Moldova's tale of two cities

By Miron Goihman

Since Moldova gained independence, political authorities on the left and right banks of the Nistru river have argued about almost everything. At times it has seemed like the only thing that has held the Moldovan capital, Chisinau, and the capital of breakaway region of Transnistru, Tiraspol, together has been football.

Intense rivalry
"We're one nation in football," said Football Federation of Moldova president Pavel Ciobanu. “We have one championship, and I think this shows a very good example to our politicians." However, while the two cities play together in peace, the rivalry between Chisinau and Tiraspol clubs is intense.

Generous giants
The Moldovan league has been completely dominated by sides from the two cities. In the years following independence, CSF Zimbru Chisinau and FC Tiligul Tiraspol - both of whom had thrived in the Soviet system - towered over all of their opponents in the nascent Divizia A. In the early championships of the 1990s, several smaller clubs were even given full kits by the two big clubs when they could not afford to buy their own.

New force
League and cup honours invariably went to Zimbru or Tiligul in the early years of independent Moldovan football, and the two clubs invariably dominated national team selections until the emergence of a new force, FC Sheriff, who were founded in Tiraspol in 1997.

Capital shift
Quickly outgrowing the ailing Tiligul, Sheriff went on to wrest the dominance of the league crown from Zimbru, who had won eight of the first nine Moldovan titles. Sheriff have now won the league title for five seasons in succession, as Tirasol has taken over from Chisinau as Moldova’s footballing capital.

Financial security
At the moment, three of the eight Divizia A sides come from the major city on the eastern bank of the Nistru, with a fourth - FC Dinamo Bender - hailing from the same region. All of those clubs are financially secure with Sheriff boasting two new stadiums, a modern sports complex and a fine footballing academy.

Booming business
Sheriff have become adept at discovering talented players and selling them on at a profit. PFC CSKA Moskva’s Nigerian Chidi Odiah is a Sheriff graduate, as are SK Sturm Graz’s David Mujiri, FC Alania Vladikavkaz’s Isaac Okoronkwo and FC Moskva’s Stanislav Ivanov.

Local inspiration
Sheriff’s example is inspiring their local rivals too. After a spell in the second division, Tiligul are now back in the top flight under player-coach Igor Dobrovolsky. An Olympic champion with the Soviet Union in 1988, the most famous Moldovan-born footballer of all and is hoping to lead his side back to the top of Divizia A.

Guiding hand
While Tiraspol has been on the rise, Chisinau has struggled. With president Nicolai Chiornii preoccupied with his role as a senior figure in Lukoil, one of eastern Europe’s biggest oil companies, Zimbru lacked a guiding hand in recent years. "Our main hopes rest on the construction of a new stadium,” said vice-president Vladimir Camerzan. “When that is done, our football clubs will have more funds and possibilities."

Dire situation
The enthusiasm of coaches and players seems to be the only thing keeping some sides in Chisinau afloat, while the situation outside the two big cities is dire, with only FC Nistru Otaci - driven by their flamboyant president Vasile Tragira - putting up resistance on behalf of the provinces.

Tiraspol rampant
For the moment, then, Tiraspol rules the roost. For the sake of Moldovan football, the time is ripe for Chisinau, and the outlying cities, to raise their game.