Pakhtakor

Full name	Pakhtakor Football Club[1]
Nickname(s)	Uzbek: Paxtakorlar (The cotton grower) Uzbek: Sherlar (The Lions) Uzbek: Xalq jamoasi (People's team)
Founded	8 April 1956; 68 years ago (1956-04-08)
Ground	Pakhtakor Central Stadium
Capacity	35,000
President	Bobur Shodiev
Manager	Maksim Shatskikh
League	Uzbekistan Super League
2024	Uzbekistan Super League, 6th of 14
Website	http://www.pakhtakor.uz
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Pakhtakor Football Club (Uzbek: Paxtakor futbol klubi) is an Uzbek professional football club, based in the capital city of Tashkent, that competes in the Uzbekistan Super League. Pakhtakor literally means "cotton-grower".

Pakhtakor was the only Uzbek club to play in the top-level Soviet football league and the only Central Asian club to appear in a Soviet Cup final. Playing in the Uzbek League since 1992, the club has been the undisputed powerhouse in Uzbekistan since the fall of the Soviet Union, winning fourteen Uzbek League titles, including six in a row from 2002 to 2007.^[2] Pakhtakor also won seven consecutive domestic cups between 2001 and 2007, winning eleven cups in total.^[3] Players from the club have won Uzbek footballer of the Year honours eight times, and Pakhtakor teammates swept the top three spots in 2002. Club managers have been named Uzbek coach of the year twice.^[4]

The team is also a perennial competitor in the AFC Champions League, having reached the semi-finals of the competition twice in 2003 and 2004. Pakhtakor currently holds the record in number of consecutive participations in the AFC Champions League, participating in 11 tournaments from 2002 to 2013.

The word Pakhta (پخته) in تورکچه means cotton and "kor" (kar) is from verb, ( kâshtan (Dari langaage ), koshtan, kishtan (uzbek pronunciation) ) which means "to cultivate"; so the combination "Pakhtakor" produces a job name and literally means "cotton maker".

Pakhtakor's first official match was on 8 April 1956, date considered to be the club's "birthday". Its first match was played against a team from the city of Perm, Russia (then called Molotov city), presumably FC Zvezda Perm. The first goal in Pakhtakor history was scored by Laziz Maksudov on a penalty shot and Maksudov's goal was the only and game-winning strike.^[5]

The team was formed in three months, and the government invited the senior trainer Valentin Bekhtenev from Moscow to recruit the best Tashkent players for the new Pakhtakor. At the time, the club was to represent Uzbekistan in Soviet football.^[6]

In 1959, the club was promoted to the Soviet Top League for the first time. During the 1960s, Pakhtakor's squad was anchored by the striker Gennadiy Krasnitskiy, who led it to a 6th-place finish in 1962. After periods back and forth between the Top League and the Soviet First League, the club reached the final of the Soviet Cup competition in 1968 – the only Central Asian club to reach a Soviet Cup final – losing to Torpedo Moscow 1–0.^[5][6]

In 1971, Pakhtakor again departed from the First League, but was not long detained in the lower division as it gained promotion the following year.^[5]

Pakhtakor was the only Uzbek side to appear in the history of the USSR Championship during the Soviet era, appearing the highest echelon 22 times, and recording 212 wins, 211 draws, and 299 losses. Their best league finish was 6th place, which they achieved twice, in 1962 and 1982.^{[citation needed]}

In August 1979, Pakhtakor made it back to the Soviet Top League, but shortly thereafter disaster struck the club and Soviet football. During a flight to play Dinamo Minsk, Pakhtakor's plane was involved in a mid-air collision over Dniprodzerzhynsk, Ukrainian SSR.^[7] All 178 people aboard both planes involved died.^[8]

Seventeen Pakhtakor players and staff members died in the crash:^[9]

