Fabio Cannavaro. Photo: bombardir.ru
Italian coach and former Ballon d’Or winner Fabio Cannavaro has been appointed head coach of Uzbekistan’s national football team, insider Fabrizio Romano has reported.
Cannavaro replaces local specialist Timur Kapadze. According to Championat.Asia, his contract follows a 1+4 system: the long-term agreement will depend on Uzbekistan’s performance at the 2026 World Cup in the United States.
According to Fergana, the short-term nature of the deal had been a stumbling block in negotiations with foreign coaches. Germany’s Joachim Löw, Portugal’s Paulo Bento, and Croatia’s Slaven Bilić all turned down the job, seeking longer contracts with buyout clauses. Cannavaro was reportedly the only well-known figure willing to accept the Football Association of Uzbekistan’s conditions—likely due to his limited experience managing national teams. His only previous stint at that level was with China, where he lost both matches, including a 0–1 defeat to Uzbekistan.
Fabio Cannavaro is a world football star: World Cup winner with Italy, 2006 Ballon d’Or laureate, and a decorated player with top European clubs. As a coach, he won domestic trophies in China with Guangzhou Evergrande and Tianjin. He also managed Italy’s Benevento and Udinese, with limited success. His most recent job was at Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb, where he was dismissed in spring after a shock 0–3 defeat to modest Istra 1961. Dinamo went on to lose the league title.
