John van 't Schip, a 62-year-old Dutch specialist, is set to become the new head coach of the Kazakhstan national football team. He is expected to be officially presented as the team's coach tomorrow, August 7, according to journalist Aidyn Kozhakhmet on his Telegram channel, as reported by infohub.kz.
The Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF) has not yet officially announced the appointment. The post has been vacant since Talgat Baysufinov resigned in June. If confirmed, van 't Schip will become the 23rd specialist to lead the national team since Kazakhstan's independence.
According to the source, one factor in favor of the Dutchman was his acquaintance with the new KFF General Secretary, Scott Mann. They worked together at Australia's Melbourne City: Mann was the club's CEO, and van 't Schip managed the team. In 2014, it was under Mann that the specialist received a new three-year contract with the club.
Mann officially assumed the role of KFF General Secretary on July 13, 2026. His term runs 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 first-team staff. His first head coaching role at senior level was at Twente. Later, the Dutchman coached Melbourne Heart (later renamed Melbourne City), Mexico's Guadalajara, and PEC Zwolle.
Van 't Schip also has significant experience with national teams. From 2004 to 2008, he was an assistant to Marco van Basten with the Netherlands national team, including at the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008. From 2019 to 2021, he coached the Greece national team.
In October 2023, van 't Schip returned to Ajax as head coach and led the first team until the end of the 2023/24 season, after which he moved to a technical role at the club.
Van 't Schip's last team was the Armenia national team. He took charge in February 2025, but 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 team played four matches and did not win any. In the Nations League playoffs, the team lost heavily to Georgia twice – 0:3 and 1:6, then lost to Kosovo in a friendly – 2:5, and drew with Montenegro – 2:2.
Kazakhstan's first official match 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.