Ole Brazil football school graduates returend to Kazakhstan

Graduates of the Brazilian football school “Ole Brazil” have returned to Kazakhstan, Tengrinews.kz reports. “Together with Astana akimat (city council) and the Football Federation we have signed a memorandum on measures to create necessary opportunities for them to further master their skills and continue their training,” chair of the sports committee of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of Kazakhstan Yelsiyar Kanagatov announced at the press conference on December 6. According to Kanagatov, the akimat of the capital city and the department of tourism, physical culture and sport initiated an invitation to Brazilian coach Thiago Kozloski, who have trained young Kazakh football players in Ole Brazil football school over the past three years. 15 junior players who finished the school, have already singed three-year contracts with the capital’s first league Astana-64 club. “The entire team will get together on December 18. We do not leave ex-players behind. Natives to Astana, graduates of our football school for children and youth and those who were on the team before, will have an advantage and good chances of getting selected if they meet the required skills level. Thiago and I personally looked at the players and he is pleased, we have selected about 10 players, who, in his opinion, have played well and will make a team,” the head of the department of tourism, physical culture and sport of Astana Aitalap Kurgambayev told about their plans. The team, according to his words, has attainable goals. If the team does not get into premiere league, it will then go for one of the prizes. “We should carefully review how the matches go and how the project develops further. And certainly if everything goes well, then in the second round the goal of getting the championship prizes will be possibly set. And if we become champions, then experts will consider if it is worth going for the premiere league or if we better stay in the first one, giving away our place to the prize winners,” Kurgambayev described the plans on reaching the goals in the next season. The club director Galym Ibrayev noted that the players who came to the club, differ from those brought up locally, firstly because they were trained correctly. And the key part in this, according to him, was the diet. “Most importantly the kids were on a correct and well organized diet that matched their training load. If after trainings, let’s say, some kids do not have well-balanced and proper nutrition then it will affect those players, not a year later, but rather three, four, five years later,” Ibrayev said. The team director explained that the decision to invite the Brazilian to lead the team was influenced by the fact that he trained the kids for the past three years and managed to set their game. The young players themselves, mature for their age, assured that are ready to prove it was the right choice to select them. For example, the newly appointed captain of the team Farhat Dzhanibekov, trained in Astana football school, says that he is ready to apply the acquired knowledge in practice. “We will try to show and prove all we have been taught over the past three years,” he said. His team fellow Miras Tuliev from Atyrau repeated his words. “I believe we can demonstrate everything we have been taught over the three years, show that beautiful Brazilian football, and of course we will do our best.” Victor Pavlenko from Ekibastuz, who was also selected for the list of Astana-64, is convinced that the goal set for the team in the season is crucial and must be achieved. The team director added that junior football was over for the boys. They have the most difficult stage in front of them – transfer to the professional football. The key goal for the team’s mentors is to take care of their well-being. The Ministry’s ambitious plans go much further than the boys’ playing with the capital’s club. They envisage playing on the national team at the highest level. The coaches of the national football team of Kazakhstan will be relying on them for the next Olympics. Over three years spent in Brazil 26 Kazakh boys played 166 matches. They won 122. The team took part in 8 championships and 7 tournaments. One of them was international. The Kazakh team won one of the tournaments, that was quite a sensation for Brazilians, because nothing like that had ever happened before.