) , image = FC Istiklol.png , image_size = 200px , founded = , ground =

Central Republican Stadium The Markazii Tojikiston Stadium (russian: Центральный республиканский стадион Душанбе; tg, Варзишгоҳи марказии Тоҷикистон, Varzishgohi Markazii Tojikiston), also known as Pamir S ...

, capacity = 20,000 , chairman = Shohruh SaidzodaIstiplol Dushanbe squad list
at Tajik FA website , manager =

Khodadad Azizi Khodadad Azizi ( fa, خداداد عزیزی; born 22 June 1971) is an Iranian football coach and former player who played as a striker. Club career After playing for a few clubs in Iran and following his performance in Asia, he moved to Germa ...

, league = Ligai Olii Tojikiston , season =

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

, position = Ligai Olii Tojikiston, 1st of 10 (champions) , website = http://fc-istiklol.tj/ , current = 2022 FC Istiklol season , pattern_la1 = _jomaessential2rw , pattern_ra1 = _jomaessential2rw , pattern_b1 = _jomaessential2rw , pattern_so1 = _itauna16h , leftarm1 = FF0000 , body1 = FF0000 , rightarm1 = FF0000 , shorts1 = 000000 , socks1 = 000000 , pattern_la2 = _jomaessential2wnr , pattern_b2 = _jomaessential2wnr , pattern_ra2 = _jomaessential2wnr , leftarm2 = FFFFFF , body2 = FFFFFF , rightarm2 = FFFFFF , shorts2 = FFFFFF , socks2 = FFFFFF Football Club Istiklol ( tg, Клуби Футболи Истиқлол, Klubi futboli «Istiqlol»), ( fa, باشگاه فوتبال استقلال دوشنبه), is a Tajik professional football club based in

Dushanbe Dushanbe ( tg, Душанбе, ; ; russian: Душанбе) is the capital and largest city of Tajikistan. , Dushanbe had a population of 863,400 and that population was largely Tajik. Until 1929, the city was known in Russian as Dyushambe (ru ...

. Founded in 2007, the club competes in the Ligai Olii Tojikiston, the top flight of Tajik football league system. It was founded to commemorate the Independence of Tajikistan; ''Istiklol'' in Tajik means 'independence'.

History

Early years (2007–2009)

Istiklol

was established in November 2007, under the Presidency of Shohruh Saidov. In 2008, Istiklol competed in the Dushanbe Group of the Second Division under the guidance of head coach Kanoat Latifov, winning all 30 league games with a +154 goal difference and winning promotion to the

Tajik League The Ligai Olii Tojikiston ( Tajik: ''Лигаи Олии Тоҷикистон'') or Tajikistan Higher League ( fa, لیگ عالی فوتبال تاجیکستان, Russian: ''Высшая лига Таджикистана'') is the top division ...

. In 2009, in their debut in the

, led by new head coach Salohiddin Gafurov, the team finished fourth.Tajikistan 2009
at RSSSF.com The team had some experienced players and some young players mostly from Tajikistan national under-17 football team that won bronze in

AFC U-17 Championship 2006 The 2006 AFC U-17 Championship was the 12th competition of the AFC U-17 Championship organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which was held between 3 and 19 September 2006 in Singapore. Japan won their second title with a 4–2 win a ...

and reached round 16 at

2007 FIFA U-17 World Championship The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2007, the twelfth edition of the tournament, was held in South Korea between 18 August and 9 September 2007. For this event, the number of teams had been expanded from 16 to 24, with the top two of each group and the four ...

, winning two trophies – the traditional winter-spring tournament '' Rustam Doltabaev'' and the

Tajik Cup The Jomi Tojikiston ( Tajiki: ''Ҷоми Тоҷикистон''), ( fa, جام حذفی تاجیکستان), or Tajikistan Cup is the top knockout football tournament of Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; rus ...

. Dilshod Vasiev scored the club's first Tajik League goal in their 2–0 victory over Ravshan Kulob on 4 April 2009.

2010s

In 2010, under coach Alimzhon Rafikov the team won the Super Cup, the national cup and league. In the first Tajik Super Cup, defeating three-time national champion

Vakhsh Qurghonteppa , founded = (renamed FC Khatlon) , ground = Tsentralnyi StadiumBokhtar, Tajikistan , capacity = 10,000 , chairman = , manager = Asliddin Khabibullaev , league = Tajikistan Higher League , season = 2021 , position = 5th , pa ...

