 | |||
| Full name | Football Club Istiklol Dushanbe | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | The Lions (Tajik:Шерҳо,romanized: Sherho) | ||
| Short name | Istiklol | ||
| Founded | 1 November 2007; 18 years ago (2007-11-01) | ||
| Ground | Central Republican Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 20,000 | ||
| Chairman | Shohruh Saidzoda[1] | ||
| Manager | Vitaly Levchenko | ||
| League | Ligai Olii Tojikiston | ||
| 2025 | Ligai Olii Tojikiston, 1st of 10 (champions) | ||
| Website | fc-istiklol | ||
 Current season | |||
Football Club Istiklol (Tajik:Клуби Футболи Истиқлол,romanized: Klubi futboli «Istiqlol») is a Tajik professionalfootball club owned by Maldivian Conglomerate Maziya. Founded in 2007, the club competes in theLigai Olii Tojikiston, the top flight ofTajik football league system. It was founded to commemorate theIndependence of Tajikistan;Istiklol inTajik Persian means 'independence'.
IstiklolDushanbe was established in November 2007, under the Presidency ofShohruh Saidov. In 2008, Istiklol competed in the Dushanbe Group of the Second Division under head coachKanoat Latifov, winning all 30 league games with a +154 goal difference and winning promotion to theTajik League.[2]
In2009, in their debut in theTajik League, led by new head coachSalohiddin Gafurov, the team finished fourth.[3] The team had some experienced players and some young players mostly fromTajikistan national under-17 football team that won bronze inAFC U-17 Championship 2006 and reached round 16 at2007 FIFA U-17 World Championship, winning two trophies – the traditional winter-spring tournamentRustam Doltabaev and theTajik Cup.[3]Dilshod Vasiev scored the club's first Tajik League goal in their 2–0 victory overRavshan Kulob on 4 April 2009.[4]
In 2010, under coachAlimzhon Rafikov the team won the Super Cup,[3] the national cup andleague.[5] In the firstTajik Super Cup, defeating three-time national championVakhsh Qurghonteppa 2–0, following two goals fromDilshod Vasiev in extra time.[3] In the final of the 2010 Tajik Cup, which traditionally takes place on 5 October – the birthday of the country's PresidentEmomali Rahmon, Istiqlol with large score 5–0 defeatedFK Khujand.[5] Following victory in the2010 Tajik League, FC Istiqlol qualified for the first time for both theCIS Cup and the2011 AFC President's Cup.[6] 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, withMubin Ergashev taking over in a caretaker capacity.[7]
As of January 2014 the club's manager has beenMubin Ergashev.[citation needed]
On 22 November 2015,Manuel Bleda scored the club's 500thleague goal.[8] Istiklol's 4–2 victory overBarki 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 againstKhayr Vahdat. During this run Istiklol have scored 146 goals, conceding just 17.[9] Also, the team was qualified for the2015 AFC Cup final againstJohor Darul Ta'zim F.C. ofMalaysia, 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 inDushanbe.[10]
On 10 July 2016, Istiklol fired their entire coaching staff, including managerMubin Ergashev.[11] Three days later, 13 July 2016, Istiklol announcedNikola Lazarevic as their new manager.[12]
On 25 September 2016, Istiklol suffered their firstLeague defeat since 3 November 2013, a stretch of 51 games, 2–1 away toRavshan Kulob.[13] On 29 October 2016, Istiklol defeatedBarki Tajik 5–1, to claim their fifthTajik League title.[14] Two days later, 31 October 2016, Istiklol announced that they had appointedMukhsin Mukhamadiev for the 2017 season.[15] On 18 September 2017, Istiklol defeatedPanjshir 5–0 to secure their sixthTajik League title.[16] On 18 October 2017, Istiklol drew 2–2 withBengaluru in the second leg of their Inter-zone play-off final, progressing to the final of theAFC Cup for the second time in three seasons.[17] On 4 November 2017, Istiklol were defeated 1–0 byAl-Quwa Al-Jawiya thanks to a second halfEmad Mohsin goal.[18][19]
After being knocked out of the2018 AFC Cup at the group stage, managerMukhsin Mukhamadiev resigned as manager six-days later on 22 May 2018, withAlisher Tukhtaev being appointed as acting head coach.[20]
On 3 December 2018,Khakim Fuzailov was announced as Istiklol's new manager.[21] Fuzailov resigned as manager of Istiklol on 27 June 2019 after they failed to progress from the group stages of theAFC Cup, withAlisher Tukhtaev being appointed as Caretaker Manager in his place.[22] On 27 September 2019, Istiklol beatKuktosh 6–1, to secure their eighth Tajik League title.[23] On 24 November 2019, Istiklol won 4–2 penalties to clinch their eighthTajik Cup title.[24]
