Timur Kapadze leaves Uzbekistan national team coaching staff

According to the UFA, Kapadze expressed his intention to continue his career at a new stage and formally requested to be released from his position.

The association noted that Kapadze had received offers from other clubs and intended to continue his career as a head coach. Respecting his decision, the UFA leadership agreed to let him go.

In its statement, the UFA acknowledged Kapadze’s significant contribution to the development of Uzbek football, expressing sincere gratitude and wishing him great success in his future coaching career.

Sources suggest that the specialist has received offers from Super League clubs as well as from abroad.

For reference, Timur Kapadze – a former player for the Uzbekistan national team – began his coaching career in 2018. He briefly served as acting head coach of the national team before taking charge of Tashkent’s Lokomotiv FC. Between 2019 and 2021, he was assistant coach to Vadim Abramov in the national team, while also leading the Uzbekistan U-23 team from 2020 to 2024. Under his leadership, the U-23 squad qualified for the Olympics for the first time in history.

In January 2025, after the UFA terminated its contract with Slovak specialist Srečko Katanec, Kapadze was appointed head coach of the Uzbekistan national team. He went on to make history again – leading the team to its first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup.

However, in October 2025, the UFA announced that Italian coach Fabio Cannavaro would take over as the new head coach of the national team. The association explained that the decision aimed “to ensure a worthy performance in the tournament and to bring in a specialist with direct World Cup experience as a player.”

During Cannavaro’s official presentation, UFA Vice President Ravshan Ermatov stated that Kapadze would remain on the coaching staff. However, during the same event, Kapadze himself indicated that he did not intend to stay long in that role.