Madrid and Barcelona, ​​Munich and London, Manchester and Milan – it is they who turn into places of pilgrimage to football fans from around the world every fall. Here are matches of the world's most famous club football tournament – the UEFA Champions League.

Season 2015/2016 became truly significant in the history of Kazakhstani football

This fall, another football “station” – Astana, first appeared in the trial of the European fan.

Madrid and Barcelona, ​​Munich and London, Manchester and Milan – it is they who turn into places of pilgrimage to football fans from around the world every fall. Here are matches of the world's most famous club football tournament – the UEFA Champions League.

Of course, they love the Champions League in Kazakhstan. That's just empathy and hurt the television screens to domestic football fans for Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Thomas Müller, Wayne Runi and other foreign stars.

However, the season 2015/2016 became truly significant in the history of Kazakhstani football, and perhaps not only football, but in general for our republic. This fall, another football “station” – Astana, first appeared in the trial of the European fan.

The group stage of the Champions League for a long time remained an unattainable height for our country. The Kazakhstanis became a regular participant in the qualification of the main football tournament of the Old World after joining UEFA in 2002. However, the lack of experience at such a high level and a higher class of instructions teams constantly became an insurmountable obstacle to us. But over time, the situation began to change. The growth of the level of the Kazakhstani championship allowed Kazakhstanis to wave up more – we began to take place already in more distant qualifications. In the 2013/2014 season, Kazakhstan was already represented in the playoff round, but then the Karaganda “Shakhtar” lost with a difference of one ball by the Scottish “Celtic” and stopped a step away from the group stage. And so, it happened! Having consistently beat the champions of Slovenia, Finland and Cyprus, the champion of Kazakhstan – “Astana” – became a full participant in the largest club football forum in Europe.

In Kazakhstan, a lot is being done to promote the image of both the country itself and its young capital. Astana is gradually turning into a powerful economic and political center of Eurasia. There is no sport remained aside. However, with all due respect to the hockey “Barys” in the KHL and the basketball “Astana” in the Unified VTB league, the Astana cycling, the Astana’s achievements are apart and have already brought the country a powerful image breakthrough. What the Kazakhstan football champion has done for the recognition of the Kazakhstan capital is in any comparison with any other sports achievements.

The city is literally alive with football! Even those who used to follow football from time to time or were not interested in football life in Kazakhstan know about the success of Astana. In social networks, in conversations with colleagues at work, in the kitchens of residential areas, the topic of football “Astana” has taken its strong place. Women, schoolchildren, students, not to mention the fans, in a single impulse turned into one big football family, united by the word “Astana”. Tickets for the home matches of the group stage with the Portuguese “Benfica”, the Spanish “Atletico” and the Turkish “Galatasaray” sold out in a matter of days! If the matches of the qualifying stages were sold out at the main football stadium in Kazakhstan, what can we say about the group stage matches! There is no need to remind once again about the unifying role that football plays in modern society. What other cultural or sporting event can bring together 30,000 people filled with pride for their country and their people in one place?

The UEFA Champions League is not only a competition for the best football players in the world, it is also the most profitable club tournament on the planet! Entering the group stage of the League has already guaranteed Astana a bonus of 12,000,000 euros from UEFA! Needless to say, this is more than a solid amount for any Kazakh football club. Each point earned in the group stage will make the treasury of the capital club richer by another 500,000 euros! What is not an incentive for new achievements on the football field?!

In addition, many clubs consider the Champions League as a kind of fair where you can show your “product” in person for the purpose of further sale. The clubs of Portugal, Holland, Scandinavian countries and Eastern Europe live according to this principle. The sale of even one leading player can guarantee them a comfortable existence for the coming seasons or significantly replenish the club's budget. The mere participation in such a prestigious tournament automatically increases the price of any football player at times. Many players, especially from Africa, South America and Eastern Europe, see participation in the Champions League as a springboard to move to clubs in the top European leagues. And now the players of the Kazakh champion were presented at the talent show of Europe. And after all, there is someone to look at! Italian “Milan” and German “Hamburg” have already appeared in the press as potential buyers of midfielder Nemanja Maksimovic. Scouts of various clubs are closely watching the game of midfielder Roger Cañas. Of great interest to potential buyers are the figures of Patrick Tvumasi, Baurzhan Dzholchiev, Dmitry Shomko, Foxy Ketevoam, Marina Anichich. Thus, Astana entered the previously practically inaccessible international football market and has the opportunity to become a full-fledged player on it.In the future, the proceeds from transfers can be invested in the further development of the club: in infrastructure or the acquisition of new players to replace the departed ones. Astana has become much more attractive not only for merchants looking for football talents in all corners of Europe, but also for potential partners and sponsors. Success, and participation in the Champions League is such by definition, is always accompanied by many who want to share it and make a contribution.

It is also important that the fans believed in Astana. With his performance in the main European club competition, the Kazakh champion proved that they can play football in Kazakhstan too. Today, the fans have a completely different attitude towards the team, which will undoubtedly affect the interest in the club and the attendance at home matches of domestic tournaments. A striking example is the match with Almaty Kairat in the framework of the Kazakh Premier League, which took place on September 20. 11,500 spectators watched the game of the two leading teams of Kazakhstan in the stands of the Astana Arena. This is three (!) times more than at the match of the same teams at the same stadium in April this year.

And, of course, speaking of the UEFA Champions League, one cannot but say that we are talking about a tournament with the participation of the leading clubs of the Old World, in which the most skillful coaches work and the strongest players play. This is the best “school” for a young Kazakh club. These six qualifying matches and six matches of the group stage will give Astana players a lot professionally. The experience of football battles with such opponents, of course, will benefit not only Astana itself, but also the national team of Kazakhstan, whose players play in the Kazakhstani champion. Having tasted all the charm of football of the highest quality, the players of Astana have changed. Now these are players with much more confidence, experience, motivation and even a different, higher level of skill. Having made their way to the group stage, the players of Astana enrolled themselves in the football university, which has no analogues at the club level in Europe, and, perhaps, the world does not exist.

Astana's entry into the group stage of the UEFA Champions League is the result of serious changes that have taken place in Kazakhstani football after the entry of the Football Federation of our country into UEFA. Having got the opportunity to compete and learn from the experience in the strongest continental confederation, the Kazakhs showed themselves to be diligent students. Yes, of course, there are enough difficulties in restructuring the Kazakh football industry to a high European level. These are, first of all, infrastructure issues, as well as the nuances of the development of youth football. But when the problems are outlined and the way to solve them is clear, then there is no doubt that the football club, which is part of the structure of the Presidential Professional Sports Club (PPSK) Astana, will solve them by reaching a new level of its development.The fact that the football “Astana” will continue its successful way, there is no doubt, because the Board of Trustees of the PPSK is headed by a brilliant athlete, a person who is immensely loving football, an experienced politician and public figure Umirzak Shukeev. It was Shukeev who was able to build an effective management vertical and the development model of the club, providing the conditions for the development of the capital's football club in recent years, laying a strong foundation of today's Astana.

A significant role in the success of the football “Astana” belongs to the current akim of the city of Adilbek Dzhaksybekov. Will anyone be surprised today if in the eyes of the European and world public our capital will be associated primarily with the football club of the same name?

As you know, climbing to the top is sometimes easier than to stay on it. In order to succeed in this, the leaders and patrons of Astana, it is necessary to set new tasks today, primarily the infrastructure direction, without which in the near future it will be difficult to stay at the height.