Former Spartak Moscow and AEK Athens head coach Massimo Carrera has said he would be willing to take charge of the Kazakhstan national team.
The 62-year-old Italian was linked with the position in autumn 2025 and appears to fit several of the criteria outlined by the Kazakhstan Football Federation’s new General Secretary, Scott Munn.
In a recent interview, Carrera was asked whether he would consider managing Kazakhstan or Belarus, following the example of his compatriot Fabio Cannavaro, who is in charge of Uzbekistan.
“I would accept such an offer because coaching a national team is interesting. I like new challenges, and it could be an important test for me,” Carrera said.
There is currently no indication that Carrera has held talks with the KFF. His response came to a hypothetical question and should be viewed as a public expression of interest rather than confirmation that negotiations are underway.
Carrera Was Linked With Kazakhstan in 2025
Carrera’s name first appeared in connection with the Kazakhstan job in autumn 2025, following Ali Aliyev’s departure.
At the time, the KFF was looking for a permanent head coach, although Talgat Baisufinov had already been placed in interim charge.
Kazakh media named Carrera among the possible candidates, but Artem Fetisov, an interpreter who had worked with the Italian, denied that the Kazakhstan position was being discussed.
“It is not the Kazakhstan national team, but another team from the CIS,” Fetisov said at the time.
Carrera was therefore genuinely mentioned in connection with the vacancy, but there was no evidence of substantive negotiations with the federation.
Baisufinov was later appointed on a permanent basis. He stepped down on June 22, leaving Kazakhstan without a permanent head coach once again. The KFF said further information about the new coaching staff would be announced in due course.
Munn Wants International and Trophy-Winning Experience
The search is now being led by Scott Munn, who was appointed KFF General Secretary in April and formally took up the position in July.
The Australian previously held senior roles at Melbourne City, City Football Group China and Tottenham Hotspur. His appointment marked the first time that the KFF had hired a senior executive with English Premier League experience to lead the federation.
Munn has said the KFF is considering both foreign and Kazakh coaches. Among his main requirements for a foreign candidate are experience outside their home country, a record of success and previous trophies.
Kazakhstan’s long-term objective is to qualify for the European Championship, while the immediate target is to finish in the top two of their UEFA Nations League group.
Carrera fits that profile on paper. He has worked in Italy, Russia and Greece, won the Russian Premier League and lifted domestic Super Cups with Juventus and Spartak Moscow.
Eurasia Football previously reported that Munn did not support the candidacy of former Russia international Oleg Shatov.
The former Zenit midfielder only began his independent coaching career in 2024 and has yet to work abroad or win a trophy as a head coach.
Former Kazakhstan manager Magomed Adiev has also been mentioned as a possible candidate.
Adiev led the national team from 2022 to 2024. Under him, Kazakhstan won their Nations League group, earned promotion to League B for the first time and collected a national-record 18 points in Euro 2024 qualifying before losing to Greece in the play-offs.
However, football insider Ivan Karpov claims that the KFF has not contacted Adiev and is unlikely to do so. Adiev has also said that he has received no approach from the federation. Karpov’s wider claims about Munn’s attitude towards Russian-speaking employees remain his own assessment and have not been independently confirmed.
The KFF has not published an official shortlist.
Carrera’s résumé appears to match Munn’s stated criteria more closely than Shatov’s. Unlike Adiev, the Italian has never worked with Kazakhstan, but he has now publicly confirmed that he would be open to the position.
He Ended Spartak’s 16-Year Title Drought
The greatest achievement of Carrera’s coaching career came at Spartak Moscow.
Before moving to Russia, he worked alongside Antonio Conte at Juventus and with the Italian national team. Carrera took charge of Juventus on matchdays during Conte’s suspension and helped the club win the 2012 Italian Super Cup.
He joined Dmitry Alenichev’s coaching staff at Spartak in the summer of 2016. When Alenichev resigned following the club’s early elimination from the Europa League, Carrera was initially appointed on an interim basis and then given the job permanently.
In his first season, the Italian led Spartak to the Russian Premier League title. It was the Moscow club’s first championship since 2001, ending a 16-year wait.
Spartak followed that success by winning the Russian Super Cup in the summer of 2017.
During the following campaign, Carrera’s side finished third in the league and reached the Russian Cup semi-finals. In the Champions League, Spartak recorded a memorable 5-1 home victory over Sevilla but failed to progress from their group.
Carrera was dismissed in October 2018 after a poor start to the season. Despite the manner of his departure, he retained considerable popularity among Spartak supporters.
He Has Struggled to Replicate His Spartak Success
Carrera returned to management with AEK Athens in December 2019. His team finished third in the Greek Super League, reached the Greek Cup final and later qualified for the Europa League group stage.
The Italian left AEK in December 2020, just over a year after his appointment.
In February 2021, he took charge of Bari in Italy’s third tier. His spell lasted slightly more than two months before he was dismissed following a run of disappointing results.
Carrera spent almost three years out of coaching before joining Serie B side Ascoli in March 2024.
He was unable to prevent the club from being relegated to Serie C, although Ascoli initially kept him for the following season. Carrera was dismissed in September 2024 after a poor start to the new campaign and has been without a team since.
Carrera therefore presents the KFF with a mixed résumé. He has international experience, knows football in the post-Soviet region and has won major trophies. However, his last significant success came with Spartak in 2017, while his subsequent spells in Greece and Italy ended without silverware.
He is not currently an officially confirmed candidate for the Kazakhstan job. His public willingness to accept the position could nevertheless bring him back into consideration as the KFF continues its search.