From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad22 Feb 2027
28 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Mashal lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market22 Feb 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.
Market22 Feb 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Mashal is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad22 Feb 2027
A falling-out at Mashal
Humoyun Murtozaev and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Muhammadali Aliqulov 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.
Market22 Feb 2027
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Anvar Murodov has his answer from Mashal; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Anvar Murodov, and the manager let it.
Market22 Feb 2027
The name of Izzatullo Abdulhaqov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Mashal say nothing, which says plenty.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Mashal. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad15 Feb 2027
35 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Mashal lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad15 Feb 2027
Words exchanged at Mashal
Humoyun Murtozaev 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 dugout15 Feb 2027
Islom Sharipov has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Mashal will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad8 Feb 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Shaxboz Jurayev
42 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Mashal lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market8 Feb 2027
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Mashal people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Market8 Feb 2027
The fee was agreed and the flight was looked at — and then the phone stopped ringing. Qizilqum moved on, Asadbek Samariddinov reports back to Mashal, and everybody pretends Monday is just Monday.
Squad8 Feb 2027
Sardor Abduraimov 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.
Squad8 Feb 2027
A falling-out at Mashal
Islom Sharipov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Humoyun Murtozaev, and the manager let it.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Vlatko Stojanovski is on it.
The dugout8 Feb 2027
Anvar Murodov knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mashal, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market8 Feb 2027
The window shut and Anvar Murodov is still in the building
Mashal spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Feb 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Shaxboz Jurayev
49 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Mashal lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Market1 Feb 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Boardroom1 Feb 2027
Mashal close the window on a squad of their own making
2 in and 1 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.
Squad1 Feb 2027
A falling-out at Mashal
Muhammadali Aliqulov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Words at Mashal training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sardor Abduraimov 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.
Market1 Feb 2027
Add another name to the list: Qizilqum have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Asadbek Samariddinov. The answer from Mashal has not changed — yet.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
“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 dugout1 Feb 2027
“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.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Mashal will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad25 Jan 2027
Shaxboz Jurayev damages knee ligaments — 56 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 56 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.
Market25 Jan 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad25 Jan 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 Mashal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market25 Jan 2027
The name of Islom Rashidxonov has come up in conversations Mashal were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad25 Jan 2027
The most common injury in the game and the most rushed back from. Mashal will quote 14 days and will be careful with it, because the second one is always worse than the first.
The dugout25 Jan 2027
“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
Uneasy
Squad18 Jan 2027
63 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Mashal lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market18 Jan 2027
“I know what people will say. I know what I want, and it is here.” Metallurg had the fee agreed and the shirt ready; they did not have the player, and now they will not.
Squad18 Jan 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 Mashal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Jan 2027
A row about effort at Mashal
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sardor Abduraimov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
“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.
The dugout18 Jan 2027
Islom Sharipov has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Mashal will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Jan 2027
70 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Mashal lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Market11 Jan 2027
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Mashal have lost him in all but the paperwork.
Market11 Jan 2027
Mashal say no — this time
The offer from Sogdiana for Islom Rashidxonov 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.
Squad11 Jan 2027
Tempers go at Mashal
Humoyun Murtozaev 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 Jan 2027
A row about effort at Mashal
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Samandar Ochilov was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market11 Jan 2027
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Bobur Ismailov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market11 Jan 2027
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Otabek Abdullaev has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
The dugout11 Jan 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.
The dugout11 Jan 2027
Nobody at Mashal will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad4 Jan 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Shaxboz Jurayev
79 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Mashal lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
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 Mashal can pretend not to have heard.
Squad4 Jan 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 Mashal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market4 Jan 2027
Add another name to the list: Metallurg have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Ibrohim G'anixonov. The answer from Mashal has not changed — yet.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Vlatko Stojanovski and Mashal agree another 4 years.
The dugout4 Jan 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.
Boardroom4 Jan 2027
Open for business: Mashal enter the window
The registration window is open and the phone has started. Between now and the deadline this club will be linked with forty players and sign three, which is the usual ratio.
The dugout4 Jan 2027
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Javohir Abdualimov has written the date down.
Market4 Jan 2027
49 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad28 Dec 2026
86 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Mashal lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Squad28 Dec 2026
A falling-out at Mashal
Humoyun Murtozaev and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Words at Mashal training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sardor Abduraimov 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.
Boardroom28 Dec 2026
Wages swallow 139% of the Mashal income
Every club pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time it has been tried.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Anvar Murodov, and the manager let it.
Market28 Dec 2026
The name of Izzatullo Abdulhaqov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Mashal say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Dec 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Shaxboz Jurayev
94 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Mashal lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Muhammadali Aliqulov 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.
Squad21 Dec 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 Mashal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad14 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Mashal
Muhammadali Aliqulov 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.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Javohir Abdualimov commits to Mashal for another 3 years.
Market14 Dec 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Aziz Mirzaev has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad7 Dec 2026
Sardor Abduraimov 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.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Mashal
Islom Sharipov 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 dugout7 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Humoyun Murtozaev, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout30 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.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.
