Turkmen “Ahal” arrived in Antalya (Turkey), where it began work as part of a training camp, the club’s press service reports. On Friday after their arrival, Serdar Geldiyev’s team had a morning training session.
In preparation for the 2024 Turkmenistan Championship starting on March 4, Ahal players will play a number of test matches in Turkey. One of them is scheduled for February 3 with the Obolon team, the other for February 8 with Alexandria.
In the new season, Ahal aims to regain the championship title, which was won in 2022. To this end, in the transfer window that opened on January 1, the coaching staff strengthened the team with six players. The following moved to Ahal: Azizbek Bekchanov and Ilyas Charyev (both from Kopetdag), Igor Sekov and Yagshisahet Dovletgeldyev (both from Merv), Akmammet Metdayev from Nebitchi, Shyhdurdy Amandurdyev from Shagadam.
Let us remind that last season Serdar Geldiyev’s team took fourth place among nine teams in the major league of the Turkmenistan championship.
Before the start of the new season, FC Ahal officially changed its logo, which uses a minimum number of colors. The central place in it is occupied by the sign of the Main Directorate of Turkmennebitonumleri, the main sponsor of the team. The year the club was founded is also indicated - 1989.
“The new logo symbolizes the beginning of a new era in the team’s history,” the club’s press service said in a statement.
According to the publication “Turkmenistan: Golden Age”, “Ahal” is the first Turkmen football club to twice earn the right to compete in the AFC Champions League. In 2022, this team represented Turkmenistan for the first time in the main Asian football club competition.
At a two-round tournament held in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) with the participation of four clubs from Turkmenistan, Iran, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, football players of the Main Directorate of Turkmennebitonumleri won the first ever victory in the AFC Champions League, beating the Qatari Al-Gharafa - 4: 2. And in the debut match in this prestigious club competition in Asia, they took points from the finalist of the AFC Champions League 2015, the bronze medalist of the UAE, Shabab Al-Ahli from Dubai, playing with him in a draw - 1:1.
Based on the results of six matches, Ahal with 4 points took 4th place in Group C, behind Al-Gharafa (5 points), Shabab Al-Ahli (10 points) and Iranian Foolad (12 points). ).
Last year, Ahal made an attempt to compete for the main club football trophy in Asia for the second time in a row, finishing in Group A in competition with the teams Al-Ain (UAE), Al-Feikha (Saudi Arabia) and Pakhtakor "(Uzbekistan) fourth place.
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