The former Red Army team were considered for most of their history as Moscow’s third team, behind the mighty Dinamo, and the new billionaires Spartak. However in recent years, thanks to the money of their own billionaire, Roman Abramovich and his Sineft Oil company, CSKA have been the team to beat. They have also broken nearly 20 years of European emptiness by becoming the first Russian (as opposed to Soviet) team to win a European trophy when they captured the UEFA Cup in Sporting Lisbon’s backyard in 2005.
The club were formed in 1911, and did very little in the years during the revolution. In 1923 the Red Army took control of the club, and retained a major shareholding and ownership right up until the late 1990’s. The golden period for the club came just after the Second World War when the team won five Soviet Championships and three Soviet Cups between 1945 and 1951. The club also provided eleven players to the Soviet Olympic Team that won a Gold medal at the Helsinki games. After the 1951 season the team fell on hard times as the hold of Josep Stalin took effect on Russian life. The rise of their close city rivals Dinamo also had a major effect on the team. Their next championship came in the 1970 season, and then the club had to wait until the ultimate Soviet Championship in 1991 to capture the title again.
In 2003 the club turned back to former coach Valery Gazzaev and with Roman’s money the team was rebuilt on a basis of buying the best Russian players, and carefully selected foreign imports such as the Brazilian’s Vagner Love and Jo who fired the club to Russian Premier League Titles in 2003 and 2005, and into the Champions League Group stages where they will be playing Arsenal, Hamburg and Porto. At the time of going to press the club also look like holding off the challenge of Spartak to take a third Premier League title.
Dinamo Moscow
Dinamo Moscow are traditionally known and hated for being the Russian Army Club, although they can actually trace their roots back to the 1880’s when Charles Charnock, an English industrialist based in Moscow, put a factory team together. The team were the premier team of Moscow during the pre-revolution years, winning the Moscow Championship from 1910 to 1914. After the Revolution in 1917, the club fell into the hands of the Secret Police, the Cheka who were certainly influential in building a formidable team during the early 1920’s. In 1936, Dinamo won the first ever Soviet Championship, and followed it up with the double in 1937. The club then regularly won the Soviet Championship, albeit with some strong rumours of influencing the opposition and officials alike. In 1949 the club’s dominance really came to the fore, with six Championships between 1949 and 1959 along with a couple of Soviet Cup’s. It was during this period that legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin started his long career with the club.
As the interests of the Interior Ministry was diverted away from football to the Cold War in the 1960’s, the club’s on the field success started to wane. Two further Championships in 1963 and 1976 were supplemented by Soviet cup wins on four occasions, as well as a European Cup Winners Cup Final appearance in 1972 when they lost to Glasgow Rangers 3-2.
Since the creation of the new Russian order, the club have one solitary Cup final win in 1995 to their name, and they have definitely fallen down the pecking order in terms of football in Moscow. Last season they finished 8th, but this year they almost need a miracle to avoid relegation from the Premier League. With just a few games left, they sit second from bottom, and on a long losing streak. Current manager and ex-Dinamo and Russian International Andrey Kobelev has a mixed squad of internationals at his disposal – including four Brazilians, four Portuguese and a couple of African players. Despite all of their success, in recent years the club has failed to make an impact at all on European football. Whilst during the 1970’s and 1980’s they were regular starters in the UEFA Cup, the Champions League qualifying has so far eluded the club.
The Stadium – The Dinamo Stadium 36 Leningradsky Prospect, Moscow 125190
Capacity – 36,450 All Seater
The Russian ground merry-go-round continues at a pace as the Dinamo stadium is now home to Dinamo Moscow and new tenants CSKA Moscow. However, the stadium is now showing signs of age, having originally opened in 1928. Amazingly, considering the harsh climate in eastern Russia, the stadium is completely uncovered, offering no protection from the wind, rain and snow that categorises the Russian seasons.
One of the most notable things about the stadium is the huge floodlights that seem to have enough light bulbs to light up the whole city, let alone the stadium at night. Seats are of the bolted onto the terrace type, meaning that they have little legroom and the rake of the steps is poor. That said, the stadium does look quite smart in the sunshine, but very miserable when the autumn rains start. The ground has a small athletics track, which pushes the end stands back, adding further issues to those fans behind the goal. Very little has changed in terms of stadium feel and design since the ground was chosen to host the 1980 Olympics football tournament.