• Idgay Borisovich Tazetdinov (Trainer), (13.01.1933)
• Mikhail Ivanovich An (Half-back), (19.11.1952)
• Vladimir Ivanovich Fedorov (Forward), (05.01.1956)
• Alim Masalievich Ashirov (Defender), (25.01.1955)
• Ravil Rustamovich Agishev (Defender), (14.03.1959)
• Constantine Alexandrovich Bakanov (Half-back), (25.05.1954)
• Yuri Timofeevich Zagumennykh (Defender), (07.06.1947)
• Alexander Ivanovich Korchenov (Half-back), (04.05.1949)
• Nikolai Borisovich Kulikov (Defender), (25.04.1953)
• Vladimir Vasilyevich Makarov (Forward), (09.03.1947)
• Sergey Constantinovich Pokatilov (Goalkeeper), (20.12.1950)
• Victor Nikolayevich Churkin (Forward), (25.01.1952)
• Sirozhiddin Akhmedovich Bazarov (Forward), (10.08.1961)
• Shukhrat Musinovich Ishbutaev (Forward), (08.02.1959)
• Vladimir Valievich Sabirov (Forward), (14.01.1958)
• Vladimir Vasilyevich Chumaks (Manager), (08.12.1932)
• Mansur Inamdzhanovich Talibdzhanov (Club administrator), (04.04.1944)

Annually, in August, the club sponsors a youth tournament in memory of the people lost in the disaster.^[10]

Following the tragedy in 1979 and spurred on by its prolific goalscorer Andrei Yakubik a few years later, Pakhtakor had its best record in 1982, finishing sixth and in front of several Russian and Ukrainian football powerhouses such as Zenit Saint Petersburg, CSKA Moscow, and Shakhtar Donetsk amongst the few. Pakhtakor had a point deducted that season due to exceeding the allowed limit for the games tied (drawn), but it did not influence the club's final standings.^[8]

After leading Pakhtakor to its best finish, age finally caught up with Yakubik and he moved back to his hometown of Moscow to continue his football career.^[11] With the departure of their great forward, the club struggled and spent six years in the Soviet First League. Although the discontent of their fans grew, Pakhtakor's reemergence as a major footballing force followed fast upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union.^[5]

After the USSR collapsed, a new page began in the club's history. 1992 saw Pakhtakor participate in the first season of the Uzbek Oliy League. Since 1992 Pakhtakor have become the most successful Uzbek club with 10 Uzbek League titles, and 11 Uzbek Cups. Until 2014 the club is the only team to have participated in all seasons of the AFC Champions League since its inauguration in 2002. Since 2002 the club participated 11 times in AFC Champions League.

The participation in the AFC Champions League season 2011 was not successful. On 4 May 2011 in a match against Al Nassr Pakhtakor lost and finished its Asian campaign. In that match, because of many injured players, Pakhtakor's coach Ravshan Khaydarov formed a starting squad from the youth team players and so the club made a record in the AFC Champions League history as the youngest team of the tournament with average players age of 21,8. The average age of club players for season 2011 was 23,3.^[12] In the 2014–15 seasons, Pakhtakor won its 10th and 11th League champion titles.

