The new head coach of the Kazakhstan national football team will be 62-year-old Dutch specialist John van 't Schip. He is expected to be officially presented as the head coach of the national team tomorrow, August 7. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF) has not yet officially announced the appointment. After the resignation of Talgat Baysufinov in June, the post of head coach of the national team remains vacant. If the information is confirmed, van 't Schip will become the 23rd specialist to lead the national team in the years of Kazakhstan's independence.
According to the source, one of the factors in favor of the Dutchman's candidacy was his acquaintance with the new KFF General Secretary Scott Mann. They worked together at the Australian club Melbourne City: Mann was the club's CEO, and van 't Schip coached the team. In 2014, it was under Mann that the specialist received a new three-year contract with the club.
Mann officially took office as KFF General Secretary on July 13, 2026. His term is calculated until July 2030.
Van 't Schip began his coaching career in the Ajax system, where he worked with youth teams and was part of the main team's staff. His first independent experience at the senior level was Twente. Later, the Dutchman coached Melbourne Heart, later renamed Melbourne City, Mexican Guadalajara, and PEC Zwolle.
Van 't Schip also has significant experience working with national teams. From 2004 to 2008, he was an assistant to Marco van Basten in the Netherlands national team, including at the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008. From 2019 to 2021, the specialist headed the Greece national team.
In October 2023, van 't Schip returned to Ajax as head coach and led the main team until the end of the 2023/24 season, after which he moved to a technical position at the club.
Van 't Schip's last team was the Armenia national team. The Dutchman took charge in February 2025, but already on August 6 of that year, the parties terminated the agreement by mutual consent. The Football Federation of Armenia then stated its decision to change the direction of the national team's development and focus on a local coaching staff.
Under van 't Schip, the Armenian national team played four matches and did not win a single one. In the Nations League playoffs, the team lost twice heavily to Georgia – 0:3 and 1:6, then lost to Kosovo in a friendly – 2:5, and drew with Montenegro – 2:2.
The first official match of the Kazakhstan national team after the summer break is scheduled for September 26. The national team will face the Faroe Islands away in the opening round of the Nations League.