Hockey Club Employee in Northern Kazakhstan Faces Fraud Charges Over Player Passports

A sports scandal has erupted in the North Kazakhstan region. The Petropavl hockey club Kulager, Sergey Fil, has come under criminal investigation. He is suspected of running a scheme involving passports for foreign players, Orda.kz reports.

Four Kulager players filed police complaints against Fil. Among them is former team member Alexey Derzaev, who left the club at the end of September. A criminal case has been opened against the team official under the article “Fraud.”

A pre-trial investigation has been launched against a 45-year-old resident of Astana suspected of committing fraud against two or more persons. Measures are being taken to establish his whereabouts and detain him,
 commented the Department of Police of the North Kazakhstan Region.

According to unofficial information, several Russian players handed Fil money after he allegedly promised to help expedite their applications for Kazakh citizenship. The issue arose because hockey players are now prohibited from joining domestic teams without Kazakhstan passports.

Notably, eight years ago, Sergey Fil was already wanted in Russia.

At that time, he was also suspected of fraud, theft, and causing grievous bodily harm. According to Russian media, he rented apartments under false names, removed household appliances and furniture, and disappeared.

The director of Kulager Hockey Club, Igor Sherstov, explained how Fil was hired despite this background:

The employee was officially registered. He was entered into the ‘Yenbek’ system. Information about the employee — photo, full name, position — was posted on the League’s website. Sergey Fil was hired in December 2024. We had no complaints about his work. He was never late, followed his job requirmentes, and was always ready to help, even assisting players with family matters. He was responsive.

Fil has not appeared at work since September 24 and has not been in contact.

By law, he may be dismissed after one month of absence. The club’s management insists they were unaware of any wrongdoing.

The Kulager Hockey Club has no connection to any possible illegal actions by Sergey Fil. We are ready to provide full assistance to law enforcement agencies on this matter. We emphasize that, according to job descriptions, the team manager — like any other club employee — is not authorized to handle citizenship matters, passport processing, or any issues unrelated to the club’s activities,
 Sherstov stated.

When speaking to reporters, Sherstov appeared unsettled and remarked that it would be better “if you wrote something positive about us instead of collecting gossip.”

Original Author: Chiristina Usicheva