Due to certain financial difficulties, we have not been able to keep this page updated. Unfortunately we will no longer be able to provide English Language coverage of FCSK. We would like to apologize for this and sincerely thank every one of our fans. We hope you continue to support Shakhter Karagandy.
-Bekezhan N., FC Shakhter English Language Press Attache.
On March 9 league champions FC Aktobe and cup winner Shakhter Karagandy will meet in the capital of Kazakhstan, at the 30000 seater Astana-Arena to compete for the first trophy of the new season – the Kazakh Super Cup. Both fans and players eagerly anticipate the first match of the season, and such an important one as well. The traditional pre-match press conference was attended by both head coaches, Victor Kumykov of Shakhter and Vladimir Nikitenko of Aktobe.
Victor Kumykov (Shakhter head coach):
– Our pre-season went well, we signed the people we planned to. Unfortunately the players that left the team last year were a at the heart of our squad: Gazaran, Cañas , Khizhnichenko. However, at the same time, the holes were filled with several new players. We’ve been happy with the team, no unnecessary players.
Vladimir Nikitenko (Aktobe head coach):
– First of all, I want congratulate everyone with the start of the season. The Super Cup is of great importance for us, I think we have a great football match awaiting us. Aktobe has also gone through big changes in its composition. There are guys who left the team, at the same time six new players have joined our ranks. Perhaps there will be more new players as we still have a few open spots for foreign players, the question is still ongoing.
A. Simcevic (Shakhter player):
– We trained well and are fully ready for the start of the championship. For us it is important to start the season of with a win. I am confident that we will leave everything on the field tomorrow because all of Karagandy expects us to win.
Timur Kapadze (Aktobe player):
– Good afternoon. I want to congratulate everyone with the beginning of the season. Matches against Shakhter are always very difficult as both teams set high standards and play to win, this game especially. We understand that this game sets the mood of the team for the new season. It will be a very interesting match.
– Last year your club was very successful on the European stage, will Shakhter repeat and surpass the achievement of the previous season?
(Shakhter coach)- Recently we met with Governor of the region and he gave us the task of performing successfully in European competitions. Once again our goal is to get into the group stage and to perform better than in the previous season. Our players gained a lot of experience last year and they have seen that we can beat serious opponents. We have played against many different teams with different playing styles, however the main thing is attitude and the belief that you are able to beat any opponent.
Victor Kumykov (Shakhter head coach):
– No TV can convey the atmosphere that will be at the stadium. We would like to invite all football fans to the opening of the 2014 season to witness a very interesting and uncompromising match.
Vladimir Nikitenko (Aktobe head coach):
– Probably due to the fact that Karaganda is closer to Astana than Aktobe, there will be more Shakhter supporters then our fans. But I’m sure that we will have a strong support. The match tomorrow will be very interesting and I’m sure the audience will enjoy it.
Today in Karaganda in the shopping center «City Mall» the team presented their main squad for 2014 to fans and media alike. The executive director of the Karaganda Erden Khalilin club and head coach Victor Kumykov Karaganda also presented the club’s new signings for this upcoming season, from which the fans will be sure to expect good performances in the national competition, and in the Europa League.
This type of pre-season presentation of the team to the fans – although a very common European experience, unfortunately, has not yet caught on in our Kazakh football culture. Our clubs, at best, prefer to meet with their fans during the season, or after winning the championship, which, as you all know is a very rare occurrence. And now, it seems, there have finally emerged some positive developments. One of the pioneers is Shakhter Karagandy; the chance to see the new Shakhter team was met with great enthusiasm from the fans and the public. Even an hour before the start, the first floor of the shopping and entertainment center flooded with dozens of fans; over time the crowd grew even more and more. Flocking around the stage painted in Shakhter’s colors, orange and black, they all eagerly awaited the appearance of their favorite team.
