CSCA eye a better future
Monday, January 21, 2002
Article summary
FC CSCA Kyiv are set to become a publicly-owned company and are considering renaming themselves.
Article body
FC CSCA Kyiv are set to become a publicly-owned company and are considering renaming themselves Arsenal as a reminder of their military past, the city's mayor said on Monday.
Change of fortune
The city of Kiev is now CSCA's majority owner after buying 50 per cent of the club from the country's defence ministry and private investors. Mayor Olexandr Omelchenko said the new owners want to bring a change of fortune to the Ukrainian Premier League side, who have so far lived in the shadow of their more famous rivals, the nine-time champions, FC Dynamo Kyiv. CSCA have not finished higher than sixth in their ten years in the top flight.
Gunning for the top
"Arsenal sounds like an appropriate name for our club, it should give us more fire power," Omelchenko said. He added that the new owners plan to move from the old 10,000-seat CSCA stadium to a more modern 84,000-seat arena. "We hope that soon Kiev will be known for more than just one top football club."
