You know Turkmenistan’s economy must be experiencing serious troubles when the country’s leadership cuts back spending on a vanity project. Such is the case with Arkadag FC, a would-be football colossus whose players were recently told they will not be able to attend training camps in Turkey and the UAE.

The Arkadag club is widely viewed as a living monument to Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who holds the honorary title Arkadag, or protector. Formed in 2023 by Berdymukhamedov, the team includes many players on the national squad and has never lost a game in Turkmen league competition, although observers note referees seem ready to help out with a favorable call when needed. The club’s only defeat in its history occurred last November at the hands of a Kuwaiti team, Al Arabi.

Arkadag’s next big test will be a home-and-away series in March against an Indian side, East Bengal FC, in the AFC Challenge League. It is not unusual for squads preparing for big international matches to repair to a warm weather location for a few weeks of training. Arkadag players were accordingly set to spend some time in Turkey and the UAE before the first leg of the series, but according to a report published by Fergana.agency, those plans have been scrapped and a friendly match originally scheduled for February 11 against an Armenian team cancelled.

Given the circumstances, the cancellation of a foreign training camp stint is unprecedented. Fergana.agency reported, citing a source with insider knowledge, that “Turkmen authorities regard club training camps as an excess, and therefore refuse to finance them.”

While the country has an abundance of natural gas, and earns upwards of $10 billion in gas exports to China, there are numerous signs that the Turkmen economy is hiccupping. For example, a recent report prepared by Civicus, a coalition of civil society groups, stated that municipal workers in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat went several months during last summer without wages being paid. “Employees feared speaking out due to job insecurity and the risks associated with criticizing the government,” the report added. Civicus also called attention to instances of citizens going hungry in the Mary Region.

Meanwhile, one Turkmen team that deserves to be grounded is the national hockey squad, which has been competing in the Asian winter games in Harbin, China. Four members of the Turkmen team were suspended for starting a brawl after suffering a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Hong Kong’s national team on February 9. In an egregious breach of hockey etiquette, the fisticuffs erupted as members of the two teams were going through the traditional post-game handshake line.