Former midfielder of several Kazakh clubs Abdoulaye Diakate in an interview with Telecomasia.net shared his thoughts on officiating in the Premier League.
- What surprised you the most in Kazakhstan?
- Of course, the officiating. There are good clubs in Kazakh football, but during matches, you never understand the referee's decisions. In some games, it feels like referees don’t understand football at all. As for infrastructure, the pitches in some cities are very good. I enjoyed playing on natural grass in Almaty and Aktobe. In Astana, there's synthetic turf, but of good quality. Other pitches in Kazakhstan are very substandard, they don’t hold up to any criticism. During the time I played in the KPL, nothing has changed in many cities, and in some places it has even gotten worse. Infrastructure is a very important aspect of football, and not everyone wants to work on it and invest in it.
Recall that the Senegalese player performed for Taraz, Ordabasy, Atyrau, Turan, and Caspian.