‘It’s brought the country together’
Petar Segrt, the man who led Tajikistan to the quarterfinals of their first-ever Asian Cup, reflects on the epic journey after stepping down from his role as head coach
“When I went back to Tajikistan, I know how Ronaldo and Messi felt: everyone wanted my picture”
Walking away at the top is hard but after bringing unprecedented levels of success to the footballing backwater of Tajikistan, Petar Segrt has done just that.
After winning the 2022 King’s Cup in Thailand and the Merdeka Tournament in Malaysia last October, the veteran Croatian took his unheralded side to the quarter-finals of this year’s Asian Cup in Qatar – then quit.
“It was so much better than everyone expected; it was a sensation,” says Segrt. “People thought we could maybe get to the second round but not the quarterfinals. In Tajikistan, it’s the biggest success, and not just in football, it’s brought the whole country together.”
Tajikistan were drawn in a tough group alongside the hosts, Lebanon and China. After a 0-0 draw with the latter, Segrt’s side lost a tight game with Qatar by a single goal in front of 57,460 fans, before a make-or-break clash against Lebanon. A stoppage-time goal from Nuriddin Khamrokulov of Regar-TadAZ gave Tajikistan a 2-1 victory and the runners-up spot behind Qatar.
“It was unbelievable when we won that game, it was when heroes were made,” says Segrt. “When we beat the United Arab Emirates in the next round [5-3 on penalties after a1-1 draw] it was like we had won the Asian Cup.
“We lost [1-0] to Jordan but they were very good and reached the final, and now I am empty of energy. When I went back to Tajikistan, I know how Ronaldo and Messi felt: everyone wanted my picture and it was too much. It was so much more than me. It was the rest of the coaching staff and the players. The real heroes are the players.”
Segrt was able to draw on a 27-year record as a coach, including spells in charge of Georgia, Afghanistan and the Maldives, when he took over Tajikistan. He explains: “I know how to behave. I have been working in Muslim countries for12-13 years and Tajikistan is also close to Russia. You need to be strong and know when to lead, but the biggest thing was to bring harmony and to bring rules and establish relationships based on respect. The players need to respect everyone from the kit man upwards.”
Tajikistan’s eye-catching performance will undoubtedly now generate overseas interest in their players like Istiklol winger Ehson Panjshanbe, who impressed and was included in many pundits’ Team of the Tournament. “At the tournament, we had11 players playing outside but now people are interested in the Tajikistan players. Everyone can see how strong they are and more people will be interested,” says Segrt.
According to the 57-year-old, he was approached by two “Arab countries”
during the tournament but was not interested. “Everyone was talking about it because it was crazy money, but I said to stop talking about it until after the tournament,” explains Segrt, who has left on good terms and returned to Germany for a rest.
Under Segrt, Tajikistan also made a good start to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, denied a win over Jordan in a1-1 draw in Dushanbe by a late goal before thrashing Pakistan 6-1 in Islamabad. It is not surprising, then, that the federation have opted for continuity: Segrt’s assistant, former Georgia international Gela Shekiladze, has stepped into the hot seat. A doubleheader against Saudi Arabia was a tough baptism of fire for him but, given the nation’s heroics at the Asian Cup, they will believe anything is now possible.