Kazakhstan is a football country, says FIFA President
Infantino arrived in Kazakhstan in the late evening of May 2 for a one-day visit as part of his Central Asian tour to strengthen football development in the region. Before Kazakhstan, Infantino visited Tajikistan.
FIFA is ready to share its experience with Kazakhstan
On May 3, Infantino met with President Tokayev, saying that FIFA is ready to share its international experience with Kazakhstan.
The sides discussed increasing the potential of Kazakhstan’s football and the development of youth sports.
Tokayev congratulated Gianni Infantino on his recent election as the FIFA President and thanked him for his contribution to the development of football worldwide, including in Kazakhstan.
Gianni Infantino is a Swiss-Italian football administrator. He was re-elected in March 2023 for four more years. He initially assumed the position in 2016 after his predecessor, Joseph Blatter, was suspended after having been banned from all football-related activities due to a corruption scandal. Prior to becoming FIFA President, Infantino served as the General Secretary of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) from 2009 to 2016.
President Tokayev spoke positively about the prospects for enhancing cooperation with FIFA.
«I think that your visit is very important in terms of facilitating football in Kazakhstan. I know that you are doing a lot of things to develop football, which is the most popular and spectacular sport in the world. We appreciate your efforts and support you as the president of FIFA. We will be a very good partner of FIFA and your personally,» said Tokayev.
There are over 1 million people systematically involved in football in Kazakhstan. There are 17 football centers and two academies in f the country, which train more than 7,000 children.
Addressing the press conference later in the day, Infantino said it is a «big honor» to visit Kazakhstan. He noted that the development of grassroots football was one of the key topics discussed with Tokayev.
«We had the honor to visit President Tokayev, and I could notice as well that he is also a great football fan. I knew that, but when you hear it in person, it is something else. He is a great football fan, who cares about the country and about the people, boys and girls,» he said.
Grassroots football is very important for FIFA, he said.
«It is very important to the state and the government, to the President, who obviously is going to invest together with us in football infrastructure, in competitions because this is for our youth, boys, and girls of Kazakhstan. In our discussion as well this morning at President’s premises, it was one of the main topics - what can we do more for football, what can we invest in infrastructure and competitions, and what kind of events can we bring to Kazakhstan from FIFA’s point of view,» Infantino told journalists.
Kazakhstan’s national team
Infantino congratulated the national team of Kazakhstan on its sensational victory over Denmark in the UEFA EURO Qualifying Group H game. Kazakhstan’s team scored three times in the final 17 minutes for a remarkable 3-2 win over Denmark.
«It was a very tough game, and Kazakhstan has beaten one of the best European teams in what was a serious match. It is not just a friendly game. It was a match that Denmark wanted to win. Of course, it is one match, but the way it happened is a symbol for this country as well, a young country with a very rich history and culture. It is a very proud country,» said Infantino at the press conference.
Kazakhstan’s national team also demonstrated good results in the Nations League, said Infantino.
«I think the work that is done now in terms of investments in youth, grassroots and not only a few clubs, the synergy between the federation and the government now will bring even more fruits and we have some ideas how we can cooperate together. This will again reflect on the national team’s results,» he said.
Prospects of cooperation between FIFA and Kazakhstan
President of the Football Federation Adilet Barmenkulov said Infantino’s visit is a «historic moment» for Kazakhstan. He commended the high competence of FIFA management and that some of its aspects should be applied to how football is managed in Kazakhstan.
«FIFA gives big support for our football. We have a comprehensive strategy for the development from grassroots to professional football. For example, we are going to build fields for mass football in 20 cities. We started educational programs for football management. All current projects are going per the plan,» said Barmenkulov.
Speaking at the press conference, President of the Football Federation of Kazakhstan Adlet Barmenkulov emphasized the development of football is not limited solely to financing. He stressed that their goal is to make football accessible to all and that Kazakh football needs systemic reforms in management.
«The solution to our problems in football is not about specific program or funding. What do we need to raise the level of our football? As I mentioned before, it is important for us to adapt the culture and the mindset of corporate management and to make it work here. The key issue is the competence of football managers in Kazakhstan,» said Barmenkulov.
