A court in Uralsk has acquitted the manager of sports grounds in a high-profile case involving the tragic death of an 11-year-old boy who was killed when football goalposts fell on him, reports infohub.kz.
The tragedy occurred on July 27, 2022. The case has been under consideration in courts for several years. Initially, charges were brought against the former director of the sports club "Oral," but during the new trial, responsibility was placed on the manager of the club's sports grounds.
On August 25, 2026, under the chairmanship of judge Abadan Mamyrov of the Uralsk City Court, the final arguments took place. State prosecutor Yerassyl Yergaliyev insisted on finding the defendant guilty and asked for a sentence of 4 years and 8 months in prison, to be served in a minimum-security facility, as well as taking him into custody in the courtroom.
In his final statement, the defendant expressed deep regret over the incident but categorically rejected the charges. He stated: "It is hard to realize that a child has died. I did not commit the crime I am accused of. I do not dispute the fact of what happened, but I strongly object to the claim that my actions or inaction led to the tragedy. The design and estimate documentation did not match the project, and that is very important. The goalposts were put into operation back in 2011. The violation existed from the very moment the facility was built. What is my fault? I did not create or install the goalposts. I ask the court to base its decision on the evidence. I believe there is no crime in my actions. I ask for a fair decision and acquittal. I trust in the fairness of the court."
On September 1, Judge Abadan Mamyrov announced the verdict: "The court finds the defendant not guilty and acquits him due to the absence of a criminal offense."
After the verdict, the judge explained the reasons for the acquittal and announced that special rulings had been issued to the police department, the prosecutor's office, and the akimat of the West Kazakhstan region. During the trial, significant violations of the law by the pre-trial investigation bodies were revealed. Investigators systematically interrupted the investigation deadlines for formal reasons, for example, by claiming to order examinations that were not actually conducted. The akimat of the region was instructed to check all sports grounds for safety. The prosecutor and the head of the police department received orders to take response measures regarding the identified violations.
The father of the deceased boy disagreed with the court's decision and intends to file an appeal.