The Senate, Kazakhstan’s upper house of parliament, has passed amendments to the Law on Physical Culture and Sports that ban the use of state funds to finance foreign athletes, commonly known as “legionnaires.” The bill is now awaiting President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s signature to become law.
Ending State Support and Introducing Salary Caps
Kazakhstan’s efforts to reduce foreign dominance in national sports date back to 2020. Initial measures included capping the number of foreign players allowed on the field in football and hockey, as well as restricting their funding through state budgets. However, according to Vice-Minister of Tourism and Sports Serik Zharasbayev, these regulations, embedded in competition rules and government resolutions, have not been consistently enforced at the regional level. The new legislation aims to enshrine these restrictions in law.
“Regarding the financing of legionnaires: the bill prescribes a prohibition on funding these individuals from the state budget and quasi-governmental sector. However, funding from extra-budgetary sources, such as sponsorships, remains permissible,” Zharasbayev explained.
The law will also empower the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to set financial limits for clubs in football, hockey, and other team sports.
“This legislation will allow us to define how much each club is eligible to receive from the budget and to cap salaries of football and hockey players accordingly,” the Vice-Minister said. He added that the savings would be redirected to support grassroots youth sports, although he could not specify the projected amount.
Budget Caps for Sports Clubs
While specific funding limits have yet to be determined, Zharasbayev noted that the combined annual allocation from national and regional budgets is about 400 billion KZT (approximately $797 million). Currently, football and hockey clubs may receive up to 1.2 billion KZT (around $2.4 million) annually, while other sports, such as basketball and volleyball, are capped at 450 million KZT ($897,000).
“For the 14 clubs in the Kazakhstan Premier League, a cumulative 30 billion KZT was allocated in 2024. It’s within this sum that we aim to identify potential savings,” Zharasbayev said.
He reported that 325 foreign players competed in Kazakhstan’s three professional football divisions last year. Some have since obtained Kazakhstani citizenship, making them eligible for state funding. The new law, however, will apply only to future contracts.
“Existing contracts will remain in effect until their expiration, as the law is not retroactive. Still, we have advised clubs not to sign new contracts with foreign players starting in 2025,” Zharasbayev stated.
He also emphasized the need to regulate domestic athletes’ salaries, citing “unreasonably high payments” as a growing concern. A separate legal act is in development to address the issue.
Scandals Within the Football Federation
The legislation comes amid ongoing investigations into financial misconduct under the previous leadership of the Kazakhstan Football Federation. The Prosecutor General’s Office reported violations amounting to 3 billion KZT (nearly $6 million), including unjustified bonuses, misused funds for infrastructure, questionable player transactions, and embezzlement related to athlete meals.
Specifically, over 300 million KZT ($597,000) in unwarranted bonuses were issued, and more than 350 million KZT ($697,000) was paid for incomplete construction work at facilities in Talgar. Additional irregularities included dubious expenditures on strategic documents and standards.
Audits of top-tier clubs – Ordabasy, Aktobe, and Zhetysu – revealed inflated player contracts, undervalued sales, overpriced acquisitions, and other financial discrepancies. These occurred under the leadership of Adilet Barmenkulov, the federation’s former president.
In March, the Agency for Financial Monitoring of Kazakhstan launched a pre-trial investigation into the federation’s former leadership, though details remain undisclosed. The agency and the Prosecutor General’s Office may be examining overlapping allegations.
Potential Conflict with EAEU Commitments
As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the new restrictions may contradict Kazakhstan’s obligations under the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which ensures the free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor among member states.
Kazakhstan has, in recent years, attracted global football talent at the twilight of their careers. Notable examples include former Arsenal midfielder Andrei Arshavin, who played for Kairat Almaty; Bayern Munich’s Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, who joined the same club in 2015; and Serbian midfielder Zoran Tošić, a former Manchester United player who played for Tobol Kostanay.
