Tengrinews.kz – Qanat Tassibekov, a Kazakh language tutor, spoke about the language learning progress of the national football team’s coach, Stanislav Cherchesov.
Tengrinews.kz – Qanat Tassibekov, a Kazakh language tutor, spoke about the language learning progress of the national football team’s coach, Stanislav Cherchesov.
The head coach of Kazakhstan's football team began learning Kazakh after a scandal at his first press conference in his new position. After being asked a question in Kazakh, Cherchesov asked whether the journalist would mind if he spoke in Ossetian. The Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF) clarified that he had already started studying the state language.
"I can't say much about the learning process yet. I’ve only had one lesson with Stanislav Salamovich. People should understand that the coach dedicates all his time to football; it’s his main focus, so he has little time for anything else," Tassibekov said in an interview with SportNews.kz.
Just yesterday, the Kazakhstan Football Federation stated that Cherchesov is "actively learning the Kazakh language".
Reports about Stanislav Cherchesov starting to learn Kazakh emerged on June 29. Since then, the head coach has already claimed in a press conference before the match against Norway that he has made some progress in the language.
Previously, Cherchesov found himself in scandal after making a joke about language, asking a Kazakh-speaking journalist, "Do you speak French?" This remark drew negative reactions from many fans.
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Kazakhstan demanded explanations from the Kazakhstan Football Federation regarding the coach’s comments, while the KFF stated that Stanislav Cherchesov "deeply respects the Kazakh language".