Having been decorated with the "Dustlik", or order of friendship, late Thursday, 28 March by the President of Uzbekistan Islom Karimov, Joseph S. Blatter was on the move once more, bound for Tajikistan. There, he was warmly welcomed by Shukhrob Kosimov, chairman of the Tajikistan Football Association.

Friday morning's programme was particularly full, with the FIFA delegation travelling to Nurek, a small town in the Pamir Mountains. There, Sepp Blatter and Mohamed Bin Hammam unveiled a new artificial pitch, one of two football development projects he had personally instigated during his previous visit to the country.

President Blatter took the opportunity to sign the visitors' book at the nearby library which, with some 25,000 books, constitutes the country's largest. It even houses signed works by such prestigious personalities as Yuri Gagarin and Gandhi.  Then, to round off the visit, a meal was laid on by the town council beneath the highest dam in the world.

Then it was back to Dushanbe, where an audience with the Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmonov beckoned. The discussions touched on such subjects as the role of football in a country still blighted by social difficulties. "Since football knows no limits or borders and is a unifying force, it has a role to play in a nation that has only recently emerged from a destabilising civil war," the FIFA President said. 

On Friday evening, the FIFA delegation boarded a plane for Bishkek in the Kyrgyz Republic. Amangeldi Muraliev, chairman of the FFKR, welcomed the sizeable party in person, before they sat down to dinner. Present at the table were the Sports Minister Bektur Asanov, NOC chairman Murat Saranlinov, and the Immigration Minister also responsible for women's football in the country, Aigul Ryskulova.

On Saturday morning, during the audience with the country's President, Kurmanbek Bakiev, President Blatter was decorated with the Order of Danaker. "I am particularly grateful that you have found time to welcome me, as I know that you are experiencing serious political problems at the moment," Joseph S. Blatter commented. "Thank you for supporting football at all levels and in all regions of the country, for this sport is also an effective educational tool which teaches respect, the team ethos and personal discipline."

The FIFA President then visited the football association's headquarters. "It pleases me to observe the progress made since the last time we were here. I can see our Goal 2 project, the new technical centre, taking shape. And it's very satisfying to see the same youngsters as before playing on a pitch in good condition."

Before dinner, the FIFA President was presented with a further honour by Bektur Asanov, before it was time for the delegation to head home.