DUSHANBE, December 17, 2012, Asia-Plus — Dushanbe’s Istiqlol FC will be set to switch kit supplier from Li-Ning (China) to Joma (Spain) as early as 2013, according to reports from Istiqlol’s official website.
The Li-Ning deal expires at the end of this year and Joma will become the new kit supplier of Istiqlol FC as early as 2013-2014.
Istiqlol manager Murodjon Umarov recently was in Spain and visited Joma’s headquarters in Portillo de Toledo. During his working visit, Umarov reportedly met with Mr. Fructuoso Lopez, director-general of Joma and they came to an agreement on partnership.
Joma is a Spanish sports clothing manufacturer, which currently produces footwear and clothing for football, running and tennis. Its headquarters are located in Portillo de Toledo in the Province of Toledo. Joma was founded in 1965 to produce shoes for general use. In 1968 the company went to specialize in sport shoes production and distribution. After a relative success, Joma decided to enter into football market, obtaining a great success and becoming the leader in its country.
FC Istiqlol (Dushanbe) was established in November 2007. In 2008, Istiqlol competed in Tajikistan First Division. The team won all 35 games and qualified for Tajik League. In 2009, in its debut in the Tajik League, Istiqlol finished fourth. The team had some experienced players some young players mostly from Tajikistan national under-17 football team that won bronze in AFC U-17 Championship 2006 and reached round 16 at 2007 FIFA U-17 World Championship. In 2009, the Dushanbe-based club won two trophies – the traditional winter-spring tournament Rustam Doltabayev and the National Cup of the Republic of Tajikistan.
In 2010, Istiqlol made a kind of “hat-trick by winning the Super Bowl, the national cup and league in Tajikistan. Winning the league in Tajikistan in the season-2010, FC Istiqlol for the first time in its history had the right to participate in the CIS Cup and the 2011 AFC President”s Cup.
The two-time champion of Tajikistan, Istiqlol has got the most resounding victory in its history this year. In the final match of AFC President”s Cup 2012, which was held in Dushanbe”s Central Republican Stadium the team won willed victory over the Palestinian “Al-Ammari” with the score 2-1 and became the holders of the honorary trophy.