Squad30 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 Mashal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad30 Nov 2026
Words at Mashal training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Samandar Ochilov 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.
Boardroom30 Nov 2026
151% of the income goes out in wages at Mashal
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
The manager makes an example of Anvar Murodov
“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 dugout30 Nov 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Humoyun Murtozaev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market30 Nov 2026
The name of Izzatullo Abdulhaqov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Mashal say nothing, which says plenty.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market23 Nov 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Mashal is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Words exchanged at Mashal
Humoyun Murtozaev 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.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Words at Mashal training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Izzatullo Abdulhaqov 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.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
Islom Sharipov has become a man the manager trusts
Nobody at Mashal will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“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 dugout23 Nov 2026
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Anvar Murodov has written the date down.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad16 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Mashal
Humoyun Murtozaev 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.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Words at Mashal training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sardor Abduraimov 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.
Squad16 Nov 2026
The medical room confirms 53 days on the sidelines for Diyorbek Mamadaliyev, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout9 Nov 2026
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Mashal may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad9 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 Mashal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Muhammadali Aliqulov 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.
Market9 Nov 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Dostonbek Akhmedov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market9 Nov 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Abdulla Tukhtasinov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Shohnazar Norbekov trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad2 Nov 2026
Tempers go at Mashal
Islom Sharipov 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.
Boardroom2 Nov 2026
Wages eat 151% of everything Mashal earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad2 Nov 2026
Izzatullo Abdulhaqov 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.
The dugout2 Nov 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.
Market2 Nov 2026
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Mashal, another week without a signature from Roman Khadjiev.
Market2 Nov 2026
The name of Izzatullo Abdulhaqov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Mashal say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout26 Oct 2026
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mashal have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market26 Oct 2026
Roman Khadjiev has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Mashal they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Sardor Abduraimov 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.
Squad26 Oct 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 Mashal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout26 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.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
Sherzod Fayziyev 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.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
The dugout19 Oct 2026
Sherzod Fayziyev: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Mashal have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Words exchanged at Mashal
Muhammadali Aliqulov 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.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Sardor Abduraimov 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
Uneasy
Squad12 Oct 2026
A falling-out at Mashal
Sardor Abduraimov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Market12 Oct 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. Mirzo Suyunov is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
Market12 Oct 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Farhod Masharipov has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
A promise honoured at Mashal
Something was said to Ergash Ismoilov and then it happened. In this industry that passes for remarkable, and the dressing room noticed faster than any supporter could.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dilshod Rahmatullayev, and the manager let it.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Humoyun Murtozaev trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad5 Oct 2026
A falling-out at Mashal
Humoyun Murtozaev and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Sardor Abduraimov 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.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
Wages swallow 197% of the Mashal income
Every club pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time it has been tried.
Market5 Oct 2026
The name of Izzatullo Abdulhaqov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Mashal say nothing, which says plenty.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Mashal, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad5 Oct 2026
He looks like a man who lives here now rather than one who is working here. It took most of a season, and at Mashal the difference is visible from the back of the stand.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match26 Sep 2026
The wait goes on for Mashal
10 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.
Match26 Sep 2026
The goals have deserted Mashal
6 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Mashal can tell you which week it ends in.
Market28 Sep 2026
Only the photograph left for Roman Khadjiev
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Roman Khadjiev will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Mashal the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Words exchanged at Mashal
Humoyun Murtozaev 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.
Player ratings28 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 20. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
Squad28 Sep 2026
Samandar Ochilov 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.
Match26 Sep 2026
A bad afternoon for Mashal against Qizilqum
0‑1 to Qizilqum, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“We were not good enough today and I am not going to dress it up.” Islom Tukhtasinov after 0‑1, in the tone of a man who knows the next question and does not intend to answer it.
The dugout28 Sep 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Anvar Murodov, and the manager let it.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 Sep 2026
No end in sight to Mashal's wait for a win
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Mashal has to find a result from somewhere.
Match19 Sep 2026
5 matches without a goal for Mashal
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 5 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Market21 Sep 2026
Nasaf come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Mashal did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Mashal
Humoyun Murtozaev 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.
Match19 Sep 2026
Kokand 1912 left with the points after a 0‑2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
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 0‑2 defeat, delivered by Islom Tukhtasinov to a room that had heard them before.
The dugout21 Sep 2026
“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 dugout21 Sep 2026
The manager wanted a different profile for this opponent, which is a real football reason and no consolation. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
Looking ahead21 Sep 2026
Qizilqum next, and one man in the Mashal 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
Match12 Sep 2026
8 matches without a win for Mashal
The run now stands at 8, and the questions being asked around Mashal are no longer polite ones.
Match12 Sep 2026
4 matches without a goal for Mashal
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.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Words at Mashal training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sardor Abduraimov 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.
Squad14 Sep 2026
Words exchanged at Mashal
Islom Sharipov 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.
