Aktobe head coach Štefan Tarkovič has compared the development conditions for football in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in an interview with Erbol Kairov for the Futbol Zholy YouTube channel.
The Slovak coach previously worked with the Kyrgyzstan national team. Under him, Kyrgyzstan secured their first-ever direct qualification for the AFC Asian Cup and reached the third round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying.
“We achieved a historic success. And what was even more important, I saw that the players played with passion, with great desire, and they were improving. This is very, very important when a team wants to develop, improve the quality of its game and move to a new level. That was what pleased me the most,” Tarkovič said.
Asked whether Kyrgyzstan are ready to compete for a World Cup spot, Tarkovič said the country needs stronger infrastructure and better academies.
“It is always about the level of competition. With Asia now having more World Cup spots, you need to understand who exactly you have to beat to qualify. You have to be better than teams like Uzbekistan, Oman, or, as was the case last time, Saudi Arabia or Iran. You need to reach that level and prove it on the pitch, because without that it is impossible to qualify for the World Cup.
“Yes, it is a good dream. But first you need strong infrastructure and a very good level of academies. You need to develop top players from an early age and then hope that this development takes them to the highest level. Only then, of course, can you compete with such national teams on equal terms,” he said.
At the same time, Tarkovič believes Kazakhstan have an advantage over Kyrgyzstan because they compete within the European football system.
“You are in Europe, in the UEFA structure, and you can compete with the best national teams in the world. I think this is an advantage compared to Kyrgyzstan, because playing against strong opponents takes you to a higher level. From this point of view, I believe Kazakhstan have better conditions for progress,” Tarkovič said.
The Slovak specialist also noted that Kyrgyz players are capable of playing in the Kazakhstan Premier League.
“Absolutely. If I remember correctly, Odiljon Abdurakhmonov played in Kazakhstan during my time. I also know that many Kyrgyz players have played here.
“So, of course, it is possible, because Kyrgyzstan has players of a good level. It depends on their individual qualities and on getting the right opportunity to move to the Kazakhstan Premier League. But they definitely exist,” Tarkovič said.
The Aktobe head coach also touched on the debate over Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan as football leaders in Central Asia. In that context, he again recalled his time with Kyrgyzstan.
“I think Uzbekistan today have a very strong structure, a very good league and excellent players. When I coached Kyrgyzstan, we played against them. Srečko Katanec was their coach at the time. I think they deserve it.
“They have reached a level where they are able to qualify through Asia. I am happy for them, because they are showing their level not only with the senior national team, but also at the AFC Asian Cup and at U17 and U20 level. They are producing a lot of quality players,” Tarkovič added.
