Former Dynamo Kyiv midfielder and multiple-time Ukrainian champion Maksim Shatskikh has ended his tenure in Kyrgyzstan. The press service of FC Asia officially announced the end of the cooperation with the Ukrainian coach, along with whom his entire coaching staff has left the club. The specialist, who led the team for a full season in the elite of the Kyrgyzstan championship, has already outlined his future plans and publicly spoke about the possibility of returning to the Ukrainian league.
Contract termination: the entire Ukrainian staff has left
As reported by Asia, the decision to end cooperation affected not only the head coach but also his closest assistants. Along with Shatskikh, physical preparation specialist Vitaliy Shpanyuk, analyst coach Mykola Tyshchenko, goalkeeper coach Nikita Shkvirin, and defensive coach Oleg Gerasimyuk left the team. Thus, the entire Ukrainian coaching group that Shatskikh brought with him at the beginning of his work has left the club.
Season results: fourth place in the debut year in the elite
Shatskikh took charge of Asia in November 2025, ahead of the club's debut season in the elite division of the Kyrgyzstan championship. Under his leadership, the team played 34 matches, winning 19, drawing 8, and losing 7. At the end of the season, Asia finished in fourth place, missing the bronze medals by just one point. For a team competing in the top league for the first time, this result was a testament to the stable work of the coaching staff throughout the entire championship.
Openness to UPL offers
In a comment to the 'Ukrainian Football' publication, Shatskikh emphasized that he does not limit himself to Dynamo Kyiv, where he was previously linked by the media, and is open to negotiations with any club in the Ukrainian Premier League. According to the specialist, he is ready to consider specific offers and make decisions as they come, without tying himself to one club in advance.
Position on security: 'Family in Ukraine'
Responding to a question about safety amid the war, the coach stated that he is not afraid to return to Ukraine. "If there is a concrete offer, I will think about it. The security situation? I'm not afraid of anything. My family is in Ukraine. My wife, daughters, son-in-law (Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Mykola Shaparenko — ed.), and granddaughter. As soon as there is a concrete offer, I will take a ticket and fly to Ukraine," said Shatskikh. These words emphasize that personal attachment to the country and family closeness are the deciding factors for the specialist when choosing his next workplace.
Career path: from Dynamo to Kyrgyzstan
As a footballer, Maksim Shatskikh played for Dynamo Kyiv from 1999 to 2009 and won the Ukrainian championship six times. After finishing his playing career, he remained within the club system, working as an assistant to head coach Aleksandr Khatskevich, and later managed the Uzbek clubs Pakhtakor and Andijan. Thus, the Kyrgyzstan stage became a new chapter in his coaching biography, ending with a return to the radar of Ukrainian football.
