The FBRK editorial team has repeatedly written that the activities of the President of the Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF) Adilet Barmenkulov are regularly criticised and raise suspicions even among the leadership of UEFA. Continuing this theme, we will analyse how Barmenkulov managed to 'make his mark' in the chair of the head of the KFF and what people he brought in to develop Kazakh football.
Adilet Barmenkulov was elected President of the KFF in February 2022 at the 21st Regular Conference of the Kazakhstan Football Federation. Federation members likely placed great hopes on the chosen candidate, but he quickly settled into his new role and began playing a very different game.
Barmenkulov came to the Kazakhstan Football Federation to replace those associated by the people with the former government in the country, and by contrast could appear to the public as someone with fresh, progressive views.
Public expectations were bolstered by the successful performance of the Kazakh team in the Nations League in 2022, where the Kazakhstan national team played four matches, securing three victories. The coach of the Kazakhstan national team at that time was Magomed Adiyev, whom Barmenkulov had appointed shortly before the tournament.
Previously, Adiyev was the head coach of the Karaganda-based football club (FC) 'Shakhter'. According to insider information, Barmenkulov brought Adiyev into the national team simply to resolve his own financial issues.
It is reported that Adiyev was owed a significant amount of money at 'Shakhter', which is overseen by Barmenkulov. And by appointing Adiyev as the national team coach, Barmenkulov shifted the payment of his salary onto the federation's budget.
Magomed Adiyev's subsequent activities with the Kazakhstan national team were not successful. After a crushing defeat against Greece with a score of 0:5 in the semi-finals of the Nations League play-offs, Adiyev announced his departure from the Kazakhstan national team, continuing his career as coach of the Russian football club 'Akhmat' (Grozny).
It is worth noting that in the summer of 2024, FC 'Akhmat' purchased midfielder Maxim Samorodov from the Kazakh FC 'Aktobe' for €1 million (521.2 million tenge). According to insiders, Barmenkulov likely facilitated the sale of Samorodov. It is alleged that he received a commission from the deal amounting to €200,000 (104.2 million tenge).
Since when agent activities fell within the duties of the president of a football federation remains a mystery to everyone, as does the legitimacy of the percentages that Barmenkulov receives from the sale of footballers. Furthermore, there is a widespread belief that the Kazakhstan Football Federation lobbies for the interests of the football club 'Aktobe'.
The public has long suspected that Adilet Barmenkulov appoints people 'convenient' for himself to leadership positions, while turning a blind eye to their professional reputation and disregarding what contribution they are able to (and are they able?) to make to the development of Kazakh football.
Among such chosen individuals, for example, is the sporting director of FC 'Aktobe', Sergei Doronchenko, who, while serving as the sporting director of the Krasnodar club 'Kuban' in 2011, was embroiled in a scandal involving blackmail and the beating of footballer Nikola Nikezic.
Another example of people 'convenient' for Barmenkulov is cited as the director of the Department of Refereeing and Inspection (DSI) of the KFF, Alexander Peremitin, who has been repeatedly subjected to criticism for the activities of the refereeing corps under his control.
It is also worth noting that the 'right-hand man' of the head of the KFF is the general secretary of the federation, Andrei Dudin, who has accompanied Barmenkulov since their time working together at the 'Kazakhmys' corporation and has been listed since 2022 as the head of Barmenkulov's company 'ANTEQ Industrial Management Group'.
We, as before, believe that football in our country needs rehabilitation, which must begin with a review of the current incumbent as head of the KFF. After all, it is obvious that in less than three years, Mr Barmenkulov has driven Kazakh football 'through the floor', and now someone will have to try very hard to pull it back out.