How to get to the Dinamo Stadium By far the easiest way to reach the stadium is the Dark Green Metro Line 2 that runs straight through the centre of the city to the Dinamo metro stop. The ground is just behind this station. Obviously, on a busy match day this station may be a bit crowded so it may be wise to use the next stop at Aeroporto and then walk back down Leningradsky Prospect. Dinamo station is 5 stops from Red Square and takes no longer than 10 minutes to complete the journey.
How to get a ticket for the Dinamo Stadium Ticket prices vary a little depending on whether CSKA or Dinamo are at home. Tickets for a seat behind the Dinamo goal start from just 300 Roubles (£6) ranging to 4,000 Roubles for a VIP seat (although still uncovered!) that converts to around £80, but will come with all of the trappings of Russian luxury. For CSKA games (excluding the Champions League), tickets start from 200 Roubles behind the goal (£4) to 2000 Roubles for a VIP seat (£40). Neither team are very well supported in the grand scheme of things. Despite being top of the table for most of the season, CSKA only average just 12,000, whilst Dinamo’s crowds have dropped to below 8,500. A few games do sell out though, such as the derbies versus Spartak and Lokomotiv. Please bear in mind that CSKA are playing their Champions League matches versus Porto, Hamburg and Arsenal at Lokomotiv’s stadium across town. Tickets for these games at the smaller stadium will be harder to come by.
Around the Dinamo Stadium There are a couple of bars at the ground, including an almost Ikea built garden shed in the car park which serves as a meeting point for fans from about 2 hours before kick off. On the main road there are also a few bars but these tend to be strictly home fans. As the city centre is so close it may be wiser to stick to the city centre for you pre-match drink.
Lokomotiv Moscow
Lokomotiv are now a serious challenger to the former domination of Russian Football by Spartak and CSKA. A third place finish in 1994 was their highest placed finish in the new Russian order, and the following season they went one better by finishing runners up to the surprise package Spartak-Alania Vladikavkaz. After a quiet few years the team bounced back into the limelight with a first ever Russian Cup Final victory in 1996. In 2002 with the goals of Dimitir Loskov they finally took their first title, repeating the success in 2004. The following season they led the league almost from day one before a series of strange defeats let in CSKA to take the title and relegating Lokomotiv to third place.
The team have also been one of the most consistent on the European scene out of all of the Russian pretenders. They reached the European Cup Winners Cup Semi-Finals in 1998 and 1999, losing to Stuttgart and Lazio respectively. In the Champions League they have had a surprising couple of campaigns. Their first ever campaign was in 2001/02 when they finished third in the group stages after coming through the qualifying rounds.
In 2002/03 they were drawn with Bruges, Barcelona and Galatasarary, and managed to sneak 2nd place in a very open group with an excellent win in Turkey. In the second group stage the team only managed to gain a single point from their matches versus Bo Russia Dortmund, AC Milan and Real Madrid in a group that couldn’t have really been any harder.
Two years later they pipped Inter Milan into 2nd place behind Arsenal to reach the Round of 16. There they met in form Monaco who won on away goals, and then went on to reach the final against Porto. Unfortunately this season’s UEFA Cup campaign lasted 2 matches as the club went out 3-2 on aggregate to the Belgium’s Zulte Waregem.
The current team is managed by Serbian Slavoljub Muslin and includes a huge mixture of nation’s including Cameroonians, Serbs, Brazilians, Ukrainians and even a Scottish player (Garry O’Connor). As the season draws to a conclusion, Lokomotiv are in second place, just two points behind CSKA with a handful of games left.
The Stadium – Lokomotiv Stadium Bolshaya Cherkizovskaya 125, Moscow 107553
Capacity – 28,800 All Seater
The Lokomotiv stadium is an oasis in the middle of chaos in terms of Russian football grounds. It was built on the site of the former stadium in 2002, and is a shining beacon of modern design that would not look out of place in the Premiership here in England. It has four almost identical two-tier stands, all linked together with a pillar at each corner used to hold the roof up. All of the seats are covered, and offer protection from the harsh Russian elements as well as offering unobstructed views.
Each stand has different colour seats, which helps indicate your stand if you don’t understand the Russian script on your ticket. The low roof also helps the crowd generate an excellent atmosphere on match days, especially when the visitors are CSKA or Spartak Moscow.
How to get to the Lokomotiv Stadium The stadium is located in the North East quadrant of Moscow, just outside the second ring road. The area around the stadium isn’t what you would call plush, with a market and a few “budget” supermarkets. The stadium has its own metro stop on the Red line 1 at Cherkzovskaya that is one stop from the north end of the line. From Red Square (Oxhotny Ryad) it is 8 stops and around 20 minutes to the stadium. There is also an overland train station above the Metro station as well – trains here run on the outer Moscow Loop line.
