Professional soccer has returned to Chechnya's capital for the first time in 14 years, the latest sign that Kremlin efforts to end years of violence in the Russian region are taking root.
Thousands of dignitaries and carefully screened fans attended the newly renovated, 10,200-seat stadium on Friday to watch local favorites Terek face off against Krylya Sovyetov in the opening match of this year's Russian Premier League season.
The match was played at the same site where Akhmad Kadyrov -- Chechnya's first Moscow-backed president and the father of President, Ramzan Kadyrov -- was killed in a May 2004 bomb blast, an assassination that shook the Kremlin's effort to pacify the region.
PHOTO: AFP
Security was exceptionally tight across Grozny in the hours and days leading up to the match, and regional sporting officials pleaded with Chechens to behave themselves during the game.
Police were out in force on the grounds of the stadium; match attendees were prohibited from bringing cigarettes, lighters or even ball point pens. Russian media said cellphone coverage would be blocked during the match. Tickets to the match were free.
Ramzan Kadyrov told reporters before the match that he expected a victory from Terek.
"We absolutely should be first. It's better to be dead than to be second," a smiling Kadyrov said in televised comments.
But Terek lost 3-0.
Under Ramzan Kadyrov, a semblance of normalcy has been returning to Chechnya -- part of the Kremlin strategy to crush continued rebel resistance and co-opt former fighters in the predominantly Muslim region.
Large-scale battles in the region ended years ago, but rebels stage regular guerrilla raids against federal forces and local allied paramilitaries.
Grozny continues to rebuild. Newly painted apartment houses, landscaped pedestrian walkways and a new airport are gradually replacing the rows of blasted-out buildings that have lined the city's streets for years.
Still, Kadyrov is tainted by widespread accusations of abuse by his paramilitary forces. His frequent public statements of fealty to Russian President Vladimir Putin have raised questions about how he will govern when Putin hands over Russia's presidency to Dmitry Medvedev in May.
Officials spent millions to renovate the stadium and install a modern field with artificial turf. Terek's permanent home will ultimately be a new facility built on the site of the stadium where the team played until 1994, when it was disbanded amid the beginnings of the first Chechen war.
Before Friday's match, many Chechens said the game was a sign that life was returning to normal. Others, however, lamented that regular work is still hard to come by, and many of the improvements were superficial.
"Like before, I'm living in someone else's apartment and paying for it with the crumbs I sometimes earn," said Umar Saitov, a 56-year-old day laborer warming himself over a fire and hoping to find work.
In one of the still-half-destroyed apartments, Zalina Malikova, 38, said she has more important things than soccer to worry about: her three young children are constantly hungry and her husband was arrested on trumped-up charges.
"There's only one thing in my head now -- how to feed my children," she said.
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
The Crusaders yesterday produced a clinical performance in difficult conditions to beat the Queensland Reds 32-12 and claim home advantage in next week’s Super Rugby semi-finals. Lock Scott Barrett and prop Tamaiti Williams scored first-half tries to reward an outstanding performance from the Crusaders’ forwards in wet, slippery conditions and bitterly cold temperatures. Scrumhalf Noah Hotham defied the conditions in the second half to score a superb solo try and, after kicking a conversion and penalty to make the score 22-0 at the hour mark, flyhalf Rivez Reihana scored a try which took the game beyond the Reds. “Typical Christchurch weather, cold, wet
Ryan Yarbrough picked up a dazzling World Series ring from his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. Then he went out and beat them. The New York Yankees starter on Sunday pitched one-run ball over six innings, struck out a season-high five and blanked the Dodgers’ top four hitters in a 7-3 win. “I feel like I’m in a really good place right now and really trying to continue that,” Yarbrough said. “I’m having a lot of fun.” The 33-year-old left-hander made 44 relief appearances between the Dodgers and Blue Jays last season. The Dodgers designated him for assignment on July
Spain starlets Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams dazzled on Thursday as La Roja beat France 5-4 in a thriller in Stuttgart, Germany, to set up a UEFA Nations League final with Portugal. Yamal bagged a brace, while Williams scored and provided an assist as the two wingers cut France’s makeshift defense to ribbons. Mikel Merino and Pedri were also on the score sheet for the UEFA Euro 2024 champions. Kylian Mbappe netted a second-half penalty, but Spain were 5-1 up and cruising, before Les Bleus suddenly woke up as their opponents took their foot off the pedal. France’s three late goals — a
RSS