ɪn ˈɜːli tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvəntˌiːn, ˈɪliːv sˈaɪnd ɐ kˈɑːntɹækt tə mˈænɪdʒ nˈuːli pɹəmˈoʊɾᵻd ˈɔːltaɪ sˈɛmi fɹʌmðə kˌæzɐkhstˈɑːn pɹəmˈɪɹ lˈiːɡ, bˌʌt stˈɛpt dˌaʊn ɪn fˈɛbɹuːˌɛɹi tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɛvəntˌiːn, æz ðə klˈʌb ᵻvˈɛntʃuːəli dɪdnˌɑːt ɹᵻsˈiːv ɐ lˈaɪsəns fɚðə tˈɑːp dᵻvˈɪʒən.
In early 2017, Iliev signed a contract to manage newly promoted Altai Semey from the Kazakhstan Premier League, but stepped down in February 2017, as the club eventually did not receive a license for the top division.