Russian Football Union to discuss capability of playing matches in Chechnya
A delegation from Russian soccer`s governing body arrived in the capital of Chechnya on Thursday to determine whether or not Grozny is capable of hosting Premier League matches.
In a sign of Chechnya`s recent relative stability, the Russian Football Union is currently discussing plans to allow Terek FC, a Grozny-based Premier league soccer club, to play its home matches in the Chechen capital. The team presently plays in the town of Pyatigorsk in the North Caucasus.
Sergei Kulikov, who heads the Russian delegation to Grozny, said the final decision would be made after the trip to the capital of Chechnya.
"We will be taking into account all aspects, including the situation with sports infrastructure, accommodation for teams and fans, as well as security issues," he said.
Terek Grozny FC, named after the river that flows through the capital and onto the slopes of Mount Kazbek, were formed in 1946. However, in the mid-1990s the team was forced to disband, due to the escalating violence in the Chechen Republic. Terek last played in the Premier League in 2005, but were relegated the same season. The side won the Russian Cup in 2004.
The team`s former president, Akhmad Kadyrov, father of the current Chechen and Terek president, Ramzan Kadyrov, was killed in Grozny in a Victory Day attack in 2004 by forces loyal to the late notorious militant commander Shamil Basayev.
Moscow has substantially scaled down the number of federal troops in the republic since two anti-separatist military campaigns in 1994-1996 and 1999-2001. However, periodic bomb attacks and clashes between militants and federal troops still occur in Chechnya and nearby republics, notably Ingushetia, which has seen a marked increase in militant activity of late.
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