Bunyodkor Stadium workers receive UZS 867 million in unpaid wages

The State Labor Inspection reported that the outstanding wages for 49 workers under the stadium’s management directive have been fully recovered, totaling UZS 867 million.

The stadium staff had previously approached Kun.uz to highlight their severe economic difficulties, revealing that they had not been paid since December 2025. Labor inspectors have now confirmed that the stadium management company has completely settled its debts to these workers. However, official sources have not disclosed the specific funding origin utilized to clear the sudden backlog.

The wage delays stem from a recent shift in how the sports complex is funded. Under a 2018 presidential decree, the state-owned oil and gas company Uzbekneftgaz was responsible for financing the operations of the Bunyodkor infrastructure. This arrangement changed abruptly on January 1, 2026. Facing continuous declines in gas production alongside structural challenges, Uzbekneftgaz ceased its financial support for several football clubs, including Nasaf, Bukhara, and Bunyodkor. The state corporation announced it was divesting from non-core assets and optimizing its sponsorship expenditures.

To compensate for the loss of corporate sponsorship, the government revised its funding strategy for the domestic football league. Moving forward, individual Uzbekistan Super League clubs will receive direct state subsidies from the national budget, allocated at UZS 35 billion each for 2026, UZS 30 billion for 2027, and UZS 25 billion for 2028.

While alternative public funding has successfully stabilized the primary sports clubs previously dependent on Uzbekneftgaz, the long-term financial model for the independent Bunyodkor Stadium management directorate remains unresolved. This precise administrative gap in infrastructure maintenance funding is what ultimately left dozens of stadium workers without pay for nearly half a year.