From QJ League with love: how the closing ceremony of the second season of the League was held

But half a year has passed since the first round: there were bright matchdays in all corners of Kazakhstan, cosy after-match concerts of popular modern artists, cyber tournament, viral videos, social actions, beautiful goals, uncompromising fights, flashes of different emotions, ups and downs. And now, having overcome all the challenges, the teams gathered again at the closing ceremony of the second season of the QJ League.

 

The heroes of the last draw came to Almaty Theatre – the League's players and coaches changed from tracksuits to strict outfits to enjoy a party organised especially for them. Among the guests of the evening were also sports officials, bloggers, club officials, businessmen, veterans of national football and journalists.

 

 

The participants gradually gathered in the foyer of the theatre from six o'clock onwards, with the official part starting at seven o'clock. The spacious space of the theatre became the location for the first half of the evening: in this way, everyone could choose the moments they wanted to share among those happening around them.

 

The guests could take memorable pictures in special photo zones, including a picture of themselves next to the League trophy. A buffet was also organised for the participants and all conditions were created for free informal communication.

 

 

Business talks, useful acquaintances, friendly hugs and exchange of news – that's what the atmosphere outside the official programme was filled with.

 

The evening had its own theme: the organisers made sure that everything here was in keeping with the spirit of Bondiana, the world-famous series of films based on Ian Fleming's spy novels about Agent 007. This was expressed not only in the aesthetics of the official costumes, but also in the limited edition badges, the graphic and musical design of the ceremony, and even in the performances of the artists.

 

It was here, in the foyer, that awards were presented in the League's categories for referees, staff and club managers. Viktor Kasharin from Tobol was the best manager, and the representative of Ordabasy Sergey Kogay was honoured with the Eugene Rott Award for the best manager.

 

The Dias Omarov Award for the best media service and the Seilda Baishakov Award for the best marketing were also presented to Astana and Tobol respectively.

 

 

Referee Sagadat Idrissov was awarded the Alexander Kulakov award for the best referee, while Sergali Ospanov was recognised as the best inspector of the season.

 

After all the awards of this block of nominations found their owners, the famous actor Daniyar Alshinov came up on the stage to the host Kirill Meister.

 

This meant that it was time for a charity auction: not only an interesting spectacle, but also an important social initiative - the proceeds from the lots sold will be used to please the children of the Zhanuya orphanage in Kostanay. The League will purchase a number of necessary goods for the institution, as well as hold a New Year's tree for the children.

 

The auction featured such unique exhibits as a signed shirt of the champion team of Kairat, which won the first season of the QJ League, gloves of boxer Angelina Lukas and goalkeeper Igor Shatskiy, Askhat Tagybergen's kit with autographs of players of the national team of Kazakhstan, as well as a unique football ChessBall signed by Timur Turlov, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Freedom QJ League and Head of KazChess, Arkadiy Dvorkovich, President of FIDE, as well as the reigning World Champion Ding Liren and two-time participant of world championship matches Ian Nepomniachtchi.

 

 

The main and most intriguing lot was destined to be a Barcelona jersey for the 2019/20 season with Lionel Messi's autograph, provided by the League's partner Mastercard. The bidding started immediately with one million tenge, but even this amount was too modest for the jersey of the world football legend – it was quickly brought up to five million.

 

It seemed that the parties would strike hands, but in the end, not without the participation of the presenters, the bidding continued, and the final sum rose to eight million tenge. Messi's T-shirt found its owner.

 

At the end of the auction, everyone moved smoothly into the hall, where the climax of the evening took place: the awarding of the main heroes of the season. TV presenter Olga Spirina joined Daniyar Alshinov on stage: she became the Kazakh-speaking voice of the ceremony.

 

 

Timur Turlov, chairman of the QJ League Board of Trustees, was unable to attend the ceremony in person but recorded a video message which was displayed on a large screen on stage.

 

«It is very symbolic that many awards today will be presented by the legends of Kazakhstani football. Thus they will pass on to the next generation, the best graduates of the QJ League, the baton of rich traditions. It is your turn to defend the honour of their clubs at adult level. We are all very much waiting for it and believe that it is you in the future will wear the national team jerseys, bring victories», – he emphasised, addressing the young players gathered in the hall.

 

Then speeches were made by Azamat Imashev, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Sport and Physical Culture of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Rokhus Shokh, President of the League.

