The Opposition EMMET MALONEon why Kazakhstan's links to one of the powerhouses is helping them develop
A STROLL across the artificial pitch at the glittering Astana Arena is enough to provide a sense of how different to grass the surface really is. If the locals derive much of an advantage from it, though, then it must generally be making the difference between defeat and humiliation because Kazakhstan don’t win too many games here.
They tend, on the other hand, not to take hammerings either. Germany, as Giovanni Trapattoni, pointed out this week, took more than 45 minutes to make their breakthrough on their last visit – for a European championship qualifier a couple of years ago – but they did end up winning comfortably enough. In the campaign before that, England scored four without reply here and 5-1 at home; as comprehensive over two games at it tends to get in international football these days That Zhambyl Kukeyev goal at Wembley was no fluke, however; if Austria being held to a scoreless draw when they came here for their European Championship qualifier on the basis of it being a one-off for the visiting team’s relative weakness these days, the Ireland manager will be wary of the fact the Kazakhs have something of a knack for finding the net against superior opposition.
During that 2010 campaign when they beat Andorra home and away to finish fifth in an otherwise tough group they managed to find the net in at least one of their games with every other side in the group; namely Croatia, Ukraine and Belarus as well as England. If Ireland allow them to do the same this evening then it is likely, at the very least, to be a nervous enough evening.
Aside from the outstanding facilities – there is also a state-of-the-art training camp far away from the capital – the Kazakhs are building for the future with a lavishly-funded youth development plan modelled on the one developed by the German Federation, with clubs developing youth academies staffed by well-qualified coaches to bring on talented kids from the age of 10.
Helpfully, the Germans – whose links with the country are at least partly explained by the presence of significant numbers of “Volga Germans” deported to these parts by Stalin at the start of the second World War – have agreed to oversee it and the locals expect to see the first real signs of improvement in their national youth teams in about five years.
In the meantime, coach Miroslav Beranek, a much-travelled Czech who guided his own country’s team to the Under-21 European Championship title a decade or so ago and Debrecen to the Hungarian Championship in 2007, has modest enough ambitions. The 55 year-old, who also coaches the city’s main club side (with which several of tonight’s likely starting line-up play), divides the group into three smaller ones: the first containing just Germany; the second Sweden, Austria and Ireland; the third his own side and the Faroes, who he hopes to beat into last place. A draw tonight, he says, would be a good result.
Not everyone, even his captain, agrees. “We would like to win,” says Kairat Nurdauletov. “Only victory. We wouldn’t accept a draw. During our preparations we had specific goals and we have prepared especially well for the Irish team. We feel very good and the game will show the quality of our preparations. We want to prove that our football is rising and developing as well.”
Optimism has been generated too by the performance of the country’s Olympic team which has just brought home seven gold medals from London. Boxing was one of their success stories but in terms of head-to-head clashes, John Joe Nevin showed the way when he beat Kanat Abutalipov to secure a place in the quarter-finals by 15-10. Trapattoni, you can bet, would settle for a much less comfortable victory than that.
Kazakhstan: A brief history . .
Astana started out life as a fortress (handy for team talks) then grew in size and significance when a major junction for long-distance train lines was located there.
It has had several name changes and was known through most of the Soviet era as Tselinograd.
Its ethnic mix is, in part, a result of Kazakhstan being used by Josef Stalin’s regime as a destination for internal exile and prison camps. Large numbers of Germans and Poles were sent here during the second World War but many more Russians found themselves here too.
The city was made the nation’s capital in 1997 since when the population has more than doubled. The “new city” boats many skyscrapers and other impressive buildings, many of them constructed to facilitate the central government’s relocation and funded by the nation’s rapidly expanding oil wealth.
The salaries of those living in the city are generally large by Kazakh standards but the cost of living there is high too and while it boasts several large shopping malls containing shops that sell all the big-brand names, western consumer goods are especially pricey.
Tonight’s game, on the other hand, is very cheap with tickets costing roughly €2.50 to €6. A crowd of around 15,000 is expected.
