[Transnational] Soccer in Kazakhstan and Bhutan

Kazakhstan aspires for UEFA 2020
Olzhas Talgatuly Besbayev·Kazakhstan·Dream Together Master, SNU

Kazakhstan is becoming a new world sports center and a world competitor. Almaty and Kazakhstan have hosted a winter Asian Games and are preparing to host the Winter Universiade 2017 in Almaty. The Kazakhstan Olympic team performs very well in the summer Olympics, mainly in “bodybuilding” sports like wrestling, weightlifting, and boxing.

But, how about football? When will Kazakhstan see a Park Ji-Sung or Kim Bo-kyung? Even in the time of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan was not deemed a center of football, but instead was most famous for producing Olympic wrestlers.

Kairat Almaty was the only football club from Kazakhstan who played in the Soviet Supreme League and was never considered a major competitor; throughout the existence of the Soviet Union, it only won one USSR Federation Cup. Kairat claims to be the only club from Kazakhstan (and the first Soviet club) to have won an international competition when they beat Rapid Bucharest to secure the European Railways Cup in 1971.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Football Association of the Republic of Kazakhstan was set up in 1992 and soon accepted into Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The national team debuted soon afterwards and individual Kazakh competitions were established. The renamed Football Federation of Kazakhstan (FFK) went on to join the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) in 2002, ending their relationship with the AFC.

The level of football in Europe is much higher than in Asia and Kazakhstan is having trouble leaving its trace in the history of football. In all qualifying rounds, Kazakhstan traditionally occupies the last place in the group. But, FC Shakther Karagandy’s performance in this year’s qualification rounds to the Champions League has become a watershed moment in Kazakh football. A football club from a country town with a budget of one million dollars has proved to come one step from competing in the prestigious football tournament in Europe.

Despite the failure of the national team, Kairat Almaty Futsal Club is the pride of Kazakh fans. The club is one of the strongest teams in Europe, having reached the UEFA Futsal Cup semi-finals four times in the last six seasons and won the championships in the 2012–13 season.

The European Championships has recently expanded to accommodate 24 teams from the previous 16. This will mean that almost half of the continent will be able to participate. For Kazakhstan, 2020 might be a realistic goal for the Central Asian country to finally make its debut.

Group match between Yeedzin FC (Bhutan) and Arambagh Krira Shangha (Bangladesh) at King’s Cup 2013, Bhutan. (Photo : Jamyang Namgyal)

Bhutan hosted 2013 King’s Cup
Jamyang Namgyal·Bhutan·Bhutan Olympic Committee Media Officer

It is a beautiful day to go offer prayers to the Gods at a monastery in the beautiful western district of Thimphu in Bhutan. A family walks through a lush green forest with cherry blossoms to go make offerings at the main monastery. But when they arrive, the monks are nowhere to be found. The curious father decides to investigate and as he walks past the murals of gods and goddesses full of color and mythical stories, he hears cheering. As he approaches the courtyard of the monastery, he sees young monks, their robes lifted till their knees, crafted almost to perfection into shorts. There are about seven young monks running around, the elders watching in amusement, kicking something. It is an empty plastic bottle. They are playing their own version of football.

Football is the most popular sport in Bhutan and plays a big part in the lives of many Bhutanese people; all over the country you will find people from all backgrounds with love for football. Bhutan has its national football league, but it is barely watched by locals, apart from a few enthusiastic fans. Many people watch the English Premier League, the Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A; you name it thanks to the introduction of cable TV. They know more about the football greats – Messi, Ronaldo, Diego Maradona, Pele, Cantona, and Giggs – than their local leaders.

Bhutan has so far organized one international competition: the King’s Cup 2013, where teams from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan took part. During the finals of the King’s Cup, Manang FC from Nepal and the local club Yeedzin FC battled it out for the title in front of a stadium packed to its full capacity. Fans of all ages and genders packed the stadium with faces painted, flags flying, signs up for players, drums and even Bhutanese touch cymbals, which are normally used in religious ceremonies, to cheer the home team. For most people in the crowd, it was indeed the closest experience they would ever get to a World Cup match.

The FIFA World Cup is just months away and in Bhutan, like in many parts of the world, football enthusiasts are waiting for the biggest football event to kick off. During the World Cup, pubs and other entertainment businesses accrue projector screens to attract World Cup spectators to their establishments. Students in schools talk about the World Cup and the chances of their favorite teams winning. Many offices have a custom of wagering on favorite teams. This time, as I did the last, I am supporting Germany. I think the young German squad has finally matured and now has a very good chance of lifting the FIFA World CUP although competition from other countries looks stiff.