With the year, the season also ends for FK Arkadag. Conveniently, the club was able to plan the championship celebration early in its third year of existence. Because the title win was once again decided very early. Actually, even before the season began.
The Blue-Whites owe their now over 82 league and 14 cup games winning streak to an influential patron: Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.
The former president of Turkmenistan ensured the founding of the club in 2023, which was directly waved into the first league. Berdimuhamedow's prestige project has since won every single competitive match at the national level, also because the name alone is akin to a threat.
📸 IGOR SASIN - AFP or licensors
"Arkadag" translates to "Protector". This is also the name of the pompous planned city where the club is based - and it is the nickname of Berdimuhamedow. From 2007 to 2022, he was the authoritarian ruler of his homeland. Meanwhile, his son has officially succeeded him, but the senior's influence remains significant, also on the country's football fields. Who wants trouble with the "Protector"?
"The teams will play a bit more cautiously against the president's club, they don't want to offend the president," explained Central Asia expert Beate Eschment in the 'Frankfurter Rundschau' about the special circumstances in the country.
The referees are also said to overlook things repeatedly. One of Arkadag's few defeats came at the beginning of the year in the international AFC Challenge Cup. Such advantages do not exist there. Among other things, the success-spoiled team lost 0-2 to Al-Arabi from Kuwait in the first leg of the semi-finals.
However, thanks to a 3-0 victory in the return leg and a 2-1 success in the final, the title was also secured in this competition. An end to the questionable triumphal march is still not in sight.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.
📸 STRINGER - AFP or licensors