There is an alternative route that involved using the purple line 3 to Partizanskaya (5 stops from Ploshchad Revolutsii in Red Square), and then a 15-minute walk northwards from the station, passing Izmaylovo market on your way. The final option is a taxi. You can hail down almost any car in Moscow, and if the driver feels like stopping you can commandeer his car as an unofficial or “gypsy” taxi. Agree a fee beforehand for the journey but you should not pay more than 200 roubles for the journey from the city centre to the stadium.
How to get a ticket for the Lokomotiv Stadium Despite having the best-looking stadium in Moscow, the adage that you should “Built it and they will come” hasn’t quite held true for Lokomotiv. Average attendances at the old ground were always low, reaching at best 6,000 and whilst these have increased to around the 12,000 mark since the completion of the new stadium, it still means a few empty seats each week. CSKA have moved their Champions League matches versus Hamburg, Arsenal and Porto to the stadium and sold out their first two games versus the Germans and Arsene Wegner’s men. Tickets for a Lokomotiv match go on sale online via the website from ten days before a game, or can be bought from the ticket booths on the main road to the south of the stadium. Tickets range in price from 1,400 Roubles (Approx £4.50) behind the goals to 6,000 Roubles for a seat in the VIP section of the West Stand. Tickets for CSKA’s final Champions League game versus Porto in November start from 3,000 Roubles (£9).
Around the Lokomotiv Stadium The stadium is located in a mixed area, with commercial properties to the east, residential blocks in the south and woodland to the north and west. There are a few bars and cafes to the south of the stadium but these are very much home fans only. Be careful walking from the metro station on evening games, as there have been reports of attacks on foreign fans in this area. It is best to use the station entrance and exit to the south of the platforms as this brings you out directly onto the main road where the entrance to the stadium is.
Spartak Moscow
Up until the introduction of Roman’s Roubles at CSKA, Spartak were the team of the new Russian Republic. From the start of the first Russian Premier League in 1992 until the end of last season, Spartak have won 9 titles – although the last one of these was in 2001. They have also won the Russian Cup on three occasions although European progress has always eluded them.
Finishing second to CSKA last season at least gave them the opportunity to try and qualify for the Champions League Group Stages. An unconvincing win over Sheriff in the 2nd round on away goals gave them a tricky tie away at Czech Champions Slovan Liberec. A 2-1 victory in the Luzhniki however, was enough to take them into the Group stages for the first time since 2002 where they will play Sporting Lisbon, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in a very tough group. Their European pedigree has been less than successful considering they are Russia’s biggest club. Their best performance in any competition has been the Semi Final stages which they reached in 1991 in the Champions League, 1993 in the Cup Winners Cup and finally in the UEFA Cup in 1998.
The club can trace is origins back to the early 1920’s when the club were formed as a recreational off-shoot of a Trade Union. The team won their first Championship in 1936, and followed it up with the double in 1939. Further titles followed with regularity until the mid 1970’s when the club was relegated. They returned to the top division in 1978, and won the title the following year.
In 2000 the club was taken over by oil magnate Andreu Chervichenko who owned the Gazprom Oil Company. Initially funds were made available to strengthen the team including the likes of Fernando Cavenaghi for over £6.5m from River Plate, although this situation was soon reversed and Spartak became a selling club. Such talent that has left the club recently includes Nemanja Vidic leaving for Manchester United in January 2006.
The current team has an international feel with young talent such as the German Martin Stranzl and ex-Arsenal teenage star Quincy Owusu-Abeyie. As the Russian season reaches its climax, Spartak are hanging on CSKA Moscow’s shirttails in the top two. Whilst the club have had a nomadic existence, playing in the last twenty years at Dinamo’s stadium, Lokomtiv’s old stadium and now finally ground-sharing the huge Luzhniki Stadium with Torpedo, moves are afoot to give them a permanent home. Land has been secured for a new stadium close to Tushino airfield and building should commence in 2006, with a completion date of 2008.
Torpedo Moscow
With so many teams playing at the highest level in Moscow, it is obvious that some will attract more media interest than others. Torpedo currently sit in the latter category. The club have had a quiet existence to date, capturing 3 Championships since their inception in 1930, the last one over 30 years ago in 1976. The club had traditionally been the team of the working classes in the south east of the city, and are named after a car manufacturing plant that funded the club to some extent for many years. Since the creation of the Russian Premier League in 1992, their best finish was in 2000 when they finished third.
