Will Grozny host Russian Premier League matches?
Published 28 February, 2008, 23:58
With just over two weeks to go before the kick-off of the Russian Premier League season, there is at least one burning issue yet to be resolved – that is the home arena for the League rookie, Terek (Grozny). Russian Football Union inspectors have arrived in the Chechen capital to make a historical decision.
Whether Terek would be promoted to the Premier League was not known until the very last match in the first division last season. A brilliant 4-0 victory propelled them to Russia’s top flight. The fans of the Chechen side, though, had to make do with a stadium in the neighbouring Stavropol region.
But things may change, as Russian Football Union inspectors have returned to Grozny to decide whether Terek will be allowed to stage home matches at the renovated stadium there.
The licensing committee had been in Grozny before and concluded that much remained to be done at the arena named after the late Sultan Bilimhanov, vice-speaker of the Republic’s Parliament. Local authorities say there has been no time lost since then.
But the stadium’s infrastructure is not the only concern on the inspectors’ minds. Security reasons are high on the agenda as well. The republic President Ramzan Kadyrov is there to see that it is provided on due level. “We have taken into consideration all the demands,” he stressed.
Terek are the team to get the upcoming season off to a start, as they host Krylia Sovetov on March 14.
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