Fortunately, the bribery scandal isn’t the only FIFA-related news in soccer these days. Fans of the world’s most popular sport are also watching the Central Asian country and former Soviet republic Kyrgyzstan. Why? On November 17, 2015, in a history-making win, Kyrgyzstan’s national soccer team defeated the favored Jordan team to earn an all-time high FIFA ranking. The Kyrgyzstan team moved up 16 spots, the highest moving team in Asia, to number 108.
This win has put Kyrgyzstan on the soccer map. The president of the Football Federation of Kyrgyz Republic, Semetei Sultanov, noted that his team’s success is helping it get more attention throughout his country—including the media and government—as well as soccer clubs in other countries.
“Everyone sees our improved results, and not just the results but the way we play,” Sultanov said in a recent press release. “We had been sleeping for a long time when everyone was working. So it was time to get back into the race.”
The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup will be held in Moscow, Russia in 2018. Kyrgyzstan is a part of the Asian Group B team which also includes Australia, Jordan, Tajikistan and Bangladesh. Currently in round two, the winner of this group will advance to round three, which begins in August 2016. Kyrgyzstan now sits at number three in the group ranking.
Kyrgyzstan (now the Kyrgyz Republic) borders China and became an independent country in 1991 when the Soviet Union fell apart. It is home to nearly 6 million people and plagued by a poor economy and political unrest. In 2013, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission was established in Kyrgyzstan, headed up by Michael Greene. USAID has worked in Kyrgyzstan to support the country’s emergence as Central Asia’s first parliamentary democracy.
Supporters and aid organizations do have their work cut out for them. Chief among the problems hampering the country’s progress is increased terrorism threats. Recently its government authorities implemented measures in an attempt to curb growth of religious extremism and fundamental Islam. The country’s economic and social problems are certainly compounding these risks.
A soccer win certainly isn’t going to do much to combat these threats. However, the team’s accomplishment can raise much-needed morale. Historically, sports in developing countries have been a way to boost the esteem of a country, even pushing it to a higher level of international regard. Sporting events can also positively affect a country’s economy through tourism, job creation, product sales, etc.
As round two continues, definitely keep an eye on Kyrgyzstan’s national soccer team. It’s clear that 2015 has been an incredible year for the coach and players, and they are in the running to advance toward the World Cup. If not, they are still a team to watch in the future. The world loves an underdog.