Almaty football club Kairat will not be able to host a potential home match of the third qualifying round of European competitions at the Central Stadium in Almaty. The meeting will be moved to Turkistan, as on August 14 the city's main arena will host a concert by American rapper Kanye West (Ye). This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The club announced the decision in an official statement.
Kairat explained that the concert dates coincide with the period of European cup matches, making the Central Stadium unavailable for preparation and holding the game. In this regard, the club appealed to UEFA with a request to change the venue.
"Given the circumstances and the tight schedule of the European cup confrontation, the club appealed to UEFA with a request to move the venue of the potential home match of the third qualifying round. As a result of the consideration of this request, the meeting was agreed to be held in the city of Turkistan at the Turkistan Arena stadium," the statement said.
The club clarified that the exact date and time of the match, as well as information about the start of ticket sales, will be announced later — after the team's next opponent in European competitions is determined.
Earlier, Kairat opposed holding the concert on the scheduled dates. The club noted that the event date was not agreed with the team, which continues to fight in European competitions and holds home matches at the Central Stadium.