Berdyev spoke for the first time about the option of transferring Russian football to Asia

Berdyev spoke for the first time about the option of transferring Russian football to Asia

Sochi head coach Kurban Berdyev is cautious about the initiative of the Russian Football Union (RFU) to move to the Asian Football Confederation. He urged to wait another year or two for the current generation of players to grow up.

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The Russian Football Union (RFU) should not rush to move to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Sochi head coach Kurban Berdyev told RBC Sport.

“There is no need to rush. It is worth waiting one or two years for the generation of football players to grow up, ”he said.

Due to sanctions from UEFA and FIFA, Russian clubs and teams cannot take part in international competitions. At the end of last year, the executive committee of the RFU created a working group that will deal with the issue of transition from UEFA to AFC. This group will study the issue of moving to Asia – all its pros and cons.

Berdyev is one of the few coaches who have successfully coached Russian and Asian football clubs throughout their career. He is the champion of Turkmenistan (1998/99) and – twice – Russia (2008, 2009). He also repeatedly won Cups and medals of national championships, both in the AFC zone and in the UEFA zone. Under Berdyev, Rubin Kazan twice took part in the Champions League group stage (2009/10, 2010/11), his team managed to reach the 1/4 finals of the Europa League (2014). In the 2009/10 season, Rubin defeated Barcelona in the group stage of the Champions League (2:1) on the road.

At the end of November last year, he returned to Russian football, heading Sochi. The contract with the 70-year-old coach was signed for 2.5 years. He replaced Vadim Garanin in the team, who was listed as the head coach, but de facto led the team. After 17 rounds, the vice-champions of the last RPL season are in ninth place in the standings with 25 points.