Abdukodir Khusanov didn't have a good World Cup debut — and one moment made sure of it. The Manchester City defender sent a signed jersey reading "I am sorry" to the cameraman he accidentally flattened during Uzbekistan's 3-1 opening loss to Colombia, the Uzbekistan Football Association confirmed Thursday.
The collision happened in the first half of Wednesday's Group K match. Khusanov went for Luis Díaz near the touchline, missed, and the broadcast camera operator took the full impact. The man was treated on the pitch and taken to hospital. Uzbek federation representatives visited him afterward, presenting the signed shirt and passing on Khusanov's personal message wishing him a speedy recovery.
A tough debut for Uzbekistan's big name
It's a decent human response to an unfortunate incident. Khusanov picked up a booking for the challenge, and the match itself was a sobering introduction to tournament football — Colombia were the sharper, more clinical side throughout.
Khusanov is only 22, joined City from Lens earlier this year, and has become central to Uzbekistan's defensive setup under Fabio Cannavaro. The tournament is a genuine milestone: this is the country's first-ever World Cup appearance. The occasion clearly got to them against Colombia, and conceding three in a debut at this level is the kind of result that takes time to process.
Their World Cup odds were already long before a ball was kicked. After this, they're longer. Cannavaro has a serious rebuilding job to do before their next group game if Uzbekistan want any realistic path out of Group K.
As for the cameraman — the federation said he received the shirt and Khusanov's regards. No update yet on his condition.
