Welcome to Red Review, a weekly spy at our footballing comrades in Russia. The status of the Russian game has risen rapidly in a relatively short period of time. Even as recently as the turn of the millennium, Premier League games were being played out in front of sparse crowds at large, decaying old stadiums. Now, Russian clubs find themselves with huge financial backing, and a burning ambition to dominate the European scene. So, what’s happened?
Before we dive straight into the here and now, it’s important to have a brief history lesson about what this vast country is all about, and how politics and economics have played such a crucial factor in shaping the game. The Premier League only began in 1992 following the collapse of the former Soviet Union. In its formative years, the game was played out against the backdrop of massive national upheaval. The iron fist was quivering as the country found itself in crisis, caught in between the trusted methods of communism, and the prosperity that democracy and capitalism were supposed to bring.
Financially the nation was in tatters, and naturally, football bore the scars. Wages for domestic players were low and the best sought to leave for abroad. Quality imports were difficult to attract, and as a result the club sides and the national team were making little headway. Overall, things were a weak imitation when compared to the powerhouse days of sides from behind the Iron curtain.
But all has changed now and a new era is upon us. Over the last decade and since Vladimir Putin’s reign as President, Russia as a whole has been privy to a huge financial uprising led by the privatisation of their vast natural mineral reserves. The country, in parts, has become very rich, very quickly, and similarly to Roman Abramovich at Chelsea, a series of Kremlin-backed Oligarch’s and gas and oil companies have decided to invest huge sums of money to kick-start football. If you consider that Lukoil bankroll Spartak and Gazprom provide the roubles for Zenit, the influence is not hard to spot. On top of this, Russian sides are also backed by Airlines, National Banks and state corporations. Money is no longer an object.
The league is now one of the world’s richest with massive transfer fee’s and wages being offered in an attempt to lure the best players and coaches to the country. A peak at the alumni shows a host of international stars being drawn to the east. According to the latest UEFA league coefficients, the Russian Premier is the sixth strongest on the continent, falling behind the might of England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France, but more importantly, it finds itself moving up and away from the likes of Turkey, Portugal, Scotland and Holland. The money men have high ambition and deep pockets, and have every intention to see this rise continue.
Much like the country itself, Russian football remains a distant proposition, still largely shrouded in an intrigue and mystique which is yet to fully make itself known. There are strong and persistent allegations that match-fixing and corruption are rife throughout the sport, which only adds to increase the appeal of this strange, colossal land.
To put the geographics into perspective, Russia is by far the largest country area-wise in the world. The land slopes vastly across two continents, and eleven time zones. An away trip could fall anywhere between a quick train ride away from central Europe, or a short boat trip from Japan, encompassing 17million square kilometres of differing terrain, climate, culture and ethnicity. The history of this amazing country is truly engrossing, yet a new chapter in its sporting dynasty is just being written.
The influx of cash into Russian football can be directly traced back to a certain Mr Abramovich. His purchase of Chelsea in 2003 caught the imagination of the whole footballing world, and none of the excitement was lost back in his motherland. A spate of investment came forth from massive corporate companies, eager to raise their profile at home and abroad. The aims were the same, to build the biggest and best football clubs they could.
As a result, the league has gradually gained in reputation and stature in recent seasons with CSKA Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg both lifting the UEFA cup since 2005. The national side’s showing at Euro 2008 thrilled neutrals and drew attention to the pool of talented Russian players of the generation. Just this season, in the Champions League, current champions Rubin Kazan managed the unthinkable and defeated Barcelona at the Camp Nou, and CSKA almost grabbed a win at Old Trafford. The improvement in fortunes has led the visionary Arsene Wenger to predict that a Russian club will win the European Cup in the next ten years. The future looks bright. Russian football has come in from the cold.
The Rosgosstrakh Football Championship consists of 16 teams and runs from March to November due to the frozen winter months. There is still a large Moscow-centric dominance with five of the most wealthy and well supported clubs coming from the capital city. Most of these clubs still retain significant links with the institutions which formed them years ago. For example CSKA are the club of the army, Lokomotiv Moscow were formed and are still ran by the Railway association, whilst Dynamo Moscow are said to be the club of the secret police. Although the influence of these affiliations has lessened since Soviet times, it nonetheless adds a further interesting slant on a fascinating scene. Outside of Moscow and the provincial teams are also having their say. Rubin Kazan and Zenit have claimed the title the past three years - ending an eleven year Moscovite-monopoly - and even a team from the war-torn Chechen province have lifted the Russian Cup.
As the new season draws closer, what can we expect? Well, like most things in Russia, on the face of it nothing is as straightforward as it seems. Despite the vast wealth, in the last week, FC Moscow have been withdrawn from the league through financial difficulties and Prime Minister Putin has personally stepped in to ensure Krylia Sovetov – the Soviet Wings – do not go bust. There’s never a dull moment.
From the politics to the players, the cash to the corruption, Red Review will fill you in with all you need to know about Europe’s fastest growing league.
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