The Kazakhstan Professional Football League, commonly referred to as Kazakh Premier League or simply Premier League,is the top division of football in Kazakhstan. The League is controlled by the Football Federation of Kazakhstan and was set up in 1992. The League is fed into by the First Division and starts in spring and finishes in late autumn because of the low temperatures in the winter, with each championship corresponding to a calendar year.
The 2017 Kazakhstan Premier League is the 26th season of the Kazakhstan Premier League, the highest football league competition in Kazakhstan. Astana are the defending champions having won their third league championship the previous year.
On 23 December 2016, a league format change was announced. The previous system of 22 regular season games followed by 10 games in the championship (top six) or relegation (bottom six) round was discontinued. Instead, the teams played 33 games over three rounds, with at least one home game and one away game against each opponent. These 33 games alone decided the champion, European participants and relegation
FC Zhetysu and FC Taraz were relegated at the end of the 2016 season, and were replaced by FC Kaisar and FC Altai Semey. However, on 3 February 2017, the Football Federation of Kazakhstan ruled that Altai Semey did not meet the required entry requirements for the Premier League, and ruled that FC Taraz will replace them for the 2017 season.
The number of foreign players is restricted to eight per KPL team. A team can use only five foreign players on the field in each game
The winner was decided in the last round, and that held everyone in suspense. But we believed in our team and our strengths, and deservedly won the gold medals! Making it through to the group stage of a European club competition and winning the domestic champions title were our main objectives for this season. I congratulate the players of the club, the coaching staff, the employees and specialists of our football centre and all our many fans in Astana, in Kazakhstan and all over the world!” said FC Astana General Manager Sayan Khamitzhanov.
FC Kairat Almaty lost the Premier League title by just one point, despite their 3-2 win over FC Aktobe in a parallel match, and once again had to content themselves with silver medals.
Third place went to FC Ordabasy Shymkent; fourth to FC Irtysh Pavlodar.
The two teams that finished at the bottom of the standings, FC Taraz and FC Okzhetpes Kokshetau, were relegated from the Premier League. FC Zhetysu Taldykorgan and SK Kyzyl-Zhar Petropavl will replace them, having won promotions from the first league. Akzhayik, which finished 10th, will have to defend its place in the top flight in a Nov. 9 playoff match against FC Makhtaaral, representing Kazakhstan’s southernmost township.
The results mean that FC Astana will try its luck again in the UEFA Champions League qualification round next summer, while Kairat, Ordabasy and Irtysh will do the same in the UEFA Europa League
FC Astana wins fourth straight Kazakhstan Premier League title
Relegation play off
Akzhayik 2–1 Makhtaaral
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