I will have to run like a black man, in order to live like a white man.
-Samuel Eto’o
Samuel Eto’o is the face of African football. He scored 108 goals in 145 games for Barcelona and added another 33 in 67 games for Inter Milan. Throughout his career he scored 250 goals in 469 appearances. Eto’o was Africa’s player of the year in 2003, 2004, 2005, as well as 2010. For Inter he was perhaps the most valuable player of the last season. His football style is often compared to the grace of a gazelle. On his best days he is nearly unstoppable, even in Italy, the most defence oriented league in Europe, and he was able to produce magic. Many still consider him to be the best striker in the world. Now, thanks to Suleiman Kerimov, who is ranked 118 on the Forbes rich list with a personal wealth of about $8 billion, Eto’o is moving to Anzhi Makhachkala where he will be the highest paid player in the world. Samuel Eto’o’s move from F.C. Inter Milan to Anzhi Makhachkala can be considered one of the blockbuster transfers of the year. According to press reports Anzhi will pay Inter 30 million Euros, for the rights of the Cameroonian striker, and Eto’o will receive 60 million Euros over the next three years. But Eto’o is not the first star who has moved to Makhachkala, the capital of the Republic of Dagestan. In February 2011, Brazilian Left Back Roberto Carlos announced his move from Corinthians Sao Paulo to Anzhi. Roberto Carlos was followed by Mbark Boussoufa who moved from Anderlecht to Anzhi, as well as the Brazilians Jucilei from Corinthians and Diego Tardelli from Atletico Mineiro. On August 6, 2011 Anzhi also secured the rights for Russian international Yuri Zhirkov, from Chelsea London for 15 million Euros. Football players in Russia are officially considered to be artists and therefore only have to pay 13% income tax, which sweetens the already very generous contracts offered to world class players. As a result, Russia has become an attractive place for footballers, and it is not surprising that Anzhi is not the only club from the Caucasus that has made headlines on the transfer market. On January 18, 2011 Terek Grozny from Chechnya announced that Ruud Gullit would be new head coach of the club. The president of Terek is no one less then Ramzan Kadyrov who is also the President of the Republic of Grozny. Kadyrov also announced that he would talk the Brazilian Ronaldo out of retirement and bring him to Grozny. Ronaldo never signed with Grozny and Gullit has since been fired by the club. Nonetheless Terek plays a decent role in this year’s Russian Premier League, and has also moved into a new Arena, which is named after Kadyrov’s late father Akhmad.
Football as a Message: the Caucasus is quiet
Both Dagestan and Chechnya have a history of war, terrorism and violence. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Chechnya has experienced two devastating wars. Dagestan, which borders to Chechnya, has been directly affected by the conflict in Chechnya. Acts of terrorism have been committed in Makhachkala, most recently when a bomb exploded in a police station in Makhachkala in January 2010 killing several policemen. Since the end of the open conflict in Chechnya, however, the Russian Federation has invested heavily in the infrastructure of the South Caucasus. Ski resorts, hotels, new homes and football stadiums have been built or are being planned. In 2014 Russia will host the Winter Olympics in Sochi which is also located in the Caucasus. Sochi will also be one of the host cities for the 2018 World Championships that will also take place in Russia. Moscow wants to prove that the Caucasus is safe. The successful examples of Terek and Anzhi are a message to the rest of the world that the Caucasus is a stable region in which it is safe to invest. Dagestan is especially rich in natural resources. Its location at the oil-rich Caspian Sea makes Makhachkala a logical choice for heavy industry. Anzhi and Terek have become important international symbols for the region; the Caucasus surely must be quiet if stars like Ruud Gullit, Roberto Carlos, and Samuel Eto’o choose to move there. Roberto Carlos even has stated security concerns for his family were the main reason as to why he moved from Sao Paulo to Makhachkala. In truth, neither Anzhi nor Terek are based in Makhachkala or Grozny respectively. Both clubs train elsewhere, and travel to their home games in Dagestan and Chechnya. Anzhi's home base is actually located at the training area of the now bankrupt club Saturn Ramenskoye outside of Moscow. All of Anzhi’s players live in the Russian capital, and fly the 1,600 kilometres from Moscow to Makhachkala to play their home games. Kerimov, however, has announced that a brand new training facility as well as a stadium for 50,000 spectators will be built in Makhachkala. Terek trains at the Russian spa town Kislovodsk which is about 250 kilometres west of Grozny.
Berlusconisation
Terek and Anzhi are two examples of how football in Russia has become a political tool. The Russian media has already reported last year that the oligarchs of the country were “kindly” asked to invest their money not only in foreign clubs but to also financially support local football clubs. Kadyrov and Kerimov, by establishing strong football clubs in the South Caucasus, have been able to strengthen their political and financial significance in the region. Terek, who is currently situated in the middle of the Russian Premier League table, is financially supported by the Russian central government. It is to Moscow's advantage to have Terek play in the first division because, like a Potemkin village, the club gives the illusion of peace and prosperity in Grozny. Furthermore Terek also helps to strengthen, improve, and legitimize Ramsan Kadyrov’s profile, as he has been accused of several human rights violations, as well as being involved with local criminals. 25 years ago Berlusconi bought A.C. Milan and the successes of his football club were a keystone in the success of his political career that led him all the way to top of the Italian government. It is an open secret that Kerimov has political motivations as well. Kerimov, who hails from Dagestan, is believed to use the success of Anzhi to replace Magomedsalam Magomedov as the next President of Dagestan. Novaya Gazeta from Russia believes that Kerimov is indeed more interested in political positions than creating a strong European club. So far Anzhi has been quiet successful this season, currently the team is in fourth place which would allow them to qualify for next year’s Europa League.
No comments:
Post a Comment