As of match played 21 October 2024

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1994–95	Asian Cup Winners' Cup	Preliminary round	Ravshan Kulob	10–0
			Taraz	0–3
			Alay-Osh-Pirim	5–1
			Merw	4–0
1998–99	Asian Cup Winners' Cup	First round	Khujand	4–1	1–1	5–2
		Second round	Nisa Aşgabat	6–0	0–5	6–5
		Third round	Al-Ittihad	0–1	0–3	0–4
1999–2000	Asian Club Championship	First round	Irtysh Pavlodar	5–2	0–7	5–9
2001–02	Asian Cup Winners' Cup	First round	SKA-PVO Bishkek	3–1	1–2	4–3
		Second round	Regar-TadAZ Tursunzoda	2–2	1–3	3–5
2002–03	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Persepolis	1–0	1st
			Al-Talaba	3–0
			Nisa Aşgabat	3–0
		Semi-final	BEC Tero Sasana	1–0	1–3	2–3
2004	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Zob Ahan	2–0	0–1	1st
			Qatar	1–0	0–0
			Riffa	w/o	w/o
		Quarter-final	Al Wahda	4–0	1–1	5–1
		Semi-final	Seongnam	0–0	0–2	0–2
2005	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Al-Ahli	2–1	0–3	2nd
			Al-Zawra'a	1–2	0–1
			Al-Jaish	4–1	2–0
2006	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Qadsia	2–2	1–2	2nd
			Foolad	2–0	3–1
			Al-Ittihad	2–0	1–2
2007	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Al Hilal	0–2	0–2	2nd
			Kuwait	2–1	1–0
			Esteghlal	w/o	w/o
2008	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Qadsia	0–1	2–2	2nd
			Erbil	2–0	5–1
			Al-Gharafa	2–0	2–2
2009	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Al Hilal	1–1	0–2	2nd
			Saba Qom	2–1	2–0
			Al-Ahli	2–0	2–1
		Round of 16	Ettifaq	2–1
		Quarter-final	Al-Ittihad	1–1	0–4	1–5
2010	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Al Shabab	1–3	1–2	2nd
			Sepahan	2–1	0–2
			Al Ain	3–2	1–0
		Round of 16	Al-Gharafa	0–1
2011	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Al Sadd	1–1	1–2	4th
			Al Nassr	2–2	0–4
			Esteghlal	2–1	2–4
2012	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Al-Ittihad	1–2	0–4	3rd
			Baniyas	1–1	0–2
			Al-Arabi	3–1	1–0
2013	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Lekhwiya	2–2	1–3	4th
			Al Shabab	1–2	1–0
			Ettifaq	1–0	0–2
2015	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Al Ain	0–1	1–1	3rd
			Naft Tehran	2–1	1–1
			Al Shabab	0–2	2–2
2016	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Al Hilal	2–2	1–4	3rd
			Tractor Sazi	1–0	0–2
			Al Jazira	3–0	3–1
2018	AFC Champions League	Play-off round	Al-Gharafa	1–2
2019	AFC Champions League	Preliminary round 2	Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	2–1
		Play-off round	Al-Nasr	2–1
		Group stage	Persepolis	1–0	1–1	3rd
			Al Ahli	1–0	1–2
			Al Sadd	2–2	1–2
2020	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Shabab Al-Ahli	2–1	0–0	1st
			Shahr Khodro	3–0	1–0
			Al Hilal	0–0	1–2
		Round of 16	Esteghlal	2–1
		Quarter-final	Persepolis	0–2
2021	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Tractor	3–3	0–0	3rd
			Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya	1–0	0–0
			Sharjah	1–1	1–4
2022	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Sepahan	1–3	1–2	4th
			Al-Duhail	0–3	2–3
			Al-Taawoun	5–4	1–0
2023–24	AFC Champions League	Group stage	Al Fayha	1–4	0–2	3rd
			Al Ain	0–3	3–1
			Ahal	3–0	1–1
2024–25	AFC Champions League Elite	League phase	Al Wasl	0–1	-
			Persepolis	-	1–1
			Al-Shorta	-	0–0
			Al-Rayyan		-
			Esteghlal	-
			Al Ain		-
			Al-Gharafa	-
			Al Sadd		-

Since Bunyodkor's promotion to the Uzbek League, matches between the two clubs from the capital is considered by supporters on both sides and football journalists as the Uzbek capital derby or the Toshkent derby.

The match between Pakhtakor and Neftchi Farg'ona is one of the most popular rivalries in Uzbek League held since 1992. The first match between the two clubs was played on 25 May 1992 in Tashkent.

Pakhtakor Markaziy Stadium was built in 1956 with a capacity of 55.000 spectators. The stadium was renovated in 1996, and in July 2007 club management announced the next renovation. Reconstruction work finished in 2009, the capacity was reduced to 35.000 and the stadium became an all-seater stadium. In January 2010, the stadium was chosen as the best sporting facility in 2009 of Uzbekistan.^[13][14]

The famous Uzbek singers Shahzoda, Rustam Gaipov, groups "Parvoz"(ex), "Quartet", "Bojalar" and "Ummon" dedicated their songs to Pakhtakor Football Club.^[15][16]