However, before the presentation of the players, the fans were entertained with music, games and prizes. The fans were invited to participate in football juggling competitions, and trivia about the history of Shakhter. Win or lose – all participants received prizes ranging from autographed ball to more modest, scarfs or caps. Throughout this all, the crowd never ceased to grow quit, as chants of “Go Shakhtar – Shakhter is the champion” to “Go Shakhter – Forward Karaganda” rung through the air. And if all of this was not enough to create an exceptional football atmosphere, when the time finally came for the players to come before the public, Karagandy fans were ready to shout the names of each player. It’s not too difficult to guess that the loudest cheers were reserved for their beloved captain – Andrei Finonchenko, who incidentally was the last player to come out. Karagandy fans have much to celebrate and cheer about, as the newcomers: midfielder Kazakhstani Ulan Konysbaev, Bosnian striker Mihret Topcagic, Uzbek midfielder Shaukat Salomov, Portuguese defender Yago Fernandez and finally Uzbek striker Kamoliddin Murzoev are all top class additions to what was already a solid team. Each of the above players received their Shakhter jerseys and their numbers for the year: Konysbaev with the number 10, Topcagic with the number 9, Salom with number 29, Fernandez with number 6 and Murzoev with number 27.
After the presentation, the new players took the floor to sign autographs and take pictures with fans, but not before the head coach, Victor Kumykov, congratulated all of Karaganda with the 80th anniversary of the city! And said “we would like to please the fans of Karaganda and give them a gift in the form of championship!” All in all this became a worthy little football festival commemorating the start of the season and again proved Shakhter as one of the most successful and forward thinking clubs in Kazakhstan; and with no sign of slowing down, each season seems to bring new fame and achievements not only for Shakhter, but for Kazakhstan.
As always, don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us @ShakhterKgd for the latest English language updates on Shakhter.
Photo credit Sultanbek Khassenov, Ulykhbek Khassenov.
Orange and Black continues its series of reports on Shakhter’s newcomers. This time we had a few moments to catch up with Yago Fernandez, a very talented 26 year old defender who joined the club this winter transfer season.
Yago, how did you start playing football?
I was born in Lisbon, Portugal and started playing football at the age of 8 in Benefica’s youth team.
Did you have any favorite players growing up?
Of course, I loved Fernando Hierro of Real Madrid. I was a big fan of Benefica and Real as a child.
Was it hard to integrate into the Shakhter squad?
In other teams that I have played for it wasn’t this tough physically. But, after the first week it got a lot easier.
Is there anyone specific on the team with whom you spend a lot of time with?
I get along well with all of the players; they are all very friendly, welcoming, and cheerful. The squad is close-knit, everyone has been extremely supportive.
How is your relationship with the trainer?
The trainer and I have a very good working relationship, I can’t be anything but happy with him. I’m grateful for his friendliness and good attitude towards me.
Can you tell us a little bit about your family?
My family lives in the city of Valencia, one of the most beautiful and historic cities in Italy.
As always, don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us @ShakhterKgd for the latest English language updates on Shakhter.
Photo credit shahter.kz, orginal interview conducted by Shakhter Karagandy Press Office, translated by Bekezhan Nurkhaidarov.
We talked with Shakhter Karagandy trainer, Viktor Kumykov about the new season, and what he expects after a groundbreaking performance last year.
-How is pre-season training going? What condition are the players in?
Everything is going according to plan; we’re training and playing friendly games. The main goals here are placed on tactics and fitness. Overall the team is progressing very well.
-How important is it to win friendly matches?
I won’t say that they aren’t important, wins are needed to keep the players’ moral high. Shakhter Karagandy always plays to win, if we end up losing –we can’t say that we played well. If we win – then we can be happy with our performance. It doesn’t matter if it’s a training, friendly or let alone an official match we always look to win. What ends up happening is a different story, not everything always works out.
-Is the team rooster complete, are there any more transfers in the works?
We still have one more position to fill, on the flank, once we fill that position the team should be ready to compete in the Europa League.
-Can you confirm that there are still 2 spots left on the team for foreign players (Kazakhstani team have a limit on the number of foreign player allowed in a squad)?
Yes, we have 2 vacancies. One of which we want to fill as soon as possible and the other one sometime before the start of the Europa League, most likely it will be a center midfielder.
-Has Aldin Dzidic gotten his Kazakhstani citizenship yet?
He will receive it any day now, we had sent all of the documents in last year and the only thing left is to formalize the papers.
-Does arrival of Fernandez (Yago) mean that one of the current defenders will leave?
You know, nobody will be leaving the team. We only have 4 central defenders: Vasiljevic, Maliy, Dzidic and Fernandez. That’s the right number of defenders a team should have. If you remember, last year we had some problems with defenders and since we usually play with 3 defenders, only 1 man will sit out per game. All of them will be part of the team.
