Familiar face: Sardor Kulmatov was part of Sogdiana Jizzakh who lost to Kuala Lumpur in the AFC Cup semi-final last year.
PETALING JAYA: Terengganu have fortified their defence by signing an Uzbek “tank” for this season’s Super League challenge.
The Turtles confirmed they have snapped up centreback Sardor Kulmatov from Uzbekistan club Sogdiana Jizzakh on a one-year contract.
Kulmatov was one of the main targets of Terengganu coach Tomislav Steinbruckner after they had released Senegalese centreback Pape Diakite.
The 1.85m (6”) tall Kulmatov is no stranger to Malaysian football fans as he was part of Sogdiana’s team that lost to Kuala Lumpur in the AFC Cup semi-final last year.
The 28-year-old has played more than 150 games for Sogdiana and this is the first time he will be playing outside of Uzbekistan since starting his career in 2012.
And Kulmatov is looking forward to a new challenge, with the hope that he can help Terengganu do well in the Super League, Malaysia, FA and AFC Cups.
“This is the first time I’ll be out of my nation, so I want to make sure that I use this opportunity well because I’m aware that Terengganu are one of the best teams in Malaysia,” said Kulmatov.
“Plus, they have an ardent fanbase, so that adds to my excitement too. I can’t wait to get started with them.”
He got cracking right after being unveiled by the club, as he joined his new teammates for training under assistant coach Badrul Afzan Razali.
Steinbruckner is expected to join the team today as they prepare for the new season’s kick-off on Feb 24.
Terengganu’s other new foreign signings are Thai striker Adisak Kraisorn and Haitian winger Sony Norde. They have extended the contract of Bahraini midfielder Habib Haroon.
As for local players, they have signed winger Nik Shareef Hassefy on a permanent basis from Selangor.