Currently, Kazakhstan has only 30 percent of the critical mass of managers.
According to Infantino, building pitches should be the first step in developing football.
«Infrastructure is an issue not only for Kazakhstan but also in many parts of the world. Football is a very simple sport, you need a field and you need a ball, and then you can play. It is important that we invest in infrastructure,» said Infantino. «We have been discussing it with the federation and with the President [Tokayev], and it is clear to me if Kazakhstan wants to host some FIFA events, youth competitions, U-20 World Cup or U-17 World Cup, the infrastructure needs to change.»
The country needs more stadiums, including closed venues.
«We do not need big stadiums. We need fields, pitches, and smaller stadiums where the teams and youth can play. The commitment of Kazakhstan’s federation and the President of the country to invest in infrastructure is strong because it is the investment in the people of Kazakhstan,» he said.
Support from FIFA
Infantino described Kazakhstan as a «football country.»
«We visited the Football Federation and my friend Adilet Barmenkulov who is doing fantastic job together with his team at the helm of football in this beautiful country. A country which is a football country, which loves football, a country that I have visited several times, but the first time now as FIFA President,» he said.
As the international governing body of football, FIFA provides assistance to its 211 member associations, including the Football Federation of Kazakhstan, in various ways to promote the development of football in the country.
One of them is through the provision of financial support for football development projects. FIFA has various programs and initiatives, such as the FIFA Forward development program, which provides funding to member associations for projects such as building football facilities, developing youth programs, and improving the infrastructure of the sport.
While in Astana, Infantino visited the Talgar sports training base, which was modernized as part of the FIFA Forward development program. The program has supported so far 1,722 projects worldwide worth $2.4 billion since 2016.
Three fields were built at the sports base and were named after the outstanding players of Kazakhstan who made a great contribution to the development of domestic football - Seilda Baishakov and Serik Zheylitbaev.
At the initiative of FIFA to perpetuate the memory of the world's only three-time world champion Pele (Edson Arantes do Nascimento), one of the fields at the base of Talgar was also given the name of the legendary Brazilian player.
FIFA also provides technical assistance and support to member associations through its development programs, including providing training and education for coaches, referees, and administrators, as well as organizing workshops and seminars to share best practices and promote the development of football in the country.
«Kazakhstan can receive more funding from FIFA if Kazakhstan qualifies for men's or women’s world cups. But in addition to that, it is clear sporting results are very important. When it comes to FIFA, we have the Forward program, which has been increased this year by 30 percent to reach $8 billion mark. Our ambition is to increase it in the future. What we want to do is to make football grow in every country of the world,» said Infantino.
The development of football will benefit from the greater involvement of the private sector.
Football in the current geopolitical realm
Infantino highlighted Kazakhstan's important role today.
«What we used to say, especially in football, is football definitely unites the world, and it has this power to bring countries together. This morning, we have been discussing with the President what role Kazakhstan plays as a country in today’s economy and political landscape. As far as football is concerned, Kazakhstan is part of Europe, but Kazakhstan is also in the middle, at the crossroads between Europe and Asia,» he said.
Infantino also said it is important that FIFA brings people from different countries and backgrounds together for a World Cup. The latest example is the World Cup in Qatar, the first time for an Arab country to host an event of this scale.
«There were a lot of critics around this. I think the world has seen if there is a way to make maybe a little positive impact in society, it is through sports. At the last world cup, we were very worried about security because we had fans of 32 teams. 1.5 million fans stay in the same city for the whole duration of the World Cup. This never happened in normal world cups because you have different cities,» said the FIFA President, highlighting there was no incident.
«Football is not politics. It is for everyone. In FIFA, everyone has exactly the same rights and obligations. (...) Football can also be a chance for dialogue and to convince people and country to change a little bit, be more open and understanding,» he said.
During the day, Infantino also participated in the opening of the final stage of the National School Girls' Football League. He noted that women's football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world and has great potential for development.
The National School League of Kazakhstan is held among 5-11 classes every year in 10 kinds of sports, including football. The preliminary stage started in September last year, involving more than 850,000 schoolchildren.
Nearly 130 schoolgirls from nine football schools nationwide will play in the final stage in three age categories.