President Adilet Barmenkulov of the Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF) published a post on social media in which he broke down point by point what caused the disorganisation of the Kazakhstan vs Norway match. The list of those "to blame" included a number of organisations and state bodies, including the Akimat of Dosayev and Freedom Ticketon.
On 6 September, the UEFA Nations League match between the national teams of Kazakhstan and Norway was held at the Central Stadium in Almaty. It turned into a flagrant disgrace and chaos for our country in terms of match organisation.
Fans from across the country gathered to support the Kazakhstani national team and bought tickets in advance, but many of them were unable to attend the match as people were simply turned away. Videos of the appalling match organisation circulated on social media. The discontent of football fans knew no bounds.
According to eyewitnesses, the argument given for not letting people with tickets into the match was the stadium being overcrowded. Kazakhstani citizens suspected that fraudsters had sold fake tickets and that the checks at the entry point were carried out negligently. The result was that several people claimed the same seat.
Such total disorganisation could have led to more serious consequences, noted the media. People could have been injured in a stampede or fight. Journalists wrote that "if someone had wanted to, they could have brought in a machine gun or a bomb – no one would have noticed".
The other day, KFF head Adilet Barmenkulov published a post on social media in which he listed point by point who and what, in his opinion, was to blame for the disorganisation of the match.
The list of those blamed included the ticket operator Freedom Ticketon, whose system supposedly malfunctioned; stadium staff, who conducted searches manually; as well as police officers and even the Akim.
"Various services are involved in the organisation and holding of such events: the KFF, regional departments such as the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Emergency Situations Department, etc. Each has its own functions and area of responsibility.
The KFF is responsible for order, safety and compliance with internal and international standards at the stadium. Outside the stadium, responsibility for public order (at the entrance and exit of the stadium) lies with the regional departments", Barmenkulov concluded.
In the comments under the post, social media users reminded him that football fans had already faced a similar scandal during the April match between Kairat and Aktobe. In their opinion, the football federation could have learned from the mistakes made then and taken appropriate measures to avoid a repeat of the situation.
Later, Barmenkulov published another post, this time about the prospects for the development of Kazakhstani football, and thanked the state in the person of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for his faith in the victory of the national team.
"Kazakhstani football has begun to live up to expectations in recent years. If you compare, the progress is obvious. <…> It must be acknowledged that all of this has been made possible thanks to the support of the state. And behind all of this stands our President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. <…> The faith of our fans is the most powerful force. Together, we will achieve victories in the name of our country and our President!" wrote the head of the KFF.
It is worth noting that the Kazakhstan vs Norway match ended in a draw, and the Kazakhstani national team lost to the Slovenia team with a score of 3:0. In this regard, Barmenkulov's statements about the bright prospects of Kazakhstani football appear questionable.
From the experience of 'Old Kazakhstan', we know well that, often, mired in failures and scandals, and having lost trust, officials have appealed to the head of state. This was a last chance to get off scot-free or at least partially justify themselves.
Given that the number of 'transgressions' by the head of the KFF is growing by the day, and UEFA is conducting an international investigation into him, it is doubtful that blatant flattery directed at the country's first official can change Barmenkulov's most likely fate.