On 21 January 2020, Istiklol defeatedLokomotiv Tashkent 1–0, to win their first everAFC Champions League match.[25]AfterMubin Ergashev took charge of Istiklol for their two AFC Champions League matches,Vitaly Levchenko was appointed as the club's new manager on 17 February 2020, withAlisher Tukhtaev returning to an assistants role.[26]
On 10 September 2020, the2020 AFC Cup was cancelled.[27] 10 days later, 20 September 2020, Istiklol drew 1–1 withKhatlon to secure their ninthleague title and seventh in a row.[28]
On 13 April, Istiklol announced former managerMubin Ergashev as their interim manager for theirAFC Champions League group games due to having the required Pro Coaching LicenseVitaly Levchenko did not.[29] Istiklol finished their first AFC Champions Leaguegroup stage top of their group, which includedAl Hilal,Shabab Al Ahli andAGMK, qualifying for theknockout stage where they facedPersepolis.[30][31]
On 21 June 2021,Ryota Noma scored the club's 800thleague goal.[32] On 21 November 2021, Istiklol defeatedDushanbe-83 8–0 to secure their 10th league title, and 8th in a row.[33]On 27 June 2022,Vitaly Levchenko and his coaching staff left Istiklol after their contracts expired,[34] with Assistant ManagerAlisher Tukhtaev being placed in interim charger.[35]
On 29 October 2022,Alisher Tukhtaev guided Istiklol to their ninthTajik Cup title with a 5–3 victory on penalties overKuktosh Rudaki after the match finished 2–2.[36] Six days later, 4 November 2022, Istiklol beatKhatlon 1–0 to secure their 11thTajikistan Higher League title, and 9th in a row.[37]
On 18 January 2023,Igor Cherevchenko was appointed as the new Head Coach of Istiklol on a one-year contract.[38]
On 1 November 2023, Istiklol defeatedRavshan Kulob 4–2 on penalties in the2023 Tajikistan Cup Final, after an initial 1–1 draw, to claim their 10thTajikistan Cup title.[39] A month later, on 1 December 2023, Istiklol defeatedKuktosh Rudaki 4–1 to secure their 10th league title in a row, and 12th overall.[40]On 11 February 2024, Istiklol announced thatIgor Cherevchenko,Yuri Baturenko,Alisher Tukhtaev and Lilia Sidorkina had all left the club after their contracts had expired.[41] On 15 March 2024, Istiklol announced thatNikola Lazarevic had been appointed as their new Head Coach on a one-year contract.[42]
On 19 June 2024,Ehson Panjshanbe scored the club's 1,000thleague goal.[43]
On 4 October 2024, Istiklol announced the return ofIgor Cherevchenko as their Head Coach afterNikola Lazarevic had left his role as Head Coach in mid September 2024.[44] On 1 November 2024, Istiklol were crowned Champions of Tajikistan for the thirteenth time, after closest challengersKhujand were defeated 1–0 byVakhsh Bokhtar.[45]
On 8 December 2025, Istiklol secured their 14thTajikistan title after a 1–1 draw withVakhsh Bokhtar, and qualified for the2026–27 AFC Challenge League in the process.[46] On 29 December 2025, Istiklol announced that the contracts ofIgor Cherevchenko and his coaching staff had expired and that they had left the club.[47]
On 3 February 2026, Istiklol announced the appointment ofVitaly Levchenko as their new Head Coach on a contract until the end of 2026.[48]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2010–2012 | Li-Ning[49] | |
| 2013–2016 | Joma[50] | Dushanbe International Airport |
| 2017–2019 | Avesto | |
| 2020– | Siyoma | |
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC President's Cup | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 7 |
| AFC Cup | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 69 | 55 |
| AFC Champions League | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 21 | 33 |
| AFC Champions League Two | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 25 |
| AFC Challenge League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 86 | 33 | 17 | 36 | 118 | 120 |
Istiklol was founded[56] and is said to be owned byRustam Emomali, the son and heir apparent of the President of Tajikistan,Emomali Rahmon,[57] who also served captain of the team until 2012. On 14 June 2011, a Istiklol victory after a disputed play was awarded to them by referees led to violent riots that saw 16 people injured and at least 20 arrested.[57] In 2012, five players of rival teamRavshan Kulob were sanctioned with suspensions or fines for "unruly behavior" after defeating Istiklol 1–0.[56]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Foreign players who've played for Istiklol.[76] Players whose name is listed inbold represented their countries while playing for Istiklol.
