There is a new power in Central Asian football that didn’t even exist a year ago.

The Turkmen club Arkadag FC only scored their first ball in a competitive game in April with a 2-1 win over Merv in the country’s top division. They then secured the league title by winning every game in the 24-game league season.

In the end, the champions of the nine-team league scored 83 goals and conceded just 17.

It’s perhaps not so surprising that this entirely new club has become instantly dominant on home soil.

They are one of the projects launched by former President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who was known in the nation of six million as “Arkadag” – a nickname that translates to “hero protector.” The ruler, who took power in 2006, handed over state affairs to his son Serdar Berdimuhamedov in 2022, but is still strong on the political stage.

One of his greatest legacies is the $5 billion construction of a smart city, also known as Arkadag, based in the south of the country near the capital Ashgabat. It quickly became clear that the approximately 70,000 residents of this modern metropolis needed a new club.

Berdymukhamedov senior was not only involved in naming the team, but also designed the logo, which is that of a horse, a recurring image during the president’s term in office, during which he was often depicted riding a horse.

“Basically it’s the national team.”

Ahead of the 2023 season, this new club entered the transfer market and signed most of the country’s top players, including national team captain Arslanmyrat Amanov and star striker Altymyrat Annadurdyyev. In a squad recently named for World Cup qualifying, 14 of the 26 players selected were Arkadag players.

“At some point the president decided to create his own club and now they have the best players,” Alisher Nikimbaev, a former Uzbek national team manager and Asian Football Confederation official, told Al Jazeera.

“This is now basically the national team of Turkmenistan playing in a local competition. You win everything. It’s not a surprise since they have the government behind them, but this is a normal situation in Turkmenistan.”

Turkmenistan has been compared to North Korea in terms of the personality cult that surrounds its leaders and also because it is one of the most secretive, isolated and authoritarian countries in the world.

According to Al Jazeera sources, there was discontent among fans of other clubs that the transfer window was extended to allow Arkadag to complete all the player signings he wanted. There have also been complaints about supposedly positive referee decisions, such as a controversial decision in the final seconds against Sagadam in November that secured a 3-2 win.

“Publicly there are no objections because people here are used to living under a dictatorship and not saying what they think,” Nikimbaev said.

It’s also hard to say what kind of enthusiasm there is in the new city for the new team. The 10,000-seat Arkadag Stadium is full on match days, but Nikimbaev pointed out that the stands appear regimented.

“There aren’t many fans, it’s all organized and there are groups that all come in the same uniform.”

Central Asia

The story of Arkadag is not unique to the region. In 2013, Astana FC was merged into Astana Presidential Sports Club, a project of then-President Nursultan Nazarbayev, which received financial support from Samruk-Kazyna, a sovereign wealth fund founded by Nazarbayev in 2008.

The club then won the country’s next six league titles and played in the UEFA Champions League, the most prestigious club competition in the world.

In 2008, Uzbekistan made headlines around the world when Bunyodkor FC signed Brazilian superstar Rivaldo and then played a friendly against Barcelona. The Tashkent club, which went on to win five of the next six league titles and reached the last four of the Asian Champions League in 2009, was closely linked to Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of President Islam Karimov.

“It’s part of a campaign by the president to win the popularity of his daughter,” said former British ambassador to the country Craig Murray in 2009. “I understand that she will replace him as president at some point.” The regime is trying to to gain popularity using the old-fashioned bread-and-circuses method.”

It didn’t work as she was imprisoned after her father’s death in 2016.

Over in Dushanbe, Istiklol have dominated the Tajik league since 2007. It was co-founded by President Emomali Rahmon’s son. Rustam Emomali also continued to play for the team and only quit in 2012, when he became president of the country’s football association.

Istiklol even made it to the Asian Champions League, the continent’s premier club competition, defeating Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia in 2021.

At that time, Mubin Ergashev was the coach.

“Arkadag has a project and a plan, and like Istiklol, they need time and understanding between their players,” Ergashev, who also coached the Tajikistan national team, told Al Jazeera, adding that they may need to improve their squad as foreign players struggle in Asia for trophies.

When domestic rule is complete, that is the next step. Arkadag will take part in the AFC Cup, the continent’s second-tier competition.

“They have the best players, so maybe in the short term the club can achieve something in Asia,” Nikimbaev said. “In the long term it will not be successful as Arkadag’s dominance will reduce the level of competition in Turkmenistan.”

Istiklol reached the AFC Cup final in 2015 and 2017, but Ergashev is unsure whether there will be international glory for Arkadag – both club and former president.

“We have to wait and see what happens when they play next year,” Ergashev said.

The coach is also worried about the level of the league in Turkmenistan if things continue to be too easy for Arkadag FC.

“It’s not good when the best team in a country has no rival.”