The Festival in Tashkent will go on until March 26 with the participation of talented youngsters from Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and hosts Uzbekistan.

An AFC ‘C’ certificate coaching course, preparatory course for referees, head coaches workshop and an S2S programme will be held in the first week of the Festival to prepare them for the matches towards the second week.

Akramov has big hope for the 20 participants who are set to undergo the AFC ‘C’ certificate coaching course.

"This is a unique opportunity for all of you to learn. It will be very useful for you all in the future,” said Akramov in his opening speech. "The role of a coach is not easy and it is a complex profession. There are many things that you need to learn."

Akramov also hailed the AFC for this project.

"This is a fantastic project from the governing body. We in Uzbekistan are very grateful to AFC for giving us yet another chance to be the host of this fantastic event."

The Tashkent Festival is the second of five Festivals for various regions of Asia this year.

The West Asia’s Festival was held from February 21 to March 6 in Doha, Qatar . After Tashkent, it will be followed by the East Asian Festival from April 14-27 in Beijing , China . South Asia will celebrate their Festival from May 10-23 in Hamedan City, Iran while the Asean event is scheduled for May 24 to June 6 in Kota Kinabalu in the Malaysian province of Sabah.

The Festivals are less about competition and more about providing an arena for talented juniors from their respective regions to play against each other and forge bonds of friendship.