Oybek AbdugafforovJahongir AlievSiyovush AsrorovNozim BabadjanovSheriddin BoboyevTabrezi DavlatmirNuriddin DavronovAlisher DzhalilovIskandar DzhalilovManuchekhr DzhalilovZoir DzhuraboyevDavronjon ErgashevJahongir ErgashevFatkhullo FatkhulloyevDaler ImomnazarovOdil IrgashevJakhongir JalilovRomish JalilovAmirbek JuraboevBakhtior KalandarovAlidzhon KaromatullozodaVakhdat KhanonovMukhriddin KhasanovAkmal KholmatovShokhrukh KirgizboevKhurshed MakhmudovShervoni MabatshoevAkhtam NazarovEhson PanjshanbeYusuf RabievEraj RajabovMukhammadzhon RakhimovManuchekhr SafarovKamil SaidovShahrom SamievFaridoon SharipovUmedzhon SharipovMahmadali SodikovRustam SoirovShakhrom SulaymonovSokhib SuvonkulovFarkhod TokhirovKomron TursunovAlisher TuychievNaim UlmasovParvizdzhon UmarbayevDilshod VasiyevFarkhod VasiyevRustam YatimovIslom Zoirov
Artur KartashyanRuslan Koryan
Uladzislaw KasmyninSergey TikhonovskyMikalay Zyanko
Dmitry BarkovNikita Chicherin Shams Dzhumabaev Aleksandr KudryashovArtyom Petrenko Ruslan RafikovKirill SuslovViktor Svezhov Robert Zhilin
Wahyt Orazsähedow
Artem BaranovskyiOleksandr HarbarHlib HrachovOleksandr KablashPetro KovalchukOleksiy LarinAndriy MishchenkoTemur PartsvaniaOleksandr Stetsenko
Jahongir Abdumominov Marlen Chobanov Jalil Kimsanov Mukhammad IsaevDavron Mirzaev Farkhod Yuldoshev
Rudolf Turkaj
Dženis Beganović
Dimitar MitkovPetar Patev
Ivan Novoselec
Alexander Frank
Francesco Margiotta
Darko Ilieski
Hüseyin Doğan
Mihajlo CakićSlavko LukićMarko Milić Nikola Stošić
José Ballester
Khomid Golami
Matthew Millar
Manolo Bleda
Mehdi ChahjouyiReza DehghaniMojtaba MoghtadaeiSiavash Hagh Nazari Hossein Sohrabi
Ryota NomaKeita Suzuki
Eric Bocoum
Iddris Aminu Benjamin Awuku Silvanus EvansDavid Mawutor
Cédric GogouaSenin Sebai
Blessing ElekeJoshua AkpudjePaul KomolafeLawrence NicholasJoseph Okoro
Eugene SseppuyaManagement team[77]
| Name | Years | League | Tajikistan Cup | Tajik Supercup | Asia | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manuchekhr Dzhalilov | 2015–2017 2020–Present | 141 (148) | 29 (27) | 1 (7) | 17 (50) | 188 (232) |
| 2 | Dilshod Vasiyev | 2009–2019 | 87+ (104+) | 28+ (30+) | 4 (7) | 12 (42) | 131 (183+) |
| 3 | Khudoidod Nusratov | 2008–2010 | 88 (?) | ? (?) | 0 (1) | - (-) | 88 (?) |
| 4 | Yusuf Rabiev | 2009–2012 | 83 (?) | ? (?) | 1 (3) | 1 (9) | 85 (12+) |
| 5 | Alisher Dzhalilov | 2019–2022 2023–Present | 57 (112) | 7 (20) | 1 (6) | 6 (31) | 71 (168) |
| 6 | Fatkhullo Fatkhulloyev | 2008–2017 2018–2019 | 45+ (103+) | 12+ (27+) | 1 (9) | 11 (51) | 69 (190+) |
| 7 | Sheriddin Boboev | 2015–2020 | 40 (64) | 12 (14) | 0 (2) | 1 (12) | 53 (92) |
| 8 | Rustam Soirov | 2020–2022 2024–Present | 39 (78) | 4 (12) | 2 (5) | 2 (25) | 47 (120) |
| 9 | Ehson Panjshanbe | 2016–2020 2023–2024 2025 | 30 (112) | 8 (26) | 0 (4) | 2 (35) | 40 (177) |
| 10 | Shervoni Mabatshoev | 2021–2024 | 28 (74) | 7 (21) | 0 (3) | 0 (19) | 35 (117) |
Information correct as of match played 24 December 2025. Only competitive matches are counted, Managers initalics were hired as interim orcaretaker managers.
