Marked for Doniyor Ismailov
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom20 Dec 2027
Pressure builds in the Obod boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Match20 Dec 2027
Obod are in real trouble now
Position 16, 11 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad20 Dec 2027
A fracture rules Amir Shomurodov out for 47 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Obod will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Market20 Dec 2027
Umid Hasanov hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Obod can pretend not to have heard.
Squad20 Dec 2027
A falling-out at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout20 Dec 2027
Umid Hasanov faces a manager he fell out with
They have worked together before and it did not end well. Nobody at Obod expects the new manager to have forgotten, least of all Umid Hasanov.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad13 Dec 2027
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 54 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Squad13 Dec 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Otabek Nematov commits to Obod for another 3 years.
Squad13 Dec 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obod this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom6 Dec 2027
The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Abdulla Komilov has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.
Squad6 Dec 2027
61 days out for Amir Shomurodov after a fracture
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Obod will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Boardroom6 Dec 2027
The Obod board call everybody in
Nothing has been announced and everybody understands what it means. A board that summons the whole football department on a Tuesday morning is a board that has stopped believing the problem will fix itself.
Market6 Dec 2027
The shirt still fits. Humoyun Abdualimov is back at Obod, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Form comes and goes; this has not gone. Amir Ismailov is 20, and the version of him training now would not have got into the side he was in a year ago.
Squad6 Dec 2027
Tempers go at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout6 Dec 2027
Umid Hasanov faces a manager he fell out with
They have worked together before and it did not end well. Nobody at Obod expects the new manager to have forgotten, least of all Umid Hasanov.
Squad6 Dec 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Bobur Masharipov and Obod agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The dugout6 Dec 2027
Every squad has men who were signed by a particular manager and men who were merely inherited. Ibrohim G'anixonov is in the first group, and the man who wanted him here is no longer in the building.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces29 Nov 2027
Anger at Obod spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Squad29 Nov 2027
A fracture rules Bobur Hasanov out for 71 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Obod will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Words exchanged at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout29 Nov 2027
Umid Hasanov faces a manager he fell out with
They have worked together before and it did not end well. Nobody at Obod expects the new manager to have forgotten, least of all Umid Hasanov.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Words at Obod training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Ilhomjon Kenjayev is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Obod are still strangers to each other
6 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces1 Nov 2027
The mood at Obod has turned into something else
Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Bobur Hasanov breaks a bone — 99 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 99 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Obod may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Words exchanged at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout1 Nov 2027
Umid Hasanov faces a manager he fell out with
They have worked together before and it did not end well. Nobody at Obod expects the new manager to have forgotten, least of all Umid Hasanov.
Squad1 Nov 2027
Too much change too quickly at Obod
6 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom25 Oct 2027
The scrutiny sharpens at Obod
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Obod is running low.
Match25 Oct 2027
Obod are in real trouble now
Position 16, 11 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad25 Oct 2027
Bobur Hasanov breaks a bone — 106 days out
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 106 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Market25 Oct 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Obod, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad25 Oct 2027
A falling-out at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad25 Oct 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Aziz Mirzaev commits to Obod for another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match16 Oct 2027
10 matches without a win for Obod
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Obod are no longer polite ones.
Squad18 Oct 2027
18 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Obod lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad18 Oct 2027
A fracture rules Bobur Hasanov out for 113 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Obod will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Match18 Oct 2027
The season ends: position 16 for Obod
The last league game has been played and the table has stopped moving: 11 points. The summer begins on Monday, and so does the argument about what it all meant.
The dugout18 Oct 2027
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Obod may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad18 Oct 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obod this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout18 Oct 2027
Umid Hasanov faces a manager he fell out with
They have worked together before and it did not end well. Nobody at Obod expects the new manager to have forgotten, least of all Umid Hasanov.
Match16 Oct 2027
The goals have deserted Obod
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Obod can tell you which week it ends in.
The dugout18 Oct 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad11 Oct 2027
Farhod Ganiev damages knee ligaments — 25 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 25 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad11 Oct 2027
A fracture rules Bobur Hasanov out for 120 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Obod will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Tempers go at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Footballers are asked about their boyhood club so often that nobody listens to the answer. Hasanboy Tojiboyev has just signed for Obod, and for once the answer mattered.