As of 18 October 2024^[17]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  UZB Nikita Shevchenko 2 DF  UZB Behruzbek Askarov 4 MF  UZB Abdulla Abdullaev 5 DF  UZB Mukhammadkodir Khamraliev 6 FW  UZB Mukhammadali Urinboev 7 DF  UZB Khojiakbar Alijonov 8 MF  UZB Diyor Kholmatov 9 MF  UZB Ibrokhim Ibrokhimov 10 FW  SRB Dragan Ćeran 11 FW  UZB Pulatkhuzha Kholdorkhonov 12 GK  UZB Vladimir Nazarov (on loan from Surkhon Termez) 13 DF  UZB Islom Anvarov 15 DF  UZB Diyor Ortikboev 16 DF  UZB Temur Odilov 17 MF  UZB Dostonbek Khamdamov 18 MF  UZB Saidumarxon Saidnurullaev

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 GK  UZB Otabek Boymurodov 22 DF  UZB Umar Adkhamzoda 23 MF  UZB Abdurauf Buriev 24 MF  UZB Kirill Todorov 27 MF  UZB Sardor Sabirkhodjaev 30 FW  UZB Otabek Jurakuziev 31 MF  UZB Mukhammadali Usmonov 33 MF  UZB Doniyor Abdumannopov 35 GK  BLR Pavel Pavlyuchenko 40 MF  KGZ Kimi Merk 44 DF  UZB Makhmud Makhamadzhonov (on loan from Bunyodkor Tashkent) 55 DF  UZB Mukhammadrasul Abdumajidov 77 DF  UZB Dilshod Saitov 88 DF  UZB Shakhzod Azmiddinov 99 FW  UZB Ulugbek Khoshimov

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  UZB Shakhzod Rakhmatullaev (on loan to Qizilqum) — DF  UZB Abubakir Ashurov (on loan to Metallurg Bekabad) — MF  UZB Nurlan Ibraimov (on loan to Olimpik-Mobiuz Tashkent)

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  UZB Sunnatilla Poyonov (on loan from Kokand 1912) — DF  UZB Mirkamol Abdurazzakov (on loan to Olympic Tashkent) — FW  UZB Abbos Ergashboev (on loan to Metallurg Bekabad)

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  RUS Nikita Shevchenko 18 MF  UZB Saidumarkhon Saidnurullaev 21 GK  UZB Otabek Boymurodov 26 MF  IRN Mohammadreza Kooshki 29 MF  UZB Muhriddin Pazildinov 31 MF  UZB Muhammadali Usmonov 32 MF  UZB Asadbek Beglarkhonov 37 DF  UZB Sarvarbek Adhamov 38 DF  UZB Temur Odilov 39 MF  UZB Shahzod Imomov 40 FW  KGZ Kimi Merk 41 MF  UZB Rustambek Fomin 42 DF  UZB Muhammadali Zohidov

No. Pos. Nation Player 43 GK  UZB Maksim Murkayev 44 MF  UZB Daler Tuxsanov 45 DF  UZB Rustam Pazilov 46 DF  UZB Alisher Mominov 47 DF  UZB Javohir Bahodirov 48 DF  UZB Behzod Nematov 49 MF  UZB Dilshod Abdullayev 50 GK  UZB Ali Murodjonov 51 MF  UZB Nodirkhon Habibullaev 52 MF  UZB Nurlan Ibraimov 55 DF  UZB Muhammadrasul Abdumajidov 62 MF  UZB Danat Miftakhutdinov 75 GK  UZB Shahzod Suyunov 99 FW  UZB Akbar Uktamov

As of 15 July 2022

Position	Name
Head coach	Maxim Shatskikh
Assistant coach
Assistant coach
Goalkeeper coach

• Uzbekistan Super League
  • Champions (16) (record): 1992, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
• Uzbekistan Cup
  • Winners (13) (record): 1993, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2019, 2020
  • Runners-up: 1996, 2008, 2018, 2021
• Uzbekistan Super Cup
  • Winners: (2) 2021, 2022^[18]
  • Runners-up: 1999, 2015, 2016
• Uzbekistan League Cup
  • Winners: 2019
• Soviet First League
  • Winners: 1972
• Soviet Cup
  • Runners-up: 1967–68

• CIS Cup
  • Winners: 2007
  • Runners-up: 2008
• IFA Shield (IFA)^{[note 1]}
  • Winners: 1993^[19]
• AFC Champions League
  • Semi-finalists: 2002–03, 2004

