Vitalijs Astafjevs appointed as FIFA Talent Coach for KFF National Academy
Former player of English ''Southampton'' and Latvian national team Marian Pahar, who now works in FIFA's Global Football Development Division, has introduced a new FIFA representative - Vitalijs Astafjevs - to the KFF technical director Gennady Skurtul, the director of the national teams' department Ruslan Baltiev and the head of the KFF selection service Evgeny Sveshnikov. He succeeds Stuart Hall, who will continue his FIFA career by becoming a member of the organisation's global technical experts.
Vitalijs Astafjevs
Vitalijs Astafjevs is an outstanding representative of Latvian football. During his football career he played for FCs ''Skonto'', ''Olimp'', ''Ventspils'', Austrian football clubs ''Austria'' and ''Admira Wacker'', English ''Bristol Rovers F.C.'' and ''Rubin'' from Kazan. He played 167 matches in the Latvian national team, becoming its record holder and participant of Euro 2004. He became Latvian Footballer of the Year three times (1995, 1996, 2007) and also became a nine-time champion of the country.
After the end of his playing career Vitalijs Astafjevs successfully worked in coaching:
2024-present - Director of the Elite Youth Football Department at Aris Limassol FC Academy (Cyprus).
2021-2024 - assistant head coach of Aris Limassol FC (Cyprus champion, Europa League participant).
2020-2021 - assistant coach of Latvia U-18 national team
2020-2021 - assistant head coach of FC Auda (2nd place in Latvian First League)
2019-2020 - head coach of U-19 Pafos FC Academy (Cyprus)
2017-2018 - head coach of U-15 and U-16 teams at Riga FC Academy
2013-2018 - assistant of Latvian national team and U-21 national team
2014-2016 - head coach of FC Jelgava (Latvian Cup winner, participation in European competitions)
2010-2014 - assistant at FC Skonto (championship, Europa League, Champions League).
Vitalijs Astafjevs has UEFA Pro Licence, fluent in English, Latvian and Russian. He has a high level of competence in talent development, individual and team training, video analysis and strategic planning.
In 2024, Vitalijs Astafjevs passed a multi-stage selection process organised by FIFA among more than 700 candidates from around the world and was among the best in terms of professional qualities, coaching experience and leadership potential.
Working visit
As part of the visit, FIFA representatives visited the training base of the national teams in Talgar and watched the match of the KFF Academy U-16 against the team ''Qyzyljar U-18'' in the QJ League. The guests highly appreciated the organisational level, professionalism of the coaching staff and the positive dynamics of the Academy's development.
Technical Director of KFF Gennady Skurtul presented the strategy of technical development of football in Kazakhstan for 2025-2029 years. Following the presentation, FIFA decided to extend cooperation with the Football Federation of Kazakhstan in the FIFA Talent Development project for two more years.
KFF expresses its sincere gratitude to Stuart Hall for his contribution to the development of youth football in Kazakhstan, including the formation of the U-14 team (players born in 2010) under the TDS programme. The Federation wishes him further success in his new post within the FIFA structure.
The next stage will be the formation of a new intake for the KFF Academy. From 23 to 25 July in Talgar will be held selection camp among players born in 2011. According to its results, the best players will get a place in the Academy and will form the next generation of the project.