-Do you already know what the goals for this season are for Shakhter?
Pretty much, Shakhter doesn’t play without setting high goals. Our job this season is to win the domestic league, to make it into the Group Stage of the Europa League and to perform better than last year.
-Who do you consider to be the main contenders for winning the Premier League this season?
-This year there will more teams than ever. Other than Shakhter there is FC Aktobe, Kairat Almaty, probably FC Astana. And as always some dark horse will be a contender as will. So I think four or five teams will be fighting for the championship.
-You compatriot, Yuri Krasnozhan has taken over the Kazakhstani national team, what do you think of this move?
I actually meet with him a few days ago, he came to look at one of our games. I talked with him, he asked me my opinion of the championship, the players, who would be a viable candidate for the national team. I think that’s the right thing to do, to travel to various clubs and scout all of the players. We are both from Russia, so I’ve known him for a while; we’ve had a good working relationship. The federation made the right choice in picking Krasnozhan.
As always, don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us @ShakhterKgd for the latest English language updates on Shakhter.
Meet Mihret Topcagic, the new star striker for Shakhter Karagandy. We present the first installment about Shakhter’s new signings!
-You’re now moving to Kazakhstan, how did you come into contact with Shakhter Karagandy?
They went through an agency that had become aware of me through my statistics. The club has a very good scouting system. They looked at two Wolfsburg games through the internet, against Storm and Rapid. The coach was pleased with my performance.
-Do you already have an idea of what to expect in Kazakhstan?
I have talked with some players who were already there, two Slovenians and a Serb. They told me that the club in Karagandy is very well organized and wants to achieve much. They almost reached the Champions League Group Stage (Note: FCSK lost in the play-off to Celtic 2:0 / 0:3) and that life there would be quite enjoyable.
-How long did it take you to make the decision?
On 19 December, they have contacted me, I had been thinking for a bit longer since I was very happy at Wolfsburg.
-What do you expect from this transfer, other than that you will earn considerably more money?
I’m into it 100% and will try to fulfill the wishes of the club as they paid so much money for me; the management wants to get into the Europa League, which is very important.
-Are you not afraid that when you come away from Central Europe you’ll be a bit out of sight, especially with regard to your future sporting ambitions?
I do not think so, mainly because development in Kazakhstan is followed especially carefully in Russia. Also a Shakhter Karagandy player is currently on trial with Brunswick.
Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more info about Shakhter’s signings! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @ShakhterKgd
Original interview conducted in German by Hubert Gigler of Kleine Zeitung. Translated by Bekezhan Nurkhaidarov.
Yago Fernandez.
Following a breakout year for Shakhter, this transfer season promised to bring in a new influx of talent to the club. A record level of prize money and increased name recognition promised to allow Shakhter the greatest selection of players to pick from. With pre-season trainings already in full swing, time is running out on the winter transfer season. A summary and analysis of Shakhter’s transfer actions up until today:
Departures:
Vladamir Sedelnikov (CB) —-> Tekden Denizlispor (TUR-2)
Aslan Darabaev (CM) —-> Kairat Almaty (KAZ)
Roger Canas^ (CM) —-> Metalurg Donetsk (UKR)
Gevorg Ghazaryan^ (LW) —-> Metalurg Donetsk (UKR)*
Igor Zenkovich^ (CF) —-> Aktobe (KAZ)
Sergey Khizhnichenko^ (CF) —-> Korona Kielce (POL)
^ First team regular players (last season).
* Returned to home club from loan.
Arrivals:
Mihret Topcagic (CF) <—- Wolfsberger AC (AUS)
Ulan konysbaev (AM) <—- FC Astana (KAZ)
Bauyrzhan Dzholchiev (RW) <—- Tobol Kostanay (KAZ)
Yago Fernandez (CB) <—- BK Hacken (SWE)
Viktor Dimitrenko (CB) <—- FC Astana (KAZ)
Several of Shakhter’s important first team players leave Kazakhstan for foreign teams, creating big gaps for the new arrivals to fill.
