Uzbek coach Kamaliddin Tajiev has led the Pakhtakor team since assuming the role of head coach of the first football team in May 2025, with the assistance of Moldovan Emilian Karas, who joined the club in January 2026 as an official assistant coach.
Although Tajiev is the first man within the technical staff, Karas appears more prominently in Asian Champions League matches, especially during press conferences, because the Uzbek coach does not hold the professional coaching license required by the Asian Football Confederation. Therefore, Emilian Karas was officially registered as the "Head Coach" in the tournament, as he holds the UEFA Pro Licence, making him compliant with the licensing regulations of the Asian Football Confederation.
Tajiev began his coaching career as an assistant at Pakhtakor from 2022 to 2025, before officially leading the team since 2025, having managed 64 matches in which he achieved 40 wins, 8 losses, and 16 draws. Under his leadership, the team won the 2025 Uzbekistan Cup, and Tajiev received the Best Coach award in the league in May 2025.
Tajiev is well acquainted with Saudi teams from his playing career, having faced them previously in continental competitions without major victories. In the 2016 Asian Champions League, Pakhtakor lost to Al-Hilal 1-4 and drew 2-2, and lost twice to Al-Shabab with scores of 3-1 and 2-1. He was also eliminated in the quarter-finals in 2009 against Al-Ittihad after a 1-1 draw and a 0-4 loss, drew 2-2 with Al-Nassr in 2011, and beat Al-Ettifaq 2-1 in the Round of 16 of the same season.
Tajiev managed one match as a coach against Saudi teams in the Elite Asian Champions League, when he faced Al-Ahli in the main stage of the 2026-2027 season, and the match ended in a positive 1-1 draw.
Source: Arriyadiyah newspaper
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