The dugout11 Oct 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Azizbek Odilov, and the manager let it.
Looking ahead11 Oct 2027
Bukhara next, and one man in the Obod dressing room knows their training ground better than his own. The reception will tell him what they thought of him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom27 Sep 2027
Pressure builds in the Obod boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Match27 Sep 2027
Obod are in real trouble now
Position 16, 11 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad27 Sep 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Farhod Ganiev
39 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Obod lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad27 Sep 2027
A fracture rules Bobur Hasanov out for 134 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Obod will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Match25 Sep 2027
8 matches without a win for Obod
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Obod are no longer polite ones.
Market27 Sep 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Obod, and it is not being withdrawn.
Player ratings27 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 21. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
The terraces27 Sep 2027
At 23 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Squad27 Sep 2027
Ilhomjon Kenjayev falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad13 Sep 2027
53 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Obod lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad13 Sep 2027
A fracture rules Bobur Hasanov out for 148 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Obod will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Match11 Sep 2027
No end in sight to Obod's wait for a win
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Obod has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad13 Sep 2027
Tempers go at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Transfer targets13 Sep 2027
A deal that was a phone call from completion at lunchtime was dead by midnight. Obod will try again when the window opens; AGMK may not be selling by then.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
Successful dribbles: 19. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings13 Sep 2027
Aziz Mirzaev did the work nobody counts — 6.75
10 combined actions and 6.75. The job he did is the one that shows up as other people looking good, and the only reliable way to notice it is to watch what happens on the afternoons he is missing.
Looking ahead13 Sep 2027
Obod face Kokand 1912 in the game that matters most
Two sides from the bottom of the table, three points, and an afternoon that will be described afterwards as a relegation decider by whoever loses it.
The dugout13 Sep 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jahongir Abdumo'minov, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces6 Sep 2027
Supporters organise against the Obod board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Squad6 Sep 2027
Farhod Ganiev damages knee ligaments — 60 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 60 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Squad6 Sep 2027
A fracture rules Bobur Hasanov out for 155 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Obod will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
Abdulla Komilov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Obod can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market6 Sep 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
Obod close the window on a squad of their own making
11 in and 15 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
Transfer targets6 Sep 2027
Everything agreed with Pakhtakor, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad6 Sep 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Obod are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Market6 Sep 2027
The shirt still fits. Umid Hasanov is back at Obod, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad30 Aug 2027
67 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Obod lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Match30 Aug 2027
Obod are in real trouble now
Position 16, 8 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Boardroom30 Aug 2027
Pressure builds in the Obod boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Market30 Aug 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Obod can pretend not to have heard.
Match28 Aug 2027
The wait goes on for Obod
5 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Transfer targets30 Aug 2027
Everything agreed with Pakhtakor, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Dušan Puletić wants one last season at home
Every long career reaches the week the last one is thought about. He would like it to be where he started, and Obod know now that the thought has arrived.
Squad30 Aug 2027
A falling-out at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match28 Aug 2027
A bad afternoon for Obod against AGMK
1‑3 to AGMK, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad23 Aug 2027
Farhod Ganiev damages knee ligaments — 74 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 74 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Match21 Aug 2027
Nowhere to hide for Obod
0‑3 against Bunyodkor, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
The dugout23 Aug 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market23 Aug 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Obod, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match21 Aug 2027
The wait goes on for Obod
4 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Match21 Aug 2027
The goals have deserted Obod
4 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Obod can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad23 Aug 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obod this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets23 Aug 2027
Obod asked and Nasaf said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The dugout23 Aug 2027
This is not rotation. Timur Nematov has not been in the manager's plans for some time, and nobody at Obod is pretending otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match17 Jul 2027
24 matches without a win for Obod
The run now stands at 24, and the questions being asked around Obod are no longer polite ones.
Transfer targets19 Jul 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Nasaf have kept their man, and Obod go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Tempers go at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Match17 Jul 2027
The goals have deserted Obod
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Obod can tell you which week it ends in.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
Marked 7.32 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Obod had the best player on the pitch.
