Russia’s Premiership kicks off in Chechnya
Published 15 March, 2008, 00:17
A new chapter in Chechnya’s history has been written on Friday as the republic’s Terek football team has hosted Samara’s Krylia Sovetov in the Republic’s capital Grozny. Terek lost 3:0, but it was the first time the Chechen team had held a game on home soil in more than a decade.
For the past 7 years games have had to be held in neighbouring Stavropol.
The Russian Premier League’s decision to place the first game of the season in Grozny was controversial. But the game attracted enormous interest in the Chechen Republic.
The 10,000-seat Dinamo was packed, with some actually paying to get to the match, which was set to be free.
The crowd started gathering at the stadium long before kick-off, because of a concert to mark Terek’s Premiership debut.
The game passed without serious incidents. But the home supporters left the stadium unhappy, as Terek went down 0-3 to their more experienced opponents. Evgeny Savin, Timofey Kalachev and Andrey Tikhonov scored for Krylia Sovetov after the break.
The Grozny side missed their biggest chance of the game in the second half, as Terek’s Magomed Adiev failed to score from penalty spot.
To watch all the goals from the game, please, follow link.
And another match was held in Chechen capital on Friday, as fans of Terek and Krylia Sovetov played a friendly.
Pre-match tension
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov viewed the Premier League match in Grozny as a triumph of stability over conflict in the region, but he says security will be a top priority. He was one of the VIPs visiting the game.
Leonid Sloutsky, Krylia Sovetov’s coach, is concerned about the political hype possibly affecting the referee.
“Krylia Sovetov may end up as a political victim in this case. Certain officials may want this day to end on a happy note for Terek and influence the refereeing process,” Sloutsky says.
Dynamo stadium in Grozny
But reports about stability in the republic contradict a constant flow of information on casualties resulting from stand-offs between militants and the Russian army.
The newly reconstructed Dynamo stadium in Grozny was the scene of the assassination of Akhmat Kadyrov – the then president and father of current President, Ramzan Kadyrov.
Supporters from Moscow and St. Petersburg traditionally get a less than warm welcome in the Caucasus – usually they get pelted with stones during a match.
Spartak Moscow's top man Sergey Shavlo says he's satisfied with the decision to let Terek in, but not sure of the consequences.
“Foreigners will most likely be hesitant because they have heard what’s been going on in the republic,” Shavlo said.
The public’s reaction to the decision to play in Grozny has been negative, according to Komanchi, the president of All-Russia Football Fans Union.
“There have always been clashes between the fans traveling with their teams to away games in the Caucasus republics and the local supporters – be it Ossetia, Dagestan or Kabardino Balkaria. Chechnya falls in the same line,” Komanchi says.
Terek has existed in various forms since the 1940s, winning the Russian Cup four years ago. However it all ended in tears with the club's strategy of buying expensive veterans leading to relegation in 2005.
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