Recently, a head of the Uzbekistan Football Federation Mirabror Usmanov has informed that the Uzbek football should have at least 20 high class legionnaires, foreign football players. In the press-conference given the other day, the head of UFF discussed the problems of the Uzbek football and the ways to improve them. Mirabror Usmanov thinks that the Uzbek football needs a foreign experience to improve.

However, there is a question of finances. The Uzbek football teams are not rich and cannot afford high class foreign football players. So far, the majority of the foreign football players in the Uzbek football come from CIS countries, where football is not that developed. Though, Gazeta.uz reports [ru] that all expenses in purchasing legionnaires will be covered by the Uzbek government.

Many football teams of the country cannot afford foreign football players. However, the Uzbek government is ready to cover all costs in buying the legionnaires. According to Usmanov, this decision is approved by Islam Karimov himself.

Moreover, according to Gazeta.uz, the national team of Uzbekistan will be trained by a foreign coach. There were rumors that a famous Uzbek football player, current trainer of Bunyodkor (former Kuruvchi), Mirjalol Kosimov was going to train the national team. I guess the Uzbek football is learning from the Russian experience with Guus Hiddink, a Dutch football coach, under whose supervision, the Russian national team made its way to semi-finals in Euro ’08.

Recently, Bunyodkor made a one-year contract with Brazilian Rivaldo. Rivaldo will be paid EUR 5 million. Bunyodkor also tried to purchase Samuel Eto’o from Barcelona for EUR 40 million. However, Eto’o refused, but visited Uzbekistan and met with officials of Uzbekistan and fans of football.

It is good that the Uzbek government wants to improve the Uzbek footbal. However, when a great part of population suffers of poverty and other socio-economic problems, one can ask a reasonable question – is it a right way of investing the tax payers’ money, at least now?