The dugout19 Jul 2027
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Asilbek Tojiddinov falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Player ratings19 Jul 2027
Successful dribbles: 13. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
The dugout19 Jul 2027
Umid Mirzaev gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 Jul 2027
The wait goes on for Obod
23 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
The terraces12 Jul 2027
Anger at Obod spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Market12 Jul 2027
Obod say no — this time
The offer from Navbahor for Shohruh Shomurodov was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market12 Jul 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Obod, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets12 Jul 2027
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Nasaf keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Words exchanged at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Transfer targets12 Jul 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Navbahor have kept their man, and Obod go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Match10 Jul 2027
A bad afternoon for Obod against Shortan
0‑2 to Shortan, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout12 Jul 2027
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match12 Jun 2027
19 matches without a win for Obod
The run now stands at 19, and the questions being asked around Obod are no longer polite ones.
The terraces14 Jun 2027
Anger at Obod spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Farhod Akhmedov damages knee ligaments — 15 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 15 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Market14 Jun 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Transfer targets14 Jun 2027
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Nasaf is saying, and nobody at Obod is enjoying the guessing.
Squad14 Jun 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Doniyor Ismailov commits to Obod for another 3 years.
Transfer targets14 Jun 2027
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Match12 Jun 2027
Obod come up short against Andijon
Andijon left with the points after a 0‑1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Time is catching up with Mirzo Ganiev
Everybody at Obod saw it before anybody said it, which is how this always goes. At 33 the decline is real and measurable — 3 points — and the only question left is how the club handles somebody it owes a great deal to.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match29 May 2027
The wait goes on for Obod
17 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Player ratings31 May 2027
Successful dribbles: 24. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad31 May 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obod this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The terraces31 May 2027
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 18-year-old it feels ownership of. Farhod Akhmedov has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Player ratings31 May 2027
Defensive actions: 16. He was first to everything and second to nothing, and the goalkeeper had an easy day because of it.
Player ratings31 May 2027
Marked 7.29 on an afternoon he ran from the first whistle to the last. Whatever else went wrong, Obod had the best player on the pitch.
The dugout31 May 2027
“A point is a point and I will take it, but we should have had all three.” Abdulla Komilov after the 0‑0 draw, and the sentence every manager in the country said at some stage this weekend.
The dugout31 May 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad31 May 2027
Farhod Akhmedov is the weekend's best young player
At 18 he is being measured against the rest of the division's kids and coming out in front. The senior version of this award is where the club would like this to lead.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match22 May 2027
The wait goes on for Obod
16 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Market24 May 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match22 May 2027
Beaten 1‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad24 May 2027
Tempers go at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout24 May 2027
The manager makes an example of Rustam Ganiev
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout24 May 2027
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 1‑2 defeat, delivered by Abdulla Komilov to a room that had heard them before.
The dugout24 May 2027
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
Squad24 May 2027
Words at Obod training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Asilbek Tojiddinov is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Looking ahead24 May 2027
Kokand 1912 next, and one man in the Obod dressing room knows their training ground better than his own. The reception will tell him what they thought of him.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match15 May 2027
No end in sight to Obod's wait for a win
15 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Obod has to find a result from somewhere.
The terraces17 May 2027
The mood at Obod has turned into something else
Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.
Market17 May 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Obod can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout17 May 2027
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Obod have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match15 May 2027
The goals have deserted Obod
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Obod can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad17 May 2027
Words exchanged at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Match15 May 2027
AGMK take the points off Obod
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout17 May 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Abdulla Suyunov, and the manager let it.
The dugout17 May 2027
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Abdulla Komilov after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match10 Apr 2027
10 matches without a win for Obod
The run now stands at 10, and the questions being asked around Obod are no longer polite ones.
Market12 Apr 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Obod can pretend not to have heard.
Match10 Apr 2027
The goals have deserted Obod
4 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Obod can tell you which week it ends in.
Squad12 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obod this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match10 Apr 2027
Beaten 0‑2, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑2, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
The dugout12 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Azizbek Odilov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad12 Apr 2027
A booking nobody needed, on a night the game was already won. Obod lose a player for the most avoidable reason there is.
Market12 Apr 2027
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Mirzo Ganiev has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Obod.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match3 Apr 2027
The wait goes on for Obod
9 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Match31 Mar 2027
The small margins put Obod out
Out, 0‑3 to Pakhtakor, and the long argument about which of the small moments decided it. The league is all there is now, and everybody knows it.