| Name | From | To | Duration | P | W | D | L | GS | GA | Win % | Honours | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikola Kavazović | January 2012 | June 2013 | 1 year, 151 days | 46 | 36 | 6 | 4 | 129 | 22 | 78.26 | AFC Presidents Cup (1) Supercup (1) | |
| Oleg Shirinbekov | July 2013 | 13 January 2014[81] | 226 days | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 5 | 75 | Cup (1) | |
| Mubin Ergashev | 13 January 2014[82] | 10 July 2016[11] | 2 years, 179 days | 78 | 56 | 13 | 9 | 251 | 66 | 71.79 | League (2) Cup (2) Supercup (3) | |
| Nikola Lazarevic | 13 July 2016[12] | 31 December 2016[15] | 153 days | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 62 | 13 | 68.75 | League (1) Cup (1) | |
| Mukhsin Mukhamadiev | 1 January 2017[15] | 22 May 2018[20] | 1 year, 141 days | 53 | 38 | 10 | 5 | 130 | 47 | 71.7 | League (1) Supercup (1) | |
| Alisher Tukhtaev | 22 May 2018[20] | 3 December 2018[21] | 195 days | 20 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 44 | 20 | 75 | League (1) Cup (1) | |
| Khakim Fuzailov | 3 December 2018[21] | 27 June 2019[22] | 206 days | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 44 | 20 | 62.5 | Supercup (1) | |
| Alisher Tukhtaev | 27 June 2019[22] | 31 December 2019 | 187 days | 20 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 62 | 19 | 75 | League (1) | |
| Mubin Ergashev | 1 January 2020 | 17 February 2020 | 47 days | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 50 | ||
| Vitaly Levchenko | 17 February 2020[26] | 27 June 2022[34] | 2 years, 130 days | 59 | 47 | 9 | 3 | 186 | 29 | 79.66 | Supercup (2) League (2) | |
| Mubin Ergashev | 13 April 2021[29] | 14 September 2021 | 154 days | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 42.86 | Took charge of the2021 AFC Champions League matches | |
| Mubin Ergashev | 8 April 2022 | 28 April 2022 | 20 days | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 16.67 | Took charge of the2022 AFC Champions League matches | |
| Alisher Tukhtaev | 27 June 2022[35] | 18 January 2023 | 205 days | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 34 | 12 | 60 | League (1) Cup (1) | |
| Igor Cherevchenko | 18 January 2023[38] | 11 February 2024[41] | 1 year, 24 days | 34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 69 | 25 | 55.88 | League (1) Cup (1) | |
| Nikola Lazarevic | 15 March 2024[42] | 15 September 2024 | 184 days | 20 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 62 | 12 | 90 | Supercup (1) | |
| Alisher Tukhtaev | 15 September 2024 | 4 October 2024[44] | 19 days | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | League (1) Cup (1) | |
| Igor Cherevchenko | 4 October 2024[44] | 29 December 2025[47] | 1 year, 86 days | 43 | 23 | 10 | 10 | 86 | 44 | 53.49 | League (2) Supercup (1) | |
| Vitaly Levchenko | 3 February 2026[48] | 11 days | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
P – Total of played matchesW – Won matchesD – Drawn matchesL – Lost matchesGS – Goal scoredGA – Goals against
%W – Percentage of matches won
Nationality is indicated by the correspondingFIFA country code(s).
(archived 13 January 2011)(in Russian)
