Turkmenistan Bans Foreign Training Camps for Football Clubs, Cancels International Friendlies

Turkmenistan's authorities have banned all national football clubs from conducting training camps abroad, leading to the cancellation of several planned friendly matches, including fixtures with Kazakhstan's Kaisar, reports Orda.kz.

The Chronicle of Turkmenistan reports that while local teams had previously arranged winter training camps with foreign clubs, the Turkmen authorities denied permission for international travel in January.

As a result:

• Arkadag team missed scheduled matches with Kazakhstan's Kaisar and Armenia's Urartu in Türkiye
• Ahal couldn't play their planned game with Uzbekistan's Surkhan in Türkiye

Though unilateral match cancellations typically incur fines of three to five thousand dollars, the Kazakh, Armenian, and Uzbek clubs waived compensation, citing an understanding of the situation.

The authorities have deemed foreign training camps excessive and unnecessary to finance.

While such restrictions previously only applied to the national team, they have now been extended to professional clubs.

In May 2024, President Serdar Berdimuhamedow met with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and national team coach Mergen Orazov held discussions with Portuguese counterpart Roberto Martinez.

Original Author: Alina Pak