Kairat Almaty will have to move a potential third-round European qualifier to Turkistan because their home stadium is being prepared for a Kanye West concert.
The American rapper, also known as Ye, is scheduled to perform at Almaty’s Central Stadium on 14 August. Kairat said the venue would be unavailable during the period when the club could host a Champions League or Europa League fixture.
The Kazakh champions asked UEFA to approve a change of venue, with Turkistan Arena selected as the alternative. The exact date of the match and ticket-sale details will be announced once Kairat’s route in Europe is confirmed.
Kairat are currently facing Cypriot side Omonia in the second qualifying round of the Champions League. The Almaty club lost the first leg 1-0 in Nicosia, with the return match scheduled for 29 July at Central Stadium.
If Kairat overturn the deficit, they will face the winners of the tie between Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia and Romania’s Universitatea Craiova in the Champions League third qualifying round. Their home leg in Turkistan would take place on 11 August.
If Kairat are eliminated by Omonia, they will drop into the Europa League and meet the losers of the Mjällby–Lincoln Red Imps tie. The Swedish champions won the opening leg 3-0. In that scenario, Kairat would play at Turkistan Arena on 13 August. The potential opponents were confirmed by the official Champions League and Europa League draws.
The dispute over the stadium had been developing for several days. Kairat previously stated that the concert date had not been agreed with the club despite its busy domestic and European schedule. Tickets for Ye’s show are already on sale, starting at KZT 180,000 ($3800).