Nationality	Name	From	To	Duration	P	W	D	L	Win %
Soviet Union	Valentin Bakhtenev	1956	1956
Soviet Union	Yury Khodotov	1957	1957
Soviet Union	Lev Olshansky	1957	1959
Soviet Union	Alexander Keller	1960	1963
Soviet Union	Gavriil Kachalin	1963	1963
Soviet Union	Alexander Abramov	1964	1964
Soviet Union	Mikhail Yakushin	1965	1966
Soviet Union	Boris Arkadyev	1967	1967
Soviet Union	Yevgeny Yeliseyev	1968	1968
Soviet Union	Mikhail Yakushin	1969	1970
Soviet Union	Alexander Keller	1971	1971
Soviet Union	Vyacheslav Solovyov	1972	1975
Soviet Union	Gavriil Kachalin	1975	1975
Soviet Union	Anatoli Bashashkin	1976	1976
Soviet Union	Gennadi Krasnitsky	1976	1976
Soviet Union	Alexander Kochetkov	1977	1979
Soviet Union	Oleh Bazylevych	1979	1979
Soviet Union	Sergei Mosyagin	1980	1980
Hungary	Ishtvan Sekech	1981	1985
Soviet Union	Viktor Tikhonov	1986	1986
Soviet Union	Berador Abduraimov	1987	1988
Soviet Union	Viktor Nosov	1989	1989
Soviet Union	Fyodor Novikov	1990	1991
Soviet Union	Ahral Inayatov	1991[20]	1991
Russia	Aleksandr Tarkhanov	1991	1992
Uzbekistan	Ahral Inayatov	1992	1992
Uzbekistan	Bahadir Ibrahimov	1993	1993
Uzbekistan	Rustam Akramov	1994	1994
Uzbekistan	Ahral Inayatov	1994	1994
Netherlands	Hans Verèl	1995	1996
Uzbekistan	Alexander Ivankov	1996	1997
Brazil	Ubirajara Veiga da Silva	1998	1999
Uzbekistan	Alexander Ivankov	2000	2000
Russia	Sergei Butenko	2001	2002
Uzbekistan	Viktor Djalilov	2002	2002
Uzbekistan	Ravshan Khaydarov	2002	2002
Turkmenistan	Täçmyrat Agamyradow	2003	2006
Russia	Valery Nepomnyashchy	2006	2006
Uzbekistan	Ravshan Khaydarov	2006	2007
Uzbekistan	Viktor Djalilov	2008	2009
Montenegro	Miodrag Radulović	1 January 2010	3 May 2010	122 days
Uzbekistan	Ravshan Khaydarov	4 May 2010	27 September 2011	1 year, 146 days
Uzbekistan	Murad Ismailov	28 September 2011	27 December 2011	90 days
Serbia	Dejan Đurđević	28 December 2011	20 June 2012	175 days
Uzbekistan	Murad Ismailov	20 June 2012	31 December 2013	1 year, 194 days
Uzbekistan	Samvel Babayan	3 January 2014	23 June 2015	1 year, 171 days
Uzbekistan	Numon Khasanov	8 July 2015	29 May 2016	326 days
Uzbekistan	Grigory Kolosovsky	30 May 2016	5 April 2017	310 days
Uzbekistan	Ravshan Khaydarov	6 April 2017	1 June 2017	56 days
Uzbekistan	Djasur Abduraimov	1 June 2017	23 June 2017	22 days
Georgia	Shota Arveladze	23 June 2017	21 December 2020	3 years, 181 days	124	90	18	16	72.58
Netherlands	Pieter Huistra	6 January 2021[21]	10 January 2022[22]	1 year, 160 days	37	23	8	6	62.16
North Macedonia	Slavče Vojneski	11 January 2022[23]	7 July 2022	177 days	17	8	5	4	47.06
Uzbekistan	Maxim Shatskikh	14 July 2022	present	2 years, 141 days	0	0	0	0

Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Pakhtakor.

USSR/Uzbekistan

Former USSR countries

Europe

South America

Africa

Asia

• Official website (in Uzbek, Russian, and English)
• Club statistics at KLISF