Scott Munn: "John van 't Schip's experience will help the national team take the next step forward"

07 August 2026, 17:24

KFF General Secretary Scott Munn spoke at the press conference introducing Kazakhstan's new national team head coach, John van 't Schip.

''It is a great honour for me to introduce John van 't Schip. John brings extensive experience as both a player and a coach. He developed within the system of Ajax Amsterdam. As a player, John won UEFA Euro 1988 with the Netherlands. With Ajax, he won multiple Dutch league titles and Dutch Cups, as well as the UEFA Cup.

For many years, John worked alongside global football legend Marco van Basten. His coaching career combines successful work at club level and with national teams. We believe his experience, knowledge and understanding of the modern game will help our team take the next step forward.

A new coaching staff will begin work alongside John. Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev and Yeldos Akhmetov will serve as assistant coaches. Vadim Borovsky, Yuri Novikov and Timur Kusainov will also work on his coaching staff. It was important for us to combine international experience with in-depth knowledge of Kazakh football.

The team has clear objectives. Our primary goal is to perform successfully in the UEFA Nations League, win our League C group and return Kazakhstan to League B. The new coaching staff's work will be fully focused on achieving this result.

I would also like to say a few words about the head coach selection process. The Kazakhstan Football Federation greatly values local specialists and their contribution to the development of our game. When we made the decision on the head coach, we looked both internationally and nationally.

The key criteria for a foreign candidate were international coaching experience, the ability to adapt to a new environment, a proven winning record, leadership qualities, and a willingness to help develop young Kazakh coaches. It was also important that the coach could begin work immediately.

Over the next five days, John will attend six matches, meet with members of the coaching staff and begin assessing candidates for the national team. As the domestic season is already underway, it is essential to quickly evaluate the players' condition and begin preparations for the upcoming matches.

The terms of the contract are confidential. At the moment, we are fully focused on the UEFA Nations League. Once the matches are over, we will analyse the results and make a decision regarding our future cooperation," said Scott Munn.