The terraces5 Apr 2027
A cup embarrassment at Pakhtakor follows Obod home
0-3. Going out of a cup is one afternoon; going out like that is a week of phone-ins, and the manager will hear every one of them.
Squad5 Apr 2027
A falling-out at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match3 Apr 2027
The goals have deserted Obod
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Obod can tell you which week it ends in.
Match3 Apr 2027
Obod come up short against Mashal
Mashal left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout5 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Doniyor Ismailov, and the manager let it.
Squad5 Apr 2027
The medical room confirms 19 days on the sidelines for Felipe Rocha, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Boardroom5 Apr 2027
Doors closed at Obod
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad29 Mar 2027
Amir Ismailov is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad29 Mar 2027
Words exchanged at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout29 Mar 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ibrohim G'anixonov, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Mar 2027
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Obod know it.
Squad1 Mar 2027
At 19 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Words exchanged at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout1 Mar 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Looking ahead1 Mar 2027
He used to wear the other shirt. On Saturday he plays against Navbahor in this one, and whatever he says this week about it being just another game will be untrue.
The dugout1 Mar 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Obod, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
The terraces22 Feb 2027
Supporters organise against the Obod board
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
Match22 Feb 2027
Obod are in real trouble now
Position 16, 3 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Tempers go at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Filip Jović
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad22 Feb 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Azizbek Odilov and Obod agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad22 Feb 2027
A new face in his position, and Jahongir Abdumo'minov suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Obod have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
Market22 Feb 2027
Obod have made Umid Hasanov available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Market22 Feb 2027
Obod shop where it costs nothing
Azizbek Odilov signs, and the fee column stays empty. Deals like this look small in July and clever by March — or they are never mentioned again.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Jaloliddin Akhmedov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Boardroom8 Feb 2027
Abdulla Komilov has until the next board meeting
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Obod can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Market8 Feb 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Obod can pretend not to have heard.
Squad8 Feb 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Jasur Abdullaev commits to Obod for another 3 years.
Transfer targets8 Feb 2027
Obod asked and Nasaf said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A falling-out at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Market8 Feb 2027
Signings arrive with a picture of the club in their head, and this one’s picture was bigger than the building. He will play well and he will be gone, in that order, and everybody knows it.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
Every squad has men who were signed by a particular manager and men who were merely inherited. Jahongir Abdumo'minov is in the first group, and the man who wanted him here is no longer in the building.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
Jasur Abdullaev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A new face in his position and a shirt he thought he owned suddenly up for discussion. Obod have promised nothing, which is what clubs promise at this stage.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market11 Jan 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Obod can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets11 Jan 2027
Obod asked and Nasaf said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad11 Jan 2027
A falling-out at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Transfer targets11 Jan 2027
Obod have made the call to Navbahor. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Transfer targets11 Jan 2027
A loan enquiry to Pakhtakor: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Market11 Jan 2027
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Mirzo Masharipov has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Obod.
Squad11 Jan 2027
The system has changed and his position has not. A footballer can improve his form; he cannot improve the manager’s formation, and that is the whole of the problem.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jaloliddin Akhmedov, and the manager let it.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Obod, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market4 Jan 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Obod can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom4 Jan 2027
Pressure builds in the Obod boardroom
The directors have stopped offering the manager public warmth. In football that is usually the stage before the short statement.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Farhod Akhmedov is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 18 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
Everything agreed with Mashal, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Obod are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Dušan Puletić wants to finish where he started
Every long career reaches the week the player starts thinking about the last one. He would like it to be at the club that first put him on a pitch, and Obod now know that too.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Words exchanged at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Transfer targets4 Jan 2027
Obod have made the call to Mashal. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad23 Nov 2026
The words a physio says slowly. 22 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Market23 Nov 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Squad23 Nov 2026
71 days, the medical staff say, and medical staff are optimists by profession. The team sheet will look wrong without him.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad23 Nov 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obod this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Jaloliddin Akhmedov, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad16 Nov 2026
The words a physio says slowly. 29 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Boardroom16 Nov 2026
Nothing happens for months and then he simply arrives, at no cost, having signed a pre-contract while still turning out for somebody else. It is the least dramatic way to sign a footballer and frequently the shrewdest.
