Kazakh football on rise as Central Asian nation aims for 2024 European qualification

By Burc Eruygur and Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - The EURO 2024 qualifying group stage came to an end in November with 21 national teams already having secured direct entry to next year's tournament.

The remaining three spots are yet to be determined, with the last three slots to be decided through a 12-team playoffs stage scheduled for March.

Wales, Greece, Ukraine, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are the four teams considered to be the favorites to win the playoffs, with Russian manager Magomed Adiev hoping to lead Kazakhstan to Europe's biggest international football event.

In order to achieve this feat, the Kazakh national football team will have to play Greece in a one-legged tie in the Greek capital Athens. Should they emerge with a win, they will then have to play either Georgia or Luxembourg, which have been drawn in the same playoff path.

- Kazakhstan’s ‘football boom’

Adiev's appointment is one of the reasons for the Kazakh national football team’s success, Ermukhammed Maulen, a Kazakh sports journalist, told Anadolu in an interview.

Calling Adiev a "good, highly qualified" coach, Maulen said he built a friendly atmosphere for the team, which he said was a major factor benefiting its performance.

Maulen noted that the election of Adlet Barmenkulov as president of the Kazakh Football Federation also played an important role, as he reformed the entire structure of the country's scene.

On whether the Kazakh Premier League’s rising reputation also played a role in the national team’s upward trajectory, Maulen said this "significantly" affected its performance, highlighting specifically the rise of clubs like Astana, Kairat, Ordabasy and Tobol in continental competitions.

"We have at least one team playing in the group stage of European competitions and this, of course, gives significant advantages because the players who play in these teams get tremendous experience from playing in Europe ... This, of course, affects the entire game of the Kazakh national team," Maulen said.

Touching on how the Kazakh national football team’s performance has recently been seen at the domestic level, Maulen said sports commentators, journalists and others have assessed its ascent in a positive light.

Maulen further said lawmakers, ministers, and even President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, have attended matches of the national team, in what he said was previously unheard of at the level of senior government officials.

"And now in our country, there is a football boom. To be honest, all this is thanks to the successful performance of the Kazakhstan national team," he added.

- Upcoming EURO 2024 qualification playoffs

Commenting on Kazakhstan's upcoming UEFA EURO 2024 qualification playoff fixture, Maulen said all of the four teams involved in their group dream of making it the tournament proper, and that the Kazakh national football team could create "another sensation."

"We made a sensation in the (UEFA) Nations League, we beat Azerbaijan. We beat Slovakia on their field. Belarus, we passed without problem. These are teams we have never won against, and we now did," Maulen said, expressing that the mentality within the team has changed.

Maulen said this change was present both among the players and coaching staff, pointing to their rising confidence to win, provided they play with motivation over the full 90 minutes.

He went on to say that although the draw they were handed appears difficult on paper, they have a chance to qualify for EURO 2024.

"Yes, we are behind in the (UEFA) rankings, but the rankings don’t play football. It is the guys who enter the pitch and fight for every ball," he explained.

On whether the national team’s performance could lead more Kazakh players to go abroad, as in the case of Nuraly Alip, currently playing for Russian giants Zenit St. Petersburg, and Bakhtiyar Zainutdinov who plays for Turkish side Besiktas, Maulen said he thinks many players could make the jump.

He emphasized the potential of players such as Ramazan Orazov, currently with Slovenian team FC Koper, and mentioned hearing reports suggesting interest from Turkish teams Fenerbahce and Trabzonspor in Maksim Samorodov.

"We have many talented players in Kazakhstan who can strengthen any team, even (Istanbul club) Galatasaray, and strengthen any Turkish team," he said, adding that he believes scouts, coaches and agents of Turkish clubs should pay attention to Kazakh players, who he said won’t have any problems adapting due to linguistic and cultural similarities.