Terek bring football back to Grozny

Russian Premier-Liga football returns to the capital of the Chechen Republic on Friday, symbolising a return to normal life for FC Terek Grozny and a city almost completely destroyed by two wars.

Terek reborn
Formed in 1946 as FC Dinamo Grozny, Terek ceased to exist between 1995 and 2000 during the two Chechen Wars. Refounded in 2001, central and local government support then funded Terek's promotion to the top division in 2004 at the end of a memorable campaign, with prolific goalscorer Andrei Fedkov helping Terek win a Premier-Liga place and the Russian Cup.

New stadium
Terek's successes were dedicated to the memory of club president Akhmat Kadyrov, the first president of the reformed Chechen Republic who was killed by a bomb planted at Grozny's Dinamo Stadium during Victory Day celebrations on 9 May 2004. A statue of Kadyrov stands near the site of the stadium, now demolished and replaced by a new arena fit for Premier-Liga action.

Quick work
Named after Chechen parliament deputy speaker Sultan Bilimkhanov, killed in a car accident two years ago, the main work on the 10,100-seater arena was completed in just two months. The smallest stadium in the league, it only has artificial turf, but it meets licensing criteria and is a vast improvement on Terek's temporary homes in the neighbouring Stavropol region.

Unfriendly natives
Since 2002, Terek have played at the tiny Beshtau Stadium in Lermontov and the Central Stadium in Pyatigorsk. Hardly welcoming, fans of local first division side FC Mashuk-KMV Pyatigorsk often turned up to support Terek's opponents during their games at the latter venue, and even during their 2005 Premier-Liga relegation season, the 10,000-capacity arena was never more than half full.

Personnel changes
Terek have been transformed since that ill-fated campaign, with only president Ramzan Kadyrov and vice-president Khaidar Alkhanov surviving the shake-up. Vait Talgayev - the coach who led them to promotion in 2007 - has also left for health reasons, leaving Leonid Nazarenko in charge, fresh from seeing his FC Kuban Krasnodar side relegated from the Premier-Liga in 2007. "I don't like making predictions but I promise Terek will be a threat to any opponent at home," he said. "We'll show that we are looking to win every game."

New direction
Vice-president Alkhanov was also shy of setting his side targets. "The goal is simple - to cement our position in the Premier-Liga and to stay there for a long time, ideally forever. We don't want to finish in any specific place, but if we manage a top-ten finish we will be satisfied. We have worked hard. We let go of one group of players but have acquired some interesting newcomers. This time we have young ones aged 22 to 24 and not 35-year-olds like we did before. We also took into account everybody's personal qualities. All our boys are a family and they all want to play for this club and prove their worth."

Worrying rumours
The new team will have a first chance to do that as FC Krylya Sovetov Samara, the side Terek beat in the 2004 Russian Cup final, visit Grozny on Friday. With the city still not completely rebuilt, Krylya Sovetov will staying in a hotel in Gudermes, a half-hour drive from Grozny, and will be hoping that rumours of continued violence in Chechnya turn out to be false.

Off the map
The Football Union of Russia's decision to allow Terek to play in Grozny surprised some, but Alkhanov said: "Whether they like it or not, the decision is made. If anyone declines to come to Grozny, they will get a 3-0 technical defeat. Our guests have no reason to be worried. The stadium is in great condition. As for security, we are ready to give all necessary guarantees to anyone coming to Grozny for football." Many may still be afraid, but the brave and the curious will relish the chance to visit a city which has long been off every footballing map.