Squad16 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad5 Oct 2026
The words a physio says slowly. 72 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
The terraces5 Oct 2026
Anger at Obod spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Match5 Oct 2026
Every point is an argument now for Obod
Position 16 and 3 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Dušan Puletić and Obod agree another 1 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Amir Ismailov is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 19 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Match3 Oct 2026
3 matches without a goal for Obod
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 3 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Tempers go at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match3 Oct 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
In brief
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The dugout
The view from the dugout
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Market
Experience through the door at Obod
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The dugout
No place in the plan for Sherzod Ismailov
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad28 Sep 2026
79 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Obod lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad28 Sep 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obod this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Match26 Sep 2026
Qizilqum left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑2 Abdulla Komilov left the room before anybody could ask which.
Market28 Sep 2026
No place for Umid Hasanov in the plan
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Umid Hasanov has his answer from Obod; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 12. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Looking ahead28 Sep 2026
Every squad has one of these fixtures for somebody every season. This one is Abubakir Ashurov’s: the club that knew him first, the supporters who will decide in the first minute whether to applaud, and Obod needing him to play as if none of it matters.
Squad28 Sep 2026
At 27 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Obod have a decision that made itself.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad7 Sep 2026
100 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Obod lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market7 Sep 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Obod, and it is not being withdrawn.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
The deal with Nasaf died in the treatment room. Nobody will say what was found and everybody in the game will find out by Friday.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Window shuts: 3 in, 1 out at Obod
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 3 arrived, 1 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
Squad7 Sep 2026
At 19 he is doing things this season that he could not do last season, and doing them every week. Form comes and goes; this has stayed long enough to be called something else.
Squad7 Sep 2026
The medical room confirms 17 days on the sidelines for Doniyor Ismailov, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Market7 Sep 2026
The name of Jasur Abdullaev has come up in conversations Obod were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Transfer targets7 Sep 2026
Obod ran out of time with Mashal. The paperwork was open when the deadline passed, and a transfer that was almost done is now a transfer that never happened.
Squad7 Sep 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Arseniy Blokhin and Obod agree another 3 years.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad17 Aug 2026
121 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Obod lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Match12 Aug 2026
Obod out of the cup
Pakhtakor ended it 0‑3. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
The terraces17 Aug 2026
A cup embarrassment at Pakhtakor follows Obod home
0-3. Going out of a cup is one afternoon; going out like that is a week of phone-ins, and the manager will hear every one of them.
Match15 Aug 2026
4 matches without a win for Obod
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Obod are no longer polite ones.
Match15 Aug 2026
4 matches without a goal for Obod
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 4 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Obod
Doniyor Ismailov and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Match15 Aug 2026
A bad afternoon for Obod against Neftchi
0‑1 to Neftchi, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Farhod Akhmedov, and the manager let it.
Boardroom17 Aug 2026
Nobody left the Obod dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Market10 Aug 2026
Obod say no — this time
The offer from Metallurg for Doniyor Ismailov was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Market10 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Mashal is saying, and nobody at Obod is enjoying the guessing.
Squad10 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Rustam Ganiev and Obod agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Transfer targets10 Aug 2026
Obod have gone to Navbahor with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Squad10 Aug 2026
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Obod this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Player ratings10 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
The dugout10 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Rustam Ganiev
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match8 Aug 2026
A bad afternoon for Obod against Sogdiana
0‑1 to Sogdiana, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match1 Aug 2026
Chastening afternoon for Obod
A 0‑3 beating by Nasaf was the sort of result that empties a stadium long before the final whistle.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 8 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Squad3 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Obod
Jahongir Abdumo'minov was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Mirzo Masharipov commits to Obod for another 2 years.
The dugout3 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom3 Aug 2026
Nobody left the Obod dressing room in a hurry
The door stayed shut a long time after the final whistle. What was said in there is between them; whether it worked is between them and Saturday.
The dugout3 Aug 2026
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑3 Abdulla Komilov left the room before anybody could ask which.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
A loan enquiry to Mashal: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Transfer targets3 Aug 2026
Andijon have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.