Former Indian football coach Rustam Akramov has passed away at the age of 73. He breathed his last at his Patrik location in Uzbekistan. Under the guidance of Akramov, India's legendary footballer Baichung Bhutia made his international debut in 1995 and the team has also won its best FIFA rankings. According to the official website of the National Olympic Committee of Uzbekistan, the legendary coach of Uzbekistan died on Tuesday, February 15. Uzbekistan's Olympic body said, "The Uzbekistan National Olympic Committee and the Council of Sports Veterans of Uzbekistan have expressed our condolences to Rustam Akramov's family and friends in the context of his death. ’’
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has also condoled the death of Akramov who was in charge of the national team from 1995 to 1997. The AIFF posted on its Twitter handle that "We mourn the passing away of Rustam Akramov, former head coach of the Indian national team. May God give peace to his soul. During his brief tenure, Akramov could not win any major trophy but under his guidance, the young Bhutia of Sikkim has been given an opportunity to make his international debut in the Nehru Cup match against Thailand in March 1995. Under Akramov's guidance, apart from legends like IM Vijayan, Carlton Chapman and Bruno Coutinho, the young Bhutia is part of the Indian football team.
Under Akramov's guidance, the Indian team has reached its best ranking of 94th in February 1996. Apart from this, the Indian team had reached the 96th ranking in 2017 and 2018. Akramov was born in 1948 near Tashkent. He was the first coach of independent Uzbekistan. The Uzbekistan national team has also won the Hiroshima Asian Games (1994) and the Central Asian Championships during his two-year tenure from 1992-1994. Akramov has also played a major role in the development of Uzbekistan and former Soviet football during his career.
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