Chelsea almost go to China! Behind the scenes of their farthest European away day in Kazakhstan | OneFootball

Just the 5,600 kilometres. 24 hours of travel, one way. Around 450 committed Chelsea fans. One UEFA Conference League match, and one journalist.

Last week, Hayters TV was the only British media outlet to travel to Kazakhstan and cover Chelsea’s European away day in Almaty, Kazakhstan, against FC Astana. The match was the farthest the Blues have ever travelled for a competitive match, and it was a journey for the history books.

For me, the trip was impossible to say no to. Spending my first European away day touching distance from Asia? Why not!

My travel was about as roundabout as it could have been. Two hours of trains from Surrey to Stansted, a five-hour flight and subsequent seven-hour layover in Ankara, Turkey, and another five-hour flight (departing at 2am local time) to Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

But, of course, that would have been too easy. One last two-hour hop down to Almaty would conclude my odyssey.

On arrival, there was nothing I wanted to do but visit the stadium, an immense Soviet athletics stadium. The hosts’ pre-match press obligations took place in Russian – a first for me.

After not understanding a word of the press conference, I met some Norwegian fans who told tales of eating horse brains and visiting Tashkent on their week-long stay in Asia.

Over my 36 hours in Kazakhstan, I met more Chelsea fans than I could count, hailing from all corners of Britain, Europe, and Asia. The Blues have a strong following in the region due to Roman Abramovic’s ownership.

I asked countless fans why they had bothered making the trip. Every time, the answer was the same: “Because it’s Chelsea.”

Come matchday, there were so many royal blue shirts in the stands you would have been forgiven for thinking Chelsea were the home side.

Locals were thrilled to have a Premier League side in their home country for the first time since Manchester United visited (and lost) in 2019, and they were undeterred that Enzo Maresca had trotted out a squad of academy hopefuls.

Chelsea’s 3-1 win was, frankly, the least interesting part of the week, paling in comparison to visits to a hundred-year-old bazaar, Soviet war memorials, and ornate cathedrals, not to mention stunning mountain scenery seen down every street.

My lasting impression of Kazakhstan will forever be of the people I met, who were some of the most friendly, talkative, and hospitable I have met.

I was offered countless tours of the city, given Kazakh chocolate to take home, and had that day one press conference interpreted word for word by a local journalist.

While the on-pitch action was forgettable at best, the match highlighted everything there is to love about football.

People from every continent, speaking who knows how many different languages, travelled for countless hours to unite over a shared passion for football and for Chelsea.

For me, that is what the beautiful game is all about.