Kazakhstan Football Federation unveils John van ‘t Schip as national team head coach

The Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF) has named Dutch manager John van ‘t Schip as the new head coach of Kazakhstan’s national team.

The federation said it had reached an agreement with the 62-year-old Dutch manager. His appointment will be reviewed by the KFF Executive Committee in the coming days, after which the two sides will sign a contract.

Kazakhstan’s national team coaching staff

KFF also revealed the national team’s coaching staff. Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev and Yeldos Akhmetov will serve as van ‘t Schip’s assistant coaches. Yuri Novikov will be the goalkeeping coach, Vadim Borovsky will be the fitness coach and Timur Kusainov will serve as the team’s analyst.

John van ‘t Schip began his coaching career in Ajax’s system before taking charge of the club’s first team. He has also managed FC Twente, PEC Zwolle, Mexico’s Guadalajara and Australia’s Melbourne City. In 2016, he won the Australian Cup with Melbourne City.

At the national team level, the Dutch coach managed the national teams of Greece and Armenia, having previously served on the Netherlands’ coaching staff. His most recent role was as head coach of Armenia, a position he left in August 2025.

As a player, van ‘t Schip represented Ajax, Italy’s Genoa and the Netherlands’ national team. With the national team, he won the 1988 UEFA European Championship.

Kazakhstan’s national team will play its first official match after the summer break on Sept. 26, when it faces the Faroe Islands away in the UEFA Nations League.