It was an unusually quiet weekend of football in Central Asia, with the Turkmen Yokary Liga moving their matchday 6 to midweek.
The Tajik Higher League faced its first weekend off due to the incoming COVID-19 pandemic.
While officially next weekend should be a little fuller, implications off the pitch suggest otherwise.
Tajikistan confirmed their first cases of the virus on Thursday. The statement wasn’t entirely unexpected, given rumours of a potential cover-up in the last few weeks, the temporary suspension of the Higher League last Sunday alluded to the situation which was unravelling.
Officially, Tajik football returns this coming weekend. But with great concern over the country’s capabilities to fight off the spread of such a disease given the lack of sufficient medical equipment and a rising death toll, football might just not be the best thing to reintroduce into a public sphere teetering on the edge.
It’s a conundrum stretching across much of the region, one heightened by the financial struggles of clubs and the noticeable economic boost having a league in play during a global lockdown can grant you.
Last week, Uzbekistan football chiefs rolled out their hopes of making the Super League championship entirely accessible to those at home, via new media outlets in neighbouring Russia, who’s TV schedule like others in Europe have been starved of top level sporting action for weeks.
The mechanisms are in place, but the race to return remains on hold until they receive the government’s green light. While Uzbek football plots a way out, we are yet to hear of a definitive route forward from Tajikistan. All this rather pales into insignificance however, as the most closed of all Central Asian nations, Turkmenistan, continues to plow on with business as usual.
Turkmen sport has moved forward almost oblivious to the considerable concern around them. Every level of every sport from youth to senior age ranges have been in full motion for weeks, all with significantly flourishing and noticeably social distance disregarding attendances on site. In a state that prides itself on health and fitness, the overwhelming message is to go about your daily life as normal.
Turkmenistan remains one of only a few nations without a confirmed COVID-19 case. With little forethought to curtail activities to prevent a potential spread, their future feels like a ticking time bomb ready to ignite.
As the world grows ever hungrier for football, even if it’s only rarely scheduled live, the anticipation of a topsy turvy Yokary Liga title race has come at the right point to satisfy the neutral’s glance.
Yokary Liga
What difference a week makes in the Turkmen title race. From a potentially season defining moment where Ahal took the lead over six time champions Altyn Asyr on Thursday night, potentially stretching the former’s lead at the top to 9 points, to the following Monday, where the latter returned to the top of the table with back to back emphatic victories against inner city rivals.
The ever changing world of Yokary Liga football continues to spread excitement and intrigue by the bucket load.
Altyn Asyr’s comeback over Ahal, instigated by the clear front runner for player of the season so far Altymurad Annadurdyev, promises to be a turning point to look back upon with curiosity of what could’ve been.
In a footballing landscape that has been all one way traffic for so long, the implementation of Champions League qualification for this year’s title winners looked to reaffirm Asgabat’s top club place as the dominant domestic power.
That was of course disregarded to a degree given the start Ahal have made to this season’s championship, picking up four wins from four, having not conceded a goal before they faced their arch nemesis last week. They’ve done so playing a brand of football that has pleased the neutrals; quick, direct and focused on creating an abundance of chances.
At the other end of the spectrum, Altyn Asyr have been criticized for their cautious start to the campaign, recording three draws in their first four. The Ahal victory however promises a shift in mentality, hitting four past Aşgabat on Monday to move back up to their usual spot at the top of the league.
It wasn’t for long however, as Ahal overcame Energetik on Tuesday 2-0 in Aşgabat to retain their three point cushion at the summit. The perennial runners up quickly extinguished any lingering concerns that Thursday’s defeat to Altyn Asyr would curtail their form.
Elsewhere, Kopetdag’s slip down the table continued with defeat in Türkmenbaşy to Sagadam. Turkmen’s historic capital club are falling into old habits; having lost both matches, without scoring a goal since leading the table at the break.
Sagadam on the other hand are slowly moving in an upward trajectory after a mixed start. As are Eastern based Merw who confined bottom club Nebitci to yet another defeat.
This week sees a moderately quick turnaround, with action returning to the Yokary Liga this Friday and Saturday with yet another interesting derby as Aşgabat host Ahal. Given the fast paced change in form of some clubs at present, Turkmen football will go way to satisfying an itch for the unique and unexpected for at least another week.
On May 6, it was announced that Tajikistan Higher League won’t resume until further notice due to the coronavirus spread.
