The Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF, kz, Қазақстанның Футбол Федерациясы, Qazaqstannyñ Futbol Federatsıiasy; rus, Федерация Футбола Казахстана, r=Federatsiya Futbola Kazakhstana) is the governing body of
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
in
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
. It organizes the football league, the
Kazakhstan Premier League
The Kazakhstan Professional Football League ( kk, Қазақстан Премьер Лигасы, ''Qazaqstan Premer Ligasy''), commonly referred to as Kazakh Premier League or simply Premier League, is the top division of football in Kazakhstan ...
, and the
Kazakhstan national football team
The Kazakhstan national football team ( kk, Қазақстан Ұлттық футбол құрамасы, ''Qazaqstan Ūlttyq Futbol qūramasy'') represents Kazakhstan in men's international football and it is governed by the Kazakhstan Footb ...
. It is based in
Almaty
Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to 1936 as an autonomous republic as part of ...
.
Previous names
*''Football Association of the Republic of Kazakhstan (1992–2000)''
*''Football Union of Kazakhstan (2000–2007)
*''Kazakhstan Football Federation (2007–present)''
History
The Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF) was founded in 1992 with the reorganization of the Soviet Republican Football Association of the
Kazakh SSR (created in 1989). The same year (1992), KFF became an associate member of
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
and the
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in some countries/territories in Asia and Oceania. It has 47 member countries most of which are located in Asia. Australia, formerly ...
(AFC) (or in 1993). Its foundation marked the beginning of organising the Kazakh football according to international standards. KFF has developed into the biggest sport federation of the country, football in Kazakhstan being regarded as the "king of sports", occupying first place in sport fans' preferences.
In 1992, the federation conducted various professional level competitions, such as the national league championship and the cup. While being an associate member, KFF was not permitted to participate in official international competitions for national teams, therefore in mid to late 1992 and April 1994 it participated in regional competitions along with its former
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...
n companions of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
from
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
,
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...
,
Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
, and
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the s ...
. In 1994, KFF was finally accepted as a full member of
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
and the
AFC
AFC may stand for:
Organizations
* Action for Children, a UK children's charity
* AFC Enterprises, the franchisor of Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits
* Africa Finance Corporation, a pan-African multilateral development finance institution
* A ...
. The decision to join the AFC was taken after a vote. The first national team match with a team outside Central Asia took place in December 1995. The same year
Oleg Litvinenko
Oleg Litvinenko (russian: Олег Литвиненко; 23 November 1973 – 19 November 2007) was a Kazakh International footballer from Taraz, who played as a forward.
Career
Club
In 1998, Litvinenko was banned from football for one-year, ...
, representing
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
, was recognized as the best Asian player (for the month of October).
In 2000, KFF became a candidate member of
UEFA
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs fo ...
, and obtained its full membership on 25 April 2002 at the
UEFA Congress
The UEFA Congress (french: Congrès de l'UEFA, german: UEFA-Kongress) is the supreme controlling organ of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). UEFA is the administrative body for association football and futsal in Europe, and is o ...
in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...
, Sweden.
In 2008, the federation established a major U-17 tournament, the
Kazakhstan President Cup. Spain won it in 2014 and 2015.
List of Presidents
* Adilbek Zhaksybekov (2007–2014)
*
Erlan Kozhagapanov (2014–today)
See also
*
Football in Kazakhstan
Football in Kazakhstan is governed by the national body the Football Federation of Kazakhstan. The FFK organises the men's, women's and futsal national teams. Football is the most popular sport in the country, followed by ice hockey.
History
Ka ...
References
External links
Official Websiteat FIFA site
at UEFA site
{{Sports governing bodies in Kazakhstan
Football in Kazakhstan
Futsal in Kazakhstan
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
Sports organizations established in 1992
1992 establishments in Kazakhstan