Chechnya's political football

The toll of dead and injured continues to rise in Chechnya

By Russian Affairs analyst Stephen Dalziel

The Chechen football club, Terek Grozny, has applied to the Russian football authorities to be allowed to re-enter the Russian national league.

The club was disbanded after the start of the first Chechen war in 1994 but has now re-formed and begun playing matches against other Chechen teams.

The request is likely to be looked on favourably in Moscow, as a sign that normal life is returning in the war-torn republic.

Russian soldiers face a daily threat

Terek Grozny's bid to return to the Russian league is more about politics than about football.

The club's players will, of course, be eager to return to the challenge of playing at a higher level than has been possible for the last six years.

But the more that such signs of normality appear in Chechnya, the more the Kremlin will feel that it can show the nation - and the world - that its policy of waging a war over the last 16 months has been justified.

Before the first Chechen war was launched when Russian troops went into the republic in December 1994, Terek was a modest first division club in the three-division Russian league - the Premier Division is the top.

But as the Chechen capital, Grozny, was torn apart by fighting, everyday life came to a halt and the club disbanded. So too did the Chechen Sports Ministry and Football Union.

Return to normal?

The Sports Ministry has now re-formed, as has Terek and 11 other clubs in Chechnya.

They are playing each other in a mini-league already, which has been cited as an example of one of the first signs of a return of normal peacetime life.

But Terek's re-establishment in the national league would be an even stronger sign.

Administratively, the Russian Football Union has said that Chechnya must re-establish its own football union before Terek's request can be considered.

But clearly this is not a decision which will be taken solely by the football union. The Kremlin will be informed of every development, and would, if necessary, put pressure on the football authorities to speed up Terek's return.

Daily attack

There will be a few problems initially. Terek - which takes its name from the river which divides north and south Chechnya - will have to play its home games outside Chechnya.

This is partly because there is no stadium suitable in the ruins of Grozny to host matches. But it's also because the security situation in the republic remains tense.

Russian troops are still coming under daily attack from rebels. And the rebels would no doubt see a football match which was a sign of co-operation with Moscow as a tempting target for disruption.

Russia's freezing winter weather means that football is a summer game, with the professional league season running from April to October.

That means there is sufficient time for Terek's application to be considered for the 2001 season.

And, political decision or not, Chechnya's football players and fans will be delighted to be back in the big time, with all the dreams of footballing glory that will bring.