November 3
Italian Coach’s Tenure Ends Abruptly
It appears that Italian Fabio Cannavaro, head coach of the Uzbekistan national team, will be the first casualty of the decision to postpone the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, which is set to be held in Saudi Arabia.
On Tuesday, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced the postponement of the AFC Asian Cup—originally scheduled to begin in January 2027—to December of the same year.
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano stated that Cannavaro might decide to step down from his position as head coach of the Uzbekistan national team, following the postponement of the Asian tournament.
The Italian coach has been at the helm of the Uzbekistan national team since October of last year. He led the side through the 2026 World Cup, where they lost all three of their group-stage matches—against Colombia, Portugal, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Cannavaro’s next challenge was set to be leading the Uzbek team in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, for which they were drawn into a balanced group alongside Jordan, North Korea, and Bahrain.
With the Asian tournament now postponed, Uzbekistan has no official matches scheduled for the coming months—a situation that could prompt Cannavaro to step down from his position.
