Rajab Rasulov and his Uzbek counterpart Timur Alimhodzhaev are also happy their boys have such an early chance to train and improve themselves under the care pf none other than the AFC itself.

The two-week AFC U-13 Festival of Football is currently in full swing in the capital of Uzbekistan here for Central Asian MAs which are hosts Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.

Rasulov told the-afc.com: “The AFC Football Festival, which takes place for the fourth consecutive time in the Uzbek capital certainly helps young football players in gaining international experience and to improve technical and tactical skills.

"The Festival of Football has long established itself as a very important football forum. Indeed, in the framework of this festival, youths play matches against their peers from other countries and learn about the game’s regulations.

“The matches help the very young players in gaining international experience, while the training improves their technical and tactical skills."

Rasulov’s opinion is shared by Alimhodzhaev who has noted that that such a festival plays an important role in educating and forming young footballers.

"This festival helps us to acquire the first international experience which will prove useful to us in the coming years as we prepare for the Asian U-16 Championship. I think that the participation in such festivals is just," said Alimhodzhaev.