Ex-Dictator's Team Adds Asian Title to Domestic Dominance

The team founded by Turkmenistan's dictator has won every single one of their domestic games and now have continental success. But at what price?

The UEFA Conference League has been an exercise in watching Chelsea’s second tier team stroll to the final of Europe’s third tier tournament. Asia’s equivalent is the AFC Challenge Cup and while Arkadag’s journey was not quite as smooth it has been much more celebrated —in some quarters at least.

There were over 50,000 fans in Phnom Penh’s Morodok Techo National Stadium to see Cambodia’s Svay Rieng FC lose 2-1 to Arkadag FC from Turkmenistan. It was a triumph for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). There has been a lot of deserved criticism as the body decided to host the knockout stages of the top tier Champions League in Saudi Arabia only for the host nation to supply three of the four semi-finalists, but this final was different. Two teams from two nations desperate to win, roared on by the kind of crowd that would be welcomed in any European final.

The four-time Cambodian champions came close but were pipped by a team that is just two years old. But they have packed plenty of football in those two years. If Chelsea’s rise to the elite of European football was financed by Russian tycoon Roman Abramovic, Arkadag’s emergence is down to former president Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, who was known to the nation of six million as ‘Arkadag’ – a nickname which translates as ‘Hero Protector’.

The ruler, who took power in 2006, handed the reins of state to his son Serdar Berdymukhammedov in 2022 but still retains plenty of power. He may not be president any more but has the title of National Leader and was seen just a few days ago meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. Unsurprisingly, there has been some confusion as to who actually runs the country. Suffice to say that the older politician is looking to stay very much front and centre.

The situation between father and son is a fascinating one but not one for this post. In football terms, suffice to say that the older figure was, towards the end of the previous decade, behind the construction of a smart city that was built at a cost of around $5 billion. This city is –you guessed it -called Arkadag. Just 30km away from the capital Ashgabat, it is home to 70,000 and it needed a football team.

Berdymukhammedov senior also designed the kit and the logo, which is that of a horse, a recurring image in the president’s tenure during which he was often portrayed on horseback. He loves horses and loves winning and that is what the team has done, pretty much from the get-go.

The first season was the 2023 campaign and the return from the 24 games played was a perfect 72 points. The next season saw 30 games but more games just meant more wins —30 in all. Of course, the team had taken many of the best players from elsewhere in the league, indeed, the initial transfer window back in 2023 was extended to allow Arkadag to get their shopping done. Referees played their part too, or at least, that was the suspicion of rival fans.

World Record?

During their second season, they smashed the world record for the longest winning streak in football. Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia had set a new one of 34 in 2024 but the Turkmen eventually reached 61. Yet this was not recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records. I asked them why.

“There’s relatively little detail available for the Turkmenistan league, less than we want for the kind of due diligence we carry out in our research for this and similar records,” a spokesperson said. “This may also be indicative of a level of governance and competition under what we’d ordinarily look for as well. All this being considered, we have confirmed Al-Hilal as the record holder.”

Not to worry. There was a second league title incoming and while that may have been good for the fans of Arkadag, though given that this was a new team, it is questionable as to just hardcore that home support is. For the league itself however, it goes without saying that when a club comes in and wins every game, wins everything, then interest and enthusiasm wanes even it is felt that it is all done fairly and squarely. It’s often hard to know what really goes on in this most secretive of the former Soviet Republics, but it’s fairly safe to assume that much of the country is not really looking forward to next season.

Asian Challenge

All enjoyed Arkadag’s success in Asia though, according to state media at least. It was assumed that the team would find life outside the country’s borders a bit more difficult for a number of reasons –the financial advantages would not be as pronounced and, perhaps, the referees would not be quite so generous.

The 2024-25 Challenge Cup was their first foray overseas. While they won the group, there was one loss, coming against Al-Arabi of Kuwait, a 3-2 defeat that was the first in their history. The Turkmen still made it through to the knockout stages. In the quarter-finals there was a 3-1 aggregate win over East Bengal which earned the Central Asians a semi-final rematch against their Kuwaiti conquerors, though the Indians reported limited internet access in Turkmenistan, had their passports taken away and came under surveillance. To be fair, East Bengal did not make a big deal of it.

It looked bad for Arkadag after the first leg at the home of the same Al-Arabi ended in a 2-0 loss. After two losses against the Kuwaitis, few gave the Turkmen a chance of coming back at home in front of 10,000 fans but they showed the kind of resilience that had never been needed before and won 3-0. An early goal from Sanzar Tirkisow provided hope. Altymyrat Annadurdyyew then levelled the scoreline early in the second half. It was anyone’s game. With extra-time and penalties looming, Tirkisow scored a dramatic winner deep into injury time to earn a place in the final.

That meant a trip to Cambodia, another trophy, more headlines at home and cash prizes from the president.