Last update 6 April, 2024 by Alberto Llopis
In our desire to know how football live anywhere on the planet, Today we went to Turkmenistan, one of the states most unknown of the world. Straddling two continents, few know how to say when asked that Turkmenistan is located in the heart of Central Asia limiting the northwest with Kazakhstan, to the north with Uzbekistan, to the southwest with Iran and southeastern Afghanistan.
Few know of its location because this former Soviet republic that became independent in 1991 It is one of the Hermetic around Earth. Peopled with more than five million people, perhaps the highlight throughout its short history has been its controversial president until 2006, Saparmurat Niyazov, possibly the most singular political leader who ever lived never. Man be able to worship and worship as anyone to the point of renaming a city with its name, to the extent of naming schools, university or college degrees denomination or their relatives.
Narcissists ideas like appearing in all the country notes or create mischief in the desert statues covered with gold, with clockwork mechanisms to keep turning to be always facing the sun, so that no shadow falls on his face. Bizarre and unusual projects also force students to memorize a complete textbook on his person, change months of the year to be named as he or his mother or ice build palaces in the desert.
But beyond Nyýazow, little is known of this republic, where football just has no place. A smaller selection (dubbed the black horses), unable to never play a World Cup and only once the Asia Cup, which he was not even able to win a match, It is the only reference to the sport in the country.
Because the best national league not speak. Only nine teams, without descents, no possibility of receiving foreign players, with little room for creation and imagination and with poor infrasestructuras somewhat beyond the Olympic Stadium in Ashgabat, created in 2003 to host international meetings and capacity 35.000 spectators.
So hard to play football, when the ninth precinct of the country barely has room for 1.000 and when people rub temperatures 50 degrees in the hottest months of the year. Of course I never lose hope. They are increasingly, Children looking at the beautiful game the lifeline to leave the country and start a new life.
