Fabio Cannavaro, current head coach of Uzbekistan, gave an exclusive interview, talking about his past playing experience in China, coaching Uzbekistan, and competing in the World Cup, among other topics.
How did this opportunity to become head coach of the Uzbekistan national team come about?
Cannavaro: “My coaching career has been quite extraordinary. One day, Marcello Lippi called me and said: ‘Do you want to come to China to coach my team (Guangzhou Evergrande)? I want to be the technical director.’
At that time, I was working as an assistant coach in Dubai, and he convinced me to go. I told him: ‘We know each other well – you be the technical director, and I’ll be the coach.’
However, three months later, he had a dispute with the club and left. The club thought I was just his assistant and fired me too. At that time, we were top of the league and had qualified for the AFC Champions League round of 16. Later, that team won both the league and AFC Champions League titles. You can imagine how frustrated I was.
After that, I went to China League One, led Tianjin Tianhai to the championship, and then returned to Guangzhou. Three years later, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, and everything changed. I went back to Italy thinking I would find a job soon, but my Asian resume wasn’t recognized. Maybe they didn’t consider it real coaching experience.”
What happened next?
Cannavaro: “A friend who was a technical director convinced me to take over Benevento in Serie B. I didn’t know the league, but I trusted him. But the team had too many problems. I remember the game against Ternana: we played well in the first half, but couldn’t hold on in the second. Later, I found out four players on the team had COVID-19, but no one told me. Strange injuries, tricky situations. The president fired me.
Then Udinese approached me – I thought it was a good opportunity: a great club with excellent management. We successfully avoided relegation, but that good thing turned into a bad one. The same happened at Dinamo Zagreb: the technical director who signed me was fired, and I told them: ‘The first time I lose a game, you’ll fire me too.’ They denied it at first, but sure enough, they fired me after one loss.
I found myself stuck in this negative cycle, feeling confused and frustrated. I thought: ‘How can this be? Everyone else can coach, but I can’t find a job?’ I wanted to stay in Italy, but then the World Cup coaching opportunity came up. This opportunity is priceless. I also received offers from other Asian national teams, but never considered them. This time, I accepted because it’s a young national team with many talented young players. The Uzbekistan Football Association is investing heavily in national youth academies to cultivate excellent players. Their U17, U19, and U23 teams almost always win championships in Asia. That’s very important to me.”
How have you been received?
Cannavaro: “We watched one or two games every day for a month, and they really appreciated that. They’re not used to that – many foreign coaches only watch a few games and leave. We stayed there for 40 days, traveling to different places to scout because we wanted to integrate into the project immediately. There’s still a lot of work to do: the intensity of the Uzbekistan league is far from that of World Cup opponents. We have to narrow this gap. We will organize additional training camps for local players, monitoring not only their match performance but also their training status.”
What’s your impression of the country?
Cannavaro: “We live in Tashkent, a developing international city with old and new districts. The people are friendly and warm. We’ve adapted well. We also visited Samarkand, a beautiful place. Like everywhere, there are pros and cons. The main downside at the moment is severe pollution. But we’re satisfied with the working conditions. The football association has provided us with a great new sports center.”
What goals have you set for the national team?
Cannavaro: “The World Cup will be a learning experience. The Asian Cup is in six months, and that’s when we’ll know our position. I don’t want to overlook the work that’s already been done – they got the team to the World Cup. I want to improve on their achievements with a more European football philosophy.”
Will any players stand out at the World Cup?
Cannavaro: “A few – they have many excellent young players. Our squad will be quite young. They need to improve because their physical conditions can’t compare with Europeans, but Uzbeks are tough, hardworking, and never give up. They’re a headache to play against. We played Uruguay with nine injured players and not in good form, but my players were resilient. They’re not easy to beat – we only lost 1-2.”
What do you think of the expanded World Cup?
Cannavaro: “Now all competitions are expanding. I like this change because it gives countries like Uzbekistan the chance to participate, which was unimaginable 30 years ago. There may be some boring games or one-sided scorelines initially, but it’s an opportunity for everyone.”
What language do you use to communicate with the players?
Cannavaro: “I try to communicate in English. They can understand. I also have an interpreter. That’s a must in modern football. Me learning Uzbek? It’s too difficult. I need to improve my English first.”
You have a special connection with Asia: Dubai, China, and now Uzbekistan. Why?
Cannavaro: “These are all opportunities, and I’m not good at waiting. I can’t sit still. I hoped to take the ‘conventional’ path, but it didn’t work out. I often think: ‘If I miss this opportunity, I might end up staying at home.’
Udinese was crucial for me: it’s a great, extraordinary club. Life is about crossroads: either seize the opportunity or go elsewhere. Currently, I’m gaining experience elsewhere, but I’m still an Italian coach and hope to return to Italy one day to prove myself.”
How will you arrange the next few months?
Cannavaro: “I’ll spend more time in Uzbekistan. The league will pause soon, and then we’ll focus on players playing in Europe. Starting in March, we’ll be based there full-time.”
What’s the level of the local league?
Cannavaro: “It needs to improve. There’s a lack of large-scale investment, and infrastructure needs development. It’s a league that needs improvement in many aspects. Will Uzbekistan be a dark horse at the World Cup? I hope so, but it must be achieved through hard work, dedication, professionalism, and ability. Dark horses don’t appear out of nowhere.”
Talk about another passion of yours: how did the idea of buying and restoring the “Centro Paradiso” come about?
Cannavaro: “It started after Napoli went bankrupt – this training ground was constantly vandalized. Things were looted, and after years, it became an open garbage dump, a mess. I saw some reports and photos online and felt heartbroken.
My idea is to build a venue where people can exercise and play football – this is my lifelong career. This place carries the history of Napoli, the history of Maradona, and my own personal history. I came here at the age of 10, played youth games here, experienced every step at Napoli, trained with the youth team, was promoted to the first team, and stayed here during training camps. It’s my home.
So I decided to take it over and try to restore it. It’s not easy because it’s just a sports facility with a single pitch. Everyone knows how difficult it is to buy, renovate, and especially manage such a place – we need to make people understand that it must be self-sustaining.
Now the rooms will be converted into student apartments, and we’re trying to create a football school to attract young people and bring it back to life. It can’t stay as it is. It must be reborn, and also contribute to the city of Napoli. This place carries the memories of generations watching Napoli train. It deserves a new lease of life.”