Market14 Sep 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Islom Ahmedov has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market14 Sep 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Nodir Shomurodov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Match12 Sep 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout14 Sep 2026
“I could talk about decisions and I could talk about luck. I will not. We lost.” The manager, 0‑1, and a press conference that lasted four minutes.
Player ratings14 Sep 2026
Successful dribbles: 15. Every time he got the ball somebody had to make a decision, and every time the decision was wrong.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Sep 2026
7 matches without a win for Mashal
The run now stands at 7, and the questions being asked around Mashal are no longer polite ones.
Market7 Sep 2026
“I listened, I thought about it, and I am staying. That is the whole story.” The clubs had agreed a fee. Asadbek Samariddinov had not agreed to go, which turned out to be the part that mattered.
Market7 Sep 2026
Taraz come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Mashal did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Boardroom7 Sep 2026
Window shuts: 14 in, 2 out at Mashal
The deadline has passed and the squad is the squad. 14 arrived, 2 left, and everything else printed about this club last month was a rumour that stayed one.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Sardor Abduraimov 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.
Match5 Sep 2026
3 matches without a goal for Mashal
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.
Squad7 Sep 2026
Tempers go at Mashal
Islom Sharipov 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 dugout7 Sep 2026
“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.
Match5 Sep 2026
A bad afternoon for Mashal against AGMK
0‑1 to AGMK, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market31 Aug 2026
Bunyodkor come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Mashal did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Match29 Aug 2026
The wait goes on for Mashal
6 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.
Market31 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.
Market31 Aug 2026
Roman Khadjiev has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Mashal they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Mashal
Muhammadali Aliqulov 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.
Market31 Aug 2026
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Mashal has been clear about where Muhammadali Aliqulov stands, which is more than many ever get.
The dugout31 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.
Squad31 Aug 2026
Islom Sharipov 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 ratings31 Aug 2026
Successful dribbles: 14. There was always a defender in front of him and there was never a defender in front of him for long.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match19 Aug 2026
The cup run ends for Mashal
1‑3 against Pakhtakor, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Market24 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.
Match22 Aug 2026
No end in sight to Mashal's wait for a win
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Mashal has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Sardor Abduraimov 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.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Mashal
Islom Sharipov and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match22 Aug 2026
Beaten 0‑1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
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 0‑1 defeat, delivered by Islom Tukhtasinov to a room that had heard them before.
The dugout24 Aug 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Dilshod Rahmatullayev, and the manager let it.
Market24 Aug 2026
Mashal have made Muhammadali Aliqulov available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad17 Aug 2026
2 kept out in the shoot-out, and a stadium that will still be describing them in twenty years. A goalkeeper only needs one of these to be remembered forever.
Match12 Aug 2026
Cup progress for Mashal
A 1‑1 win over Lokomotiv, a place in the next round, and the quiet arithmetic every supporter does on the walk home: how many more until a final?
Market17 Aug 2026
Mashal say no — this time
The offer from Agia Napa for Anvar Murodov 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.
Market17 Aug 2026
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Mashal they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Boardroom17 Aug 2026
He will play here until the summer and then walk out of the door for free, having already signed elsewhere. Supporters will manage the first part of that sentence; it is the second they will struggle with.
Squad17 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 Mashal this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Words at Mashal training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Samandar Ochilov 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.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
“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
Steady
Match8 Aug 2026
0‑3 to Nasaf, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Market10 Aug 2026
Mashal say no — this time
The offer from Atyrau for Sardor Abduraimov 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.
Squad10 Aug 2026
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad10 Aug 2026
Words exchanged at Mashal
Humoyun Murtozaev 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.
Market10 Aug 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Mirzo Ismailov has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market10 Aug 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Jaloliddin Masharipov has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market10 Aug 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Mirzo Ganiev has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
The dugout10 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.
Boardroom10 Aug 2026
Nobody left the Mashal 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.
In brief
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Player ratings
Humoyun Murtozaev was unplayable
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The dugout
The view from the dugout
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Squad
The division's best last weekend was a Mashal man
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Squad3 Aug 2026
5 goals in one afternoon from one man. The other players were also present, a witness confirmed.
Match1 Aug 2026
No mercy from Mashal
Metallurg will want this one forgotten quickly: 8‑0, every duel lost, and a long ride home. Mashal were ruthless in the way good sides are ruthless.
Squad3 Aug 2026
3 goals in one game. The first was taken well, the second was taken greedily, and by the third the crowd were simply waiting for him to get the ball.
Market3 Aug 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Mashal have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Market3 Aug 2026
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Mashal is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Boardroom3 Aug 2026
The rules permit it and it stings anyway. Roman Khadjiev has agreed terms with Lokomotiv for the summer, and until then he pulls on this shirt as a player who has already chosen his next one.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Humoyun Murtozaev and Mashal agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad3 Aug 2026
A falling-out at Mashal
Humoyun Murtozaev and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Player ratings3 Aug 2026
Marked 10.00. Players have careers without a single afternoon like this in them, and he has just had one in front of everybody at Mashal.