 

Rokhus Rokhusovich thanked the Chairman of the League's Board of Trustees for making it possible to realise such a significant initiative for youth football.

 

«I am a pupil of the Jambyl football school, and this project is important to me personally. My friends, football specialists who have worked here all their lives, did not understand what kind of project this was, what I wanted. Timur Turlov understood it immediately: he is a visionary, a strategic thinker, and he has a big heart», – said Shokh.

 

 

Also, the president of the League mentioned in his speech the legend of Kazakhstani football and the first QJ League ambassador – Seilda Ikramovich Baishakov, who passed away last year. He urged the audience to clap so that the famous Kairatovite could hear that applause in heaven.

 

Shokh named each League staff member by name, thanking them, and also called for a round of applause for the Kazakhstani football veterans present in the audience.

 

Before moving on to the awards, a video was shown on the big screen with League staff talking about what makes them unique and what important functions they perform.

 

Special attention was paid to each nomination – and in between the triumphants' appearances on stage, artists with national instruments performed for the guests. The ceremonial part of the ceremony began with the song Bizdin zhigitter – a song that captured the heart of everyone who had followed Kazakhstan's difficult, intense and heroic adventure to qualify for Euro 2024.

 

 

The first award, which was presented on the main stage of Almaty Theatre, was the award Evstafiy Pekhlevanidi best scorer – there was no intrigue here, because the rivalry of goal-getters closely watched all season. Well-deserved statuette Bagdaulet Nuraly from Ordabasy handed personally veteran Kairat, in whose honour the prize was named.

 

The Igor Shatskiy Award for the best save of the season went to Artem Pantsa (Ontustik), and the Askhat Tagybergen Award for the best goal went to Akhan Serik (Ordabasy).

 

Ruslanzhan Raimbakiev was named the best coach of the tournament, providing Kairat title five games before the end of the championship – he became the owner of the prize named in honour of Georgiy Khutidi.

 

The winner of the Alexander Ubykin award for the best goalkeeper this year was Shakhtyor's Yan Lalov. Coming on stage, he thanked the coaching staff and management, as well as his parents: if not for their decision, the player might not have stayed in the team and not received the statuette. «I have it, it's with me!», – the goalkeeper concluded joyfully, triumphantly raising the trophy above his head.

 

 

Kairat player Amirbek Bazarbayev became the best defender of the season – winner of the Evgeny Yarovenko Award.

 

The award for the best midfielder – the Anton Shokh Award – was presented by Vakhid Masudov. It was a touching moment for the veteran, as he and Shokh, who passed away in 2009, were close friends.

 

«We grew up from childhood, went to the same school, studied under the same coach, Alexander Sergeevich Rekashov, played together for Kairat. It so happened, unfortunately, that he is gone, but I am proud to present the award to this man», – said Vakhid Yunusovich, before announcing the winner – it was Roman Assylbayev of Shakhtar.

 

One of the brightest heroes of the ceremony was Nurdaulet Orynbassar. The leader of Taraz was the best forward of the season – winner of the Eduard Son Award. He received an offensive injury in the last round of the championship and went up to the stage on crutches, which expectedly generated comparisons with the Spanish midfielder Manchester City Rodri, who recently became the owner of the Ballon'd Or.

 

 

Before naming Nurdaulet and presenting him with the statuette, Eduard Son made a short speech: «I am here for the second year and I see that the QJ League organisation is at a very high level, it is a very successful and progressive project. We used to observe similar things abroad, in the West, and today we can be proud that Kazakhstan has such a league».

 

The award for the most useful player of the season – the award Bakhtiyor Zainutdinov – was presented by the Paralympic champion of Paris, judoist Akmaral Nauatbek. She took out an envelope with the name of Dastan Satpayev from Kairat.

 

Goalkeeper Yan Lalov, defenders Ivan Pivovarov, Daniyar Tashpulatov and Amirbek Bazarbayev, midfielders Azizjon Berdiyev, Roman Assylbayev, Alan Azamat and Azamat Tuyakbayev, and forwards Nurdaulet Orynbassar, Bakdaulet Nuraly and Dastan Satpayev made up the symbolic team of the tournament.

 

After the presentation of all individual prizes on stage called the triumphants of this season: young men from Kairat, the coaching staff of the team and the administration of the club.

 

 

Having successfully defended the title, the Almaty team again tried on the gold medals and lifted a pleasantly heavy trophy above their heads – this trophy will remain in the southern capital at least until next autumn.