In Europe the club hasn’t hit the headlines either, with their best performance coming in the European Cup Winners Cup with two Quarter Final appearances. The team currently play at the huge Luzhniki Stadium, although they only average 6,200 for league matches.
However, the same company owns the club as the Luzhniki and so any chances of moving back to their roots at the Eduard Streltsov Stadion are remote. As the 2006 Russian Premier League season enters its final few games, Torpedo are fighting out a relegation dog-fight with former giants Dinamo Moscow for one of the two remaining places in the drop-zone.
The Stadium – The Luzhniki Stadium Spartakovskaya str 7, Moscow 107066
Capacity: - 84,745 All Seater
Whilst many see the National Stadium as a relic of the past, UEFA have decided that it is important enough, and more relevantly capable of hosting big games still and awarded it the honour of hosting the 2008 Champions League Final. The stadium was originally built as part of the Luzhniki Sports Complex for the 1980 Summer Olympics, and is still the biggest stadium in Russia.
It is also one of the few major stadiums in the world that uses artificial grass – although this will have to be replaced for the 2008 Champions League Final. The stadium originally had a capacity of 103,000 and has hosted events in the past as varied as Show Jumping, Speedway and Ice Hockey. In 1982 during a UEFA Cup game between Spartak and HFC Haarlem over 60 people were killed in a stampede caused by a last minute goal. Initially the Soviet media completely ignored the incident, dedicating no more than a paragraph to it in the local press and even then only stating there had been a few minor injuries. There is now a small plaque at the stadium commemorating those who died. There is also a magnificent statue of Lenin on the main North Boulevard.
The stadium is very smart looking from the inside, with seats in three bands of yellow, orange and red. The athletics track does hinder the atmosphere, although the roof does mean that the noise generated by the home fans in the west end of the stadium can be quite intimidating. The concourse areas are really showing their age though. Views are unobstructed, and at night the stadium roof is lit up from the outside, making the whole area literally shine.
For most league matches, only the North and South stands are open. When Torpedo are at home, the fans are placed in the South stand, with any away fans located opposite. When Spartak are at home, the home fans use the west curve as well. Crowds for most games are not too impressive. Torpedo manage to average just 6,200, whilst Spartak have an average of just under 20,000. In the opening game of the 2006 Champions League, Spartak drew a crowd of 75,101 for their game versus Sporting Lisbon.
How to get to the Luzhniki Stadium The Stadium forms the focal point of the whole Sports Complex, and is located on a bend in the Moskova River in the south west of the city. The State University overlooks the whole area. The stadium has two metro stops close by, and on a nice day is walkable in around 30 minutes from Red Square along the river, and through Gorky Park.
The closest metro stop is Sportvnaya, which is just to the north of the stadium, almost under the central ring road. From the city centre, it is just 4 stops or 7 minutes by metro. To the east of the stadium, and built on a bridge over the Moskova River is the newly constructed station of Universitet, which is one stop further down the line from Sportvnaya.
During the summer, regular river boats also run from the Kremlin and Gorky Park to the landing pier just to the south of the stadium – certainly a much more relaxing and scenic way to reach the stadium in the better weather.
How to get a ticket for the Luzhniki Stadium With over 65,000 spare seats for most Spartak and Torpedo home league games, turning up a few minutes before kick off is never a problem at the Luzhniki. The ticket windows are located on the left hand side of the main entrance, at the north end of the stadium. Once you have bought a ticket, bear in mind that if you are sitting in the South Stand (will say either Section B or C on the ticket) it is a good 10-minute walk around the stadium to go through your gate. As with most public places in Moscow, terrorism is still a threat and so you will be expected to have any bags inspected as well as going through an airport style metal detector.
Ticket prices vary according to the game. For a run of the bill “B” grade league game, a seat watching Torpedo in the south stand costs less than 2,000 roubles (£5), whilst prices are almost doubled for Spartak matches. Spartak recently got over 75,000 for a Champions League match with prices starting from 5,000 Roubles – which in terms of average weekly wages in some parts of Moscow is a significant part of their salary.
Around the Luzhniki Stadium The stadium forms the central part of the Luzhniki Sports complex, which includes Swimming Pools, Tennis Courts and an indoor arena. To the north of the stadium in the park, there are a number of marquees erected for each home game which house bars and grills. These extend right the way up to the metro station. Whilst these are normally perfectly safe, the police and military presence will be heavy in the area and will crack down on any unruly behaviour and move the fans on.
