Scott Munn Exclusive: Football Development in Kazakhstan, the National Teams and the KFF's Future Plans

Key objectives

The General Secretary said he accepted the KFF's offer because he was impressed by the Federation's leadership and its clear vision for the future of football in Kazakhstan.

Speaking about his role as General Secretary, he outlined three key objectives.

"The first is our national teams. We want both our men's and women's national teams to be playing in the biggest competitions. We have two big competitions coming up this year. First, our women's national team will play two matches against Ireland as part of their pathway to the World Cup. Of course, that is the ultimate goal. Second, the men's national team will compete in the UEFA Nations League. I believe this is vital for us. We have to set ourselves a clear goal – qualifying for the UEFA European Championship – and do everything possible to achieve it."

Scott Munn identified the development of the professional league as his second objective. The KFF aims to improve the commercial sustainability of clubs, increase their revenues and raise the overall standard of the domestic league.

He added that a stronger league will help develop better players and, in turn, strengthen the national team. Particular attention will also be given to broadcast standards, promoting the domestic game and further improving refereeing standards.

His third objective is to increase football participation across the country. This includes not only men's and women's football, but also futsal and beach soccer. Around 1.3 to 1.4 million people currently play football in Kazakhstan, and the Federation aims to increase that number.

Local talent and recruitment

Scott Munn said developing and promoting Kazakhstani specialists will remain one of the KFF's key objectives. According to him, when candidates are equally qualified, the Federation will always give preference to local professionals.

"My first approach is that we always want to hire locally. I want to find out who the best doctor is, who the best sports physiotherapist is, and who the best strength and conditioning coach is."

The General Secretary added that international experts may be brought in where their experience can help develop local staff and raise overall standards across the organisation.

At the same time, he stressed that he has already met many highly qualified professionals in Kazakhstan.

"In many of these fields, I've already met some very strong people here, particularly within the Federation and on the administrative side. I spent the weekend with our Partnerships team, and I've also worked with our Strategy team. They're as good as anywhere in the world. Our job is to give them the resources to grow."

National team objectives

Scott Munn said the Kazakhstan national team's ultimate objective is to qualify for the UEFA European Championship. According to him, competing at the biggest international tournaments is the true measure of success.

In the shorter term, the immediate objective is to perform well in the UEFA Nations League and finish in the top two of the group.

"Our objective is to qualify for the UEFA European Championship. It's very clear to me that we have a two-year journey ahead of us, and that journey has to end with our men's national team qualifying for the UEFA European Championship. I know for certain that our Chairman and I are completely aligned on this. We want to see our national team competing on the biggest stage in football. Our objective is absolutely clear. But we also understand that it's a process. We have the UEFA Nations League campaign ahead of us during the upcoming international windows in September, October and November. We need to make sure we're fully prepared. We need to have the right people in place to help us deliver a successful campaign and finish in the top two of the group."

Head coach search

Scott Munn said the Federation is considering both international and Kazakhstani candidates for the position of national team head coach. The key criteria will be a proven track record of success, the ability to build winning teams and the capability to lead Kazakhstan to the UEFA European Championship.

"Personally, I have a few very clear criteria. I'd be reluctant to bring in a foreign coach who has never worked abroad. I think that is a risk I wouldn't be willing to take. I believe we need a coach who has already enjoyed success and won trophies. I've seen how that works with people like Ange Postecoglou or, for example, Pep Guardiola. These people are serial winners and they know what success looks like and what needs to happen to achieve it. So, if it is a foreign manager, we want someone who has had a success. If it's a domestic manager, then naturally they are likely to be working in the Kazakhstan Premier League and may already have enjoyed success there."

Youth national team development

The KFF General Secretary said Kazakhstan's youth national teams need more international matches and regular competition against stronger opponents to continue their development. According to him, the U-17 and U-19 teams provide the foundation for the future success of the senior national teams.

"We understand that the pathway to stronger senior men's and women's national teams starts with stronger U-17 and U-19 teams, as players progress through the development system. That's why I believe it's important for us to continue creating opportunities to take part in more international tournaments. We'll continue to give our players the opportunity to compete in international competitions, both at national team level and at club level."

Talgar Academy

The KFF General Secretary spoke about the development of the football academy in Talgar. According to him, the new complex will become one of the best football development centres in Asia, providing year-round training for young players as well as a base for the national teams' training camps.

"It's being built specifically as a football academy. It will include 150 rooms, a purpose-built gym and two football pitches. There will be wet, hot and cold recovery facilities, and a restaurant – all built in one location. This is an incredible opportunity, and there is no question that it's an investment in the future. All the people who planned this project two years ago should be extremely proud because, when it's completed and fully operational, it will be one of the leading football facilities in Asia. It will then give us the opportunity to refurbish the existing academy and turn it into a base for our national teams. In that way, we'll have two things: an academy that drives the development of football and a new hub for our national teams. Our Chairman's vision is also to build an indoor training facility there, so we'll have training facilities available all year round, in both winter and summer. It will become an amazing hub not only for our senior men's and women's national teams, but also for our youth national teams."

Women's football development

Scott Munn highlighted the rapid progress of women's football in Kazakhstan. He said the Federation will continue to invest in the professional game, the national teams and grassroots football, while creating more opportunities for women and girls not only as players, but also as coaches and referees.

"I'd say we're working towards a clear objective in women's football. I actually think there's a chance we can achieve that objective sooner with the women's national team than with the men's national team. And we're already seeing that. I think the women's national team is currently ranked somewhere in the 90s in the FIFA World Ranking, while the men's team is around 100th. We're already seeing incredible progress in women's football here, and I think we've seen the same in many other countries. We need to keep investing in women's football. We have important matches against Ireland coming up, and I have no doubt that, with the right support, investment and development, the national team can continue to make rapid progress."

Working with clubs

The KFF General Secretary said that working closely with clubs is one of the Federation's top priorities. According to him, the KFF is committed to maintaining an open dialogue with clubs, understanding their needs and supporting them in developing their infrastructure, commercial operations and fan engagement.

"Across all the clubs I've met at different levels – whether it's owners, chief executives, technical directors or commercial directors – they all have the same vision, they all want success. Every club says the same thing: 'We want to be better on the pitch. We want to generate more revenue. And we want more fans.' Our job is to help them achieve that. We need to keep improving, we need to listen to them, and we need to keep moving the game forward. But every club faces different challenges. The challenges facing Kairat are very different from those of a club with new ownership, a club without its own stadium, or a club that's fighting to stay in the league rather than competing in European competitions. That's why we need to support those clubs that need to improve across several areas and help them become stronger. As those clubs improve, the stronger clubs will continue to grow as well, because the overall standard will continue to rise – from the quality of football and broadcast production to the commercial opportunities available across the game."

Refereeing development

Scott Munn said that increasing the number of qualified referees is one of the Federation's key objectives. According to him, the KFF plans to expand referee development programmes, continue strengthening the VAR system and increase competition among officials, helping to raise refereeing standards.

"The next step is to improve the standard of the referees we already have and continue developing the system. We're currently running a VAR education programme to officially certify more VAR referees. At the moment, we have around 20 officially accredited VAR referees, but we need many more. That's what the team is working on. By the end of this year, we want to be in a position where we have a much larger pool of referees to choose from. And that's important because it creates competition, and competition makes referees better."