(22 January 2026 | Source: BES.media)
Private football club Kairat, owned by businessman Kairat Boranbayev, will receive 750 million tenge from the Almaty budget in 2026. Previously, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev urged football clubs to reduce their dependence on budget funding and learn to generate income independently.
WHAT HAPPENED
The editorial team obtained a document detailing Almaty’s 2026 budget expenditure, as seen by BES.media. According to this document, FC Kairat will receive 750 million tenge.
The document states that budget funds will be allocated to support the operations of the club, which competes in the country’s Premier League. Kairat has a staff of 103, including 21 players and five coaches for the main team. The club’s structure also includes Kairat Zhastar and the Kairat Academy.
CLUB’S OWN REVENUE
According to the portal Vesti.kz, Kairat, which made its debut in 2025 in the UEFA Champions League group stage, has already secured payments totalling 20.2 million euros.
The bulk of this amount — 18.5 million euros — is a fixed payment for participation in the tournament. The remainder consists of bonuses, the size of which is not detailed in the publication.
CLUB OWNER
Kazakh businessman Kairat Boranbayev, who was once related to the family of Dariga Nazarbayeva, has been chairman of the supervisory board of FC Kairat since 2012.
In 2022, Boranbayev was arrested on charges of embezzling state funds and was sentenced to eight years in prison. After compensating for the damage, Boranbayev was released. The remaining part of his sentence was replaced with restrictions on freedom.
PRESIDENT’S CALL
In March of last year, Tokayev stated that football clubs should not rely solely on regional budgets. The president urged teams to learn to earn money independently and called on entrepreneurs to treat club football as a business. Following these remarks, a process of privatisation of football clubs was launched in the country.
In December 2025, Vice-Minister of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Kazakhstan Serik Zharasbayev reported that five out of 14 Premier League football clubs had already been privatised, and that this work would continue.
NOT JUST KAIRAT
It was previously reported that private football club Kaisar from Kyzylorda would also receive budget funding of almost 1 billion tenge in 2026. The money is intended to be spent on purchasing kit for players, conducting training camps, and paying bonuses.