Kazakhstan president’s ex-son-in-law: Nazarbaev asked Putin to settle his grandson at Chelsea

Rakhat Aliyev, ex-son-in-law of Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbaev, said that the latter had contacted Putin, then Russia’s president. Nazarbaev allegedly asked Putin to influence Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to favour Aisultan Nazarbaev, president’s grandson and Aliev’s son, and find him a place at Chelsea as a player.

Rakhat Aliyev fled to Austria in 2007 after falling out with Nazarbaev. He was compelled to divorce from his wife and sentenced in absentia to 40 years in prison – twenty for kidnapping two bankers and another twenty were for planning an attempted coup.

«I met with Abramovich in London for my son because he was interested in playing football for Chelsea. Abramovich gave him a trial and he told me, ‘Sorry, tell President Nazarbaev that I can’t interfere with the team’s selection process. I’m like the conductor of an orchestra, and I play with the number one orchestra in world football.’» Aliyev told the Daily Telegraph.

After that, according to Aliyev, Nazarbaev through his assistant tried to influence the process, but failed. «He said, ‘What can I do? I have already made contact through the Kremlin’,» Aliyev claims.»The assistant of the president called Putin’s assistant to organize this.»

The 21-year-old Aisultan Nazarbaev, however, denied his father’s words.

«That is a complete lie. I played for Kazakhstan’s Under-17 team in the European championship in Wales and after the match against Wales some agent came and started to speak to my father. And later I appeared in Chelsea. It was very tough to play there, so I had another invite from Portsmouth, and at the end of the day I chose Pompey.» Nazarbaev Jr. told the Daily Telegraph.

Aliyev also claimed to have got his son his place at Portsmouth FC, asking Sacha Gaydamak, the club’s owner, to find a place for the boy. «I can confirm he was here for around six months around 2007,» a spokesman for Portsmouth said.

Chelsea said it had no record of Aisultan Nazarbaev’s selection taking place.

Aisultan Nazarbaev studied at the UK’s Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in 2009 and is now back in Kazakhstan. He has been playing for FC Astana, the capital club, since March.