Attack:
The transfer of young striker Sergey Khizhnichenko is perhaps the greatest loss to Shakhter’s squad, while at the same time being a big leap forward for Kazakhstani football in general (read more about this in the previous article). Meanwhile, Igor Zenkovich, generally seen as the third best striker for Shakhter last season also made a move; leaving to play for the 2013 Kazakh Champions FC Aktobe. This leaves the captain Andrey Finonchenko and the new arrival Mihret Topcagic as the top forwards on current squad. If Shakhter is to get anywhere next year, these two must put up a top notch performance.
25 year old Mihret Topcagic, born in Croatia and a dual Bosnian-Austrain citizen, comes from Wolfsburg, who currently sit 7th in the 10 team Austrain Bundesliga. The striker had notched 6 goals in 18 matches this year for his former club (Note: Wolfsburg has played 23 games so far this season). Last season Topcagic managed to score 10 goals in 20 matches. The nearly 2 meter tall forward will almost certainly become one of the top players in the Kazakhstani domestic flight and with a market value of 6.000.00€ he becomes the highest valued player on the current Shakhter squad. Success on the European stage will certainly depend on his ability to perform in critical matches. However, Shakhter’s Athletic Director seemed very confident in Topcagic’s ability saying, “We have thoroughly scouted him, we’ve monitored his performance for 15 matches and are confident that this is not a mistake. We hope he will make a big breakthrough in our domestic league.” For transfer fee of over 250.000€, Topcagic is a huge investment for Shakhter, a club with a total operating budget of 5 million euro, hopefully he was worth the price.
Midfield:
The loss of both Roger Canas and Gevorg Ghazaryan, arguably the two best midfielders on the team, significantly reduces the talent and skill level of Shakhter’s midfield. As of now, nobody has been brought in to replace either player and there has not been any word of any new midfielders coming in other than Ulan Konyesbayev from FC Astana and Bauyrzhan Dzholchiev from Tobol. While both are good player in their own right, they certainly lack the speed and technical ability of Ghazaryan and Canas. So unfortunately, for now, Shakhter’s midfield is step down from last season and it may prove to be fatal in an important game.
Ulan Konysbaev
Defence:
The biggest improvement over the winter has come in the defense. With all of the first team players from last year staying and the arrival of Kazakhstani international Viktor Dimitrenko and former Portugese U19 defender Yago Fernandez arriving, the back line is stronger than ever. The 1,90 meter tall Dimitrenko has had experience playing for teams such as Krasnodar and will be a one of the better defenders in the domestic league, while also being able to hang against bigger and better European teams. At 22 this player has much more to learn, but has already shown to be able to compete at a high level and the potential to keep on improving. Portuguese Yago seems to be another stellar find for Shakhter, the 26 year old spent his youth career at illustrious clubs such as Benefica, Sporting FC and Valencia. While obviously not making the cut for the first team, he went on the play for Swedish Malmo and Greek AEK Athens before spending a few months at Hacken and then coming to Kazakhstan. We can’t say for sure how good of a player Yago is, but he must have learned something at Benefica, Sporting FC, or Valencia. I have high hopes for this new arrival. Overall our defense performed quite admirably last season, and I expect to see an even better performance from Shakhter this up-coming season.
Goalkeeping:
No change.
Continue exploring the new Shakhter team as over the next few weeks we will publish a more detailed look at some of the top new players.
Thanks for reading, as always remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @ShakhterKgd.
22 year old Kazakhstani center forward, Sergey Khiznichenko, has completed the transfer from FC Shakhter Karagandy to Polish MKS Korona Kielce which plays in the top Polish League. He becomes the first Kazakhstani-born player to move to a non-Russian European competition. Sergey is a member of the Kazakhstani national team and the young forward is viewed as a star of the future. We sat down with him to talk about his move to Poland and what he sees for himself in the future.
-Sergey, how did the possibility of moving to Poland come about?
Well when I arrived from Israel after our last EL game my agent told me about an opportunity to play in Poland. I thought why not? It’s closer to big European football; my childhood dream was to play in a good domestic league, so it would be a step towards that dream. From there (Poland) it is probably easier to get into a stronger league.
-How smoothly did the trial go?
I flew into Poland the 16th of January, but the team had gotten together the 10th. We were 120km from Kielce and played on a synthetic field where the team has worked for the past 4-5 years. It was a tough trial, I got through 2 training sessions, played 2 incomplete matches, overall I would say everything went well.
-What can you say about your new team, specifically your teammates and trainers?