2–0, following two goals from Dilshod Vasiev in extra time. In the final of the 2010 Tajik Cup, which traditionally takes place on October 5 – the birthday of the country's President

Emomali Rahmon Emomali Rahmon (; born Emomali Sharipovich Rahmonov, tg, Эмомалӣ Шарӣпович Раҳмонов, script=Latn, italic=no, Emomalī Sharīpovich Rahmonov; ; born 5 October 1952) has been the 3rd President of Tajikistan since 16 Novem ...

, Istiqlol with large score 5–0 defeated FK Khujand.Tajikistan 2010
at RSSSF.com Following victory in the 2010 Tajik League, FC Istiqlol qualified for the first time for both the CIS Cup and the 2011 AFC President's Cup. On 20 March 2012, Istiklol's contract with Rafikov had expired at the end of the 2011 season and they had decided not to renew it, with

Mubin Ergashev Mubin Asrorovich Ergashev (russian: Мубин Асрорович Эргашев; born 6 October 1973) is a Tajik professional football former player and current head coach of Lokomotiv-Pamir and Tajikistan U19. Ergashev is also currently the Int ...

taking over in a caretaker capacity. As of January 2014 the club's manager has been

. On 22 November 2015, Manuel Bleda scored the club's 500th league goal. Istiklol's 4–2 victory over Barki Tajik on 17 April 2016, saw the club stretch their unbeaten run in the Tajik League to 40 games, with their last defeat occurring in November 2013 against Khayr Vahdat. During this run Istiklol have scored 146 goals, conceding just 17. Also, the team was qualified for the 2015 AFC Cup final against Johor Darul Ta'zim F.C. of

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, in which both teams were the finalist for the first time in the competition. Istiklol were defeated by the team with the score of 1–0 on the home soil in

. On 10 July 2016, Istiklol fired their entire coaching staff, including manager

. Three days later, 13 July 2016, Istiklol announced Nikola Lazarevic as their new manager. On 25 September 2016, Istiklol suffered their first League defeat since 3 November 2013, a stretch of 51 games, 2–1 away to Ravshan Kulob. On 29 October 2016, Istiklol defeated Barki Tajik 5–1, to claim their fifth

title. Two days later, 31 October 2016, Istiklol announced that they had appointed Mukhsin Mukhamadiev for the 2017 season. On 18 September 2017, Istiklol defeated Panjshir 5–0 to secure their sixth

title. On 18 October 2017, Istiklol drew 2–2 with Bengaluru in the second leg of their Inter-zone play-off final, progressing to the final of the AFC Cup for the second time in three seasons. On 4 November 2017, Istiklol were defeated 1–0 by

Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya ( ar, نادي القوة الجوية الرياضي, lit=Air Force Club) is an Iraqi sports club based in Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraqi Premier League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 193 ...

thanks to a second half Emad Mohsin goal. After being knocked out of the

2018 AFC Cup The 2018 AFC Cup was the 15th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya won the title for the third consecutive year, defeating Altyn Asyr in the fi ...

at the group stage, manager Mukhsin Mukhamadiev resigned as manager six-days later on 22 May 2018, with

Alisher Tukhtaev Alisher Tukhtaev (born 17 December 1975) is a retired Tajikistani footballer who played for the Tajikistan national football team and current coach at FC Istiklol. Career Managerial On 22 May 2018 Tukhtaev was appointed as acting Head Coach of F ...

being appointed as acting head coach. On 3 December 2018, Khakim Fuzailov was announced as Istiklol's new manager. Fuzailov resigned as manager of Istiklol on 27 June 2019 after they failed to progress from the group stages of the AFC Cup, with

being appointed as Caretaker Manager in his place. On 27 September 2019, Istiklol beat Kuktosh 6–1, to secure their eighth Tajik League title. On 24 November 2019, Istiklol won 4–2 penalties to clinch their eighth

title.

2020s

On 21 January 2020, Istiklol defeated

Lokomotiv Tashkent PFC Lokomotiv Tashkent ( uz, Lokomotiv Toshkent Professional Futbol Klubi) is an Uzbek professional football club based in Tashkent. The owner and main sponsor of the club is a state-owned company Uzbek Railways. History Lokomotiv was founded i ...

