KFF president visits UEFA

The new president of the Football Federation of Kazakhstan (KFF), Yerlan Kozhagapanov, has visited the House of European Football in Nyon.

Mr Kozhagapanov, who was elected as KFF president in December, was accompanied by KFF general secretary Allen Chayzhunusov. They met UEFA President Michel Platini and senior UEFA national association officials for discussions which focused on football developments in Kazakhstan and Europe, and the relationship between UEFA and the KFF, underpinned by UEFA's assistance within its HatTrick programme.

The KFF has been part of the UEFA family since 2002, when it became the 52nd member association of the European body, and its capital Astana hosted the XXXVIII Ordinary UEFA Congress, as well as a UEFA Executive Committee meeting, in March 2014.

Kazakhstan's first clubs were founded in 1913/14 in Semipalatinsk, after football was introduced by local merchants who had witnessed the game in England. In 1928, the first official competition of the Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic of Kazakh (ASSR) was held in Petropavlovsk. In the ensuing decades, Kazakhstan's footballers participated in USSR competitions. The first body that undertook to develop the domestic game was the Football Federation of the Kazakh SSR, established in 1959 and reorganised in 1989.

Following national independence in 1992, Kazakhstan featured in FIFA World Cup qualifying competitions in 1998 and 2002 as members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). In 1992, the Independent Football Association of the Republic of Kazakhstan (FARK) was created following the dissolution of the USSR. In 2000, FARK was re-formed to become the Football Federation of Kazakhstan (KFF). Given that part of Kazakhstan's territory is in Europe – which constituted the main argument for membership – the KFF left the AFC in 2001.

It was at the UEFA Congress in Stockholm in April 2002 that Kazakhstan joined the European football movement. Subsequently, the national side have figured in European qualification for the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups, as well as for UEFA EURO 2008, UEFA EURO 2012 and, currently, UEFA EURO 2016. Perhaps the most significant progress has been made in the futsal sector. Kairat Almaty, the country's strongest club, have reached five UEFA Futsal Cup semi-finals in seven campaigns, claiming third place in 2008/09 and 2010/11 before winning the European title in 2012/13.

"For me personally, the meeting with Michel Platini was hugely significant," said Mr Kozhagapanov, "because nowadays, UEFA is not only an influential organisation in football, but as an organisation it also deals with issues very effectively. Furthermore, UEFA is today demonstrating its commitment to everything that is new, progressive and innovative. It's introducing some innovations which for us was very important to find out. The innovations that there are in football, such as the financial fair play project, are serious, strategic and necessary steps, especially for us."

"This is a very important programme for us," was the KFF president's view of the HatTrick programme, which helps Kazakhstan provide football facilities to counter the country's climate. "I believe that from a footballing perspective, our country is a developing country. The more pitches we have and indoor complexes we have, then the more people who can play football in our country. And then also, the more attention we can pay to developing nationwide football ...

"In our country, football is the number one sport," Mr Kozhagapanov reflected. "Eighty percent of people who practise sport play football. It really is a nationwide sport. Therefore, we are looking for ways to develop football further. We want to concentrate on the construction of indoor football centres ... and we want to attract football coaches."

Kazakhstan and Astana still glow with the memory of last spring's UEFA Congress in the city. "We proudly remember how UEFA entrusted us with running such an important, high-level event," Mr Kozhagapanov recalled. "Many important decisions were taken during the Congress, all of which today totally affect the development of football."

Kazakh football enthusiasts dream of more successes to emulate Kairat Almaty's futsal triumph. "My dream is (…) that every child who wants to play football has, above all, good conditions to do so," said the KFF president. "These are sporting infrastructure, equipment, good footballs, boots, kit and, most importantly, to have a good football coach.

"We have ambitious aims," he concluded. "I think the successes of Kazakhstan football are in front of us. They will happen in the future, because our young footballers want to become famous champions, famous sportsmen. And in this respect, I think football has a unifying role – for example, there are 130 nationalities living in our country. Can you imagine? Some 130 nationalities living in the population of one country! I don't think the success of Kazakh football will be a long time in coming."