My teammates are great, they’re friendly people. The trainer loves discipline, but is also very friendly; he treats everybody equally. There are 2 other Russian speakers from Ukraine in the squad . . . they help me communicate, step in as translators. I’m trying to remember phrases and learn some Polish.
-What is the goal this year for your new team
The championship splits into 2 groups halfway through the season. Right now we are in 12th position, but only 6 point away from 5th. Our job is to get into the top group of 8 teams.
-Have you gotten to see the infrastructure of the club?
The infrastructure is at a top European level. There is an amazing stadium with a capacity of 15 thousand. Inside the stadium there is everything a player could need to recuperate after a game: a massage room, sauna, medical staff. To be honest I’ve never seen anything like this in Kazakhstan.
–Would you say that last year was the best season of your career?
I hope that my best years are ahead of me. If we take look at my performance, I started off shaky and then played well before falling off at the end of the season. If we judge by the performance of Shakhter – we won the cup, the supercup, played well in the CL qualifying and got into the EL group stage. It was an interesting season.
Thanks for reading. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @ShakhterKgd
Original interview on sports.kz by Duman Balykbaev. Translated by Bekezhan Nurkhaidarov. Photograph from korona-kielce.pl
Athletic Director of Shakhter Karagandy, Ulykhbek Asanbaev talked about the future of the club and goals for the next season.
“We will try to win the domestic league and get into a group stage of a European competition again.”
–Have you extended the contract with Viktor Kumykov (Shakhter’s manager)?
– “Yes, he will be at Shakhter for one more season”
–Is there any information regarding the signing of Konysbaev, Dimitrenko*, or Dzholchiev?
– “No. Right now we have not signed anything. We will offer contracts to players in January. Then the you will know.”
–What will pre-season look like for Shakhter?
– Right now the team is on vacation. They will get back together in January. Pre-season training will most likely be held in Turkey
–Has the situation with Canas been resolved?
– Yes. He has made the decision to move to Mettalurg Donetsk. The documents have already been signed.
The latest signing made by Shakhter was the transfer of Zarko Markovich from Romanian CS Gaz Metan Medias for 100 000 euro. Markovich is valued at 600 000, making him the second most valuable player on the squad after Ghazaryan who is valued at 1 million euro.
*Note – earlier we reported that V. Dimitrenko had signed with Shakhter. No official documents have been signed, but verbal agreement has been reached.
On Thursday Shakhter Karagandy will play their last game of the season against Maccabi Haifa. With both teams not having any chance of going through to the knockout round, the boys will play for money (winner gets 200 000 euro, split in event of a draw) and UEFA coefficient points for both Shakhter and Kazakhstan. Thanks mostly to Shakhter’s European play, Kazakhstan has moved up 4 positions in the UEFA country coefficient table, now in 34th place, ahead of Bosnia and behind Georgia. Shakhter meanwhile has moved up to the grand position of being the 246th best club in Europe, about 50 spots behind the leading Kazakhstani club Aktobe who sitting in 191st position.
Certainly not considered a top European club, but Shakhter has gained some legitimacy on the European stage. Beating Celtic at home and drawing with AZ turned some heads and raised eyebrows. This season showed that Kazakh teams are no pushovers and are able put up a fight against top teams. In fact, Shakhter gained a reputation and got its name around, which will certainly help make signing new players that much easier. Looking toward the off-season many have speculated that Shakhter will use this year’s prize money to acquire a (relatively) big name player from a foreign competition. This is all speculation, but I will be very surprised if Shakhter does not bring in someone big this off-season. Especially with the departure of R. Cañas and S. Khizhnichenko there will be some gaps to fill (Update on S. Khiznichenko, no word on where he is moving to, but apparently there has been some interest from Polish and Russian teams). The rest of the leading players seem to be staying as well as the coach, so no major disruptions as of now.
Shakhter will play Maccabi Haifa on Thursday later this week. The team is already in Israel having arrived a few days ago to train in the warm weather. Next season Kazakhstan will be represented by Aktobe in the CL and by Kairat, Astana and Shakhter in the EL. Keep an eye out for Aktobe and Kairat as they might cause a few upsets. Thanks to everybody who supported and cheered for Shakhter Karagandy, it has been a magical season for the club, its fans and all of Kazakhstan.
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