1–0, to win their first ever AFC Champions League match. After

took charge of Istiklol for their two AFC Champions League matches,

Vitaliy Levchenko Vitaly Grigoryevich Levchenko (russian: Виталий Григорьевич Левченко; born 28 March 1972, in Tajik SSR) is a Tajikistani retired international footballer and current manager of Neftchi Fergana. Previously Levchenko wa ...

was appointed as the club's new manager on 17 February 2020, with

returning to an assistants role. On 10 September 2020, the

2020 AFC Cup The 2020 AFC Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Cup, Asia's secondary club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The competition was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic after group stage matches on 11 March ...

was cancelled. 10 days later, 20 September 2020, Istiklol drew 1–1 with

Khatlon Khatlon Region ( tg, Вилояти Хатлон, ''Viloyati Xatlon''), one of the four provinces of Tajikistan ( tg, вилоят, ''Viloyat''), is the most populous of the four first level administrative regions. It is situated in the southwes ...

to secure their ninth league title and seventh in a row. On 13 April, Istiklol announced former manager

as their interim manager for their AFC Champions League group games due to having the required Pro Coaching License

did not. Istiklol finished their first AFC Champions League

group stage A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

top of their group, which included Al Hilal, Shabab Al Ahli and AGMK, qualifying for the knockout stage where they faced

Persepolis , native_name_lang = , alternate_name = , image = Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Ruins of the Gate of All Nations, Persepolis. , map = , map_type ...

. On 21 June 2021,

Ryota Noma is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Career Born in Funabashi, Chiba, Noma played in Japan with Aomori Yamada High School from 2008 to 2010, and with the Meiji University team, between 2010 and 2013. In 2014, he mo ...

scored the club's 800th league goal. On 21 November 2021, Istiklol defeated Dushanbe-83 8–0 to secure their 10th league title, and 8th in a row. On 27 June 2022, Vitaly Levchenko and his coaching staff left Istiklol after their contracts expired, with Assistant Manager

being placed in interim charger. On 29 October 2022,

guided Istiklol to their ninth

title with a 5–3 victory on penalties over Kuktosh Rudaki after the match finished 2-2. Six days later, 4 November 2022, Istiklol beat

1-0 to secure their 11th Tajikistan Higher League title, and 9th in a row.

Sponsorship

Domestic history

Continental history

Honours

Team

;

(11) (record) : 2010, 2011,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, 2015,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

;

(9) (record): 2009, 2010,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, 2015,

; Tajik Supercup (11) (record): 2010, 2011,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, 2015,

;TFF Cup (6): 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 ;

AFC President's Cup The AFC President's Cup was an annual international association football competition between domestic clubs sides run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held between 2005 and 2014. The competition targeted emerging football nations, and wa ...

: Winners (1)

; AFC Cup : Runners-up (2): 2015,

Individual

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

's Most Valuable Player of year 2010:

Yusuf Rabiev Yusuf Rabiev (born 25 May 1979) is a former Tajik International professional footballer, and current Istiklol Youth Team coach. Career International Rabiev won the 2006 AFC Challenge Cup with the Tajik national team, scoring four goals in the ...

Best defender award for year 2010:

Eraj Rajabov ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Dushanbe, Tajikistan , height = , position = Defender , currentclub = Ravshan Zafarobod , clubnumber = , years1 = 2007–2009 , clubs1 = Dynamo Dushanbe , caps1 = , goals1 ...

's Coach of year 2010: Alimzhon Rafikov

Current squad

Out on loan

Notable players

Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for Istiklol. Foreign players who've played for Istiklol. ;Tajikistan ;Former USSR countries ;South America ;Europe ;Asia ;Africa

Club officials

Management team *Interim Head Coach:

*Coach: ''Vacant'' *Goalkeeping Coach: ''Vacant'' *Youth Team Manager: Rustam Kurbanov *Youth Team assistant Manager: Daler Kayosov *Administrator: Odil Irgashev *Doctor: Farrukh Avezov *Physiotherapist: Erkin Dodojonov

Notable managers

''Information correct as of match played 9 November 2022. Only competitive matches are counted.'' *Notes:

References

External links

*
archived
{{DEFAULTSORT:Istiklol Football clubs in Dushanbe Football clubs in Tajikistan 2007 establishments in Tajikistan Association football clubs established in 2007 I

History

Early years (2007–2009)

2010s

2020s

Sponsorship

Domestic history

Continental history

Honours

Team

Individual

Current squad

Out on loan

Notable players

Club officials

Notable managers

See also

References

External links