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"Ruters"
March, 14th 2008
Chechnya hosted its first top-flight match in 14 years on Friday, a game President Ramzan Kadyrov hailed as a sign the region was returning to normality after a decade of war.
Terek lost at home to Krylya Sovietov Samara 3-0, disappointing a capacity crowd in the renovated Sultan Belimkhanov stadium in Chechnya's capital Grozny, a city left devastated by the fighting between Moscow and separatist rebels.
The match, the first of the Russian Premier League season, was watched by pro-Kremlin President Kadyrov whose father Akhmad, also a leader of the region, was assassinated in a bomb explosion in the same stadium just under four years ago.
"It's a great victory for us because this shows Grozny has returned and the Chechen people are tired of war and just want to live normal lives," the 31-year-old president told reporters.
Paramilitary forces loyal to Kadyrov, a former rebel, have helped Russian troops subdue the separatist insurgency but there are still occasional attacks and there was tight security for Friday's match.
Russian football authorities granted Terek permission to host games after receiving safety guarantees from Kadyrov, who called on Grozny residents to show "true Chechen hospitality" to the visitors.
Authorities placed snipers on nearby rooftops, called more than 7,000 police officers in to ensure order, checked sewers and jammed mobile telephone signals, a precaution against remote-controlled bombs.
Around 100 Krylya fans arrived on a chartered flight and were escorted by police in a special bus to eat lunch in a local restaurant before playing a friendly against Terek fans, Russian news agencies reported.
LOBBYING CAMPAIGN
Terek won promotion last season. Until this year they played all their matches at a borrowed stadium several hundred kilometres to the north of Chechnya.
Some insiders said Kadyrov and his Kremlin backers mounted a heavy lobbying campaign to restore football matches to Grozny as an opportunity to showcase Chechnya's return to normal life.
Human rights campaigners say Kadyrov's forces have restored order by torturing, abducting and murdering hundreds of civilians, an allegation Kadyrov denies.
If Terek were to win the Russian league or cup and qualify for European competition, the biggest clubs on the continent may have to make the unfamiliar journey to Grozny next season.
The 2004 explosion was caused by a bomb planted under Akhmad Kadyrov's seat at the stadium. It killed 13 people in all, including a Reuters cameraman.
Chechnya's authorities issued 10,000 free tickets for Friday's fixture.
Fans jammed the walkways, exits and surrounding fences of the stadium and others gathered in the city centre to watch the match on a giant television screen.
The game itself was lacklustre.
Krylya forward and Russia international Yevgeny Savin netted the first goal of the season in the 48th minute before Timofey Kalachev and Andrey Tikhonov completed the scoring.
"Terek were nervous and made some big mistakes because they obviously felt a great responsibility to win in their own stadium," Russian Football Federation head Vitaly Mutko told local television.
By Gennady Fyodorov
(Editing by Tony Jimenez)
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