alisher Nikibayev however, claims there is no legal reason preventing the player from entering Uzbekistan: “They are asking if Fabio can come to Uzbekistan. I don’t see any legal obstacle to it; it is unlikely that a criminal case was opened against him. In addition, it is necessary to check the statute of limitations for such violations. Don’t forget that Fabio, as a citizen of Uzbekistan, has never seen his ‘passport’ and, of course, has never used it anywhere. This fake document was only needed to enter the Emirates Championship. Why is he not coming? He fears the case is still open and doesn’t want to take any chances. As for his UAE passport, everything is legal in the Emirates."