FC Moskov
The club got their first chance to experience European football in 2006 as they qualified for the Intertoto Cup. After beating the Hungarians MTZ-Ripo 3-0 on aggregate they then drew Hertha Berlin, with a place in the UEFA Cup at stake. After a fantastic 0-0 draw in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, hopes were high for a solid home performance. However, the German class showed through with a 2-0 victory on the night and on aggregate. As the Russian season winds down, FC Moscow are sitting comfortably in 5th place. Although the Top 3 Champions League spots are out of the question, the club could still make the UEFA Cup in the remaining few games. The team were part of the Torpedo Club until the mid 1990’s, going by the name of Torpedo Zil, the car manufacturer.
When Torpedo were taken over in the mid 1990’s, the Zil works team decided to continue to support a team that were traditionally a lower league club. In 2003 ZIL sold the team to a local Metal producers and they were renamed as Torpedo-Metallurg. This new marriage lasted just twelve months before the City Government bailed out the club and gained ownership of Moscow’s newest club. The club currently play at the Eduard Streltsov Stadion in the south east of the city, which with its 14,000 capacity is more than enough for the average gates of 6,200.
The Stadium – Eduard Streltsov Stadion
Capacity: - 14,274 All Seater
Fans of Brighton & Hove Albion will have some affinity with the Eduard Streltsov Stadium. Primarily an Athletics track, the club have added stands on all four sides to make a homely stadium, although it is very exposed to the elements, which do tend to be quite harsh for most of the year in Moscow.
The main stand holds around 6,000 seats and this is where the hardcore fans congregate. At the south end of the stadium you will find the original classic designed buildings that double up as the club’s offices.
Whilst there are seats at either end of the stadium, the stands here are not very large, and with the width of the running track, then the perimeter boards, the view is pretty poor. The best bet for the neutrals is either in the main stand where the views back over the city are quite good on a clear day, or in the smallish stand on the far side where the first row is raised above pitch level.
How to get to the Eduard Streltsov Stadion Located in the Torpedo heartland of South East Moscow, the stadium sits nicely in a public park, and almost hidden from view from the nearby roads. The easiest way to reach the stadium is to get the Dark Green metro line 2 to Avtozavodskaya, which is one stop south of the circle line. As you exit the station via the Masterkova exit, cross the road and continue walking northwards back towards the city centre. After a few hundred yards, you will see the main entrance on your left hand side. It is almost impossible to see anything more than the floodlights from here as the stadium is built into the hillside.
How to get a ticket for the Eduard Streltsov Stadion FC Moscow are not the best supported team in Moscow – in fact they are actually the lowest average supported team of the six that play in the capital, averaging just over 6,000 per game.
Tickets for most matches go on sale around 4 days before a match from the ticket windows at the entrance to the ground in Masterkova. For nearly all games (the derby versus Torpedo normally attracts over 10,000) just walk up any time before kick off to get your ticket, which should cost you no more than 500 Roubles (£10).
Around the Eduard Streltsov Stadion The stadium is located in the middle of a quite upmarket residential area in the south east of Moscow. Close to the metro station are a number of bars that open up outside seating areas on the day of the game.
FC Saturn
Moscow is now such a huge city that FC Saturn are now considered a capital team despite playing their games in the province of Ramenskoye which is around 35 minutes drive out of Moscow. The team have now been in the top flight since 1997, and like the FC Moscow team they are owned by the Moscow Regional Government. The club were originally formed in the 1940’s by a group of workers in one of Russia’s Steel manufacturers. Until 1988 the club were run on a collective basis, but the progression of the club meant that a step up to Professional status was required.
The club were rewarded with promotion to the Premier League in the late 1990’s where they have been ever since. Their highest position has been 6th, which they achieved in 2002. Currently the team are well placed to beat their best over 6th pace with a few weeks to go in the season.
The Stadium – Central Park Central Park, Ramenskoye, Moscow Region
Capacity: 16,500 All Seater
The Central Park Stadium was built in 2002, replacing the old Saturn stadium that stood on the same site. The stadium is very smart, with four almost identical single tier stands with the 16,500 seats offering the spectators unobstructed views of the action.
The club have a hardcore support of around 8,000 spectators, although due to its location close to the city, and five other teams based within an hours drive then crowds of 13,000 plus are not uncommon.
How to get to the Central Park Stadium The Saturn Central Park is located in the suburb of Ramenskoye that is around 45km south east of Moscow, not far from Domodedovo International Airport. The easiest way to reach the stadium by public transport is to travel to Kazanski Vogzal by train that is around an hour by train from central Moscow.
How to get a ticket for Central Park Stadium With an average attendance of just over half of the seats, then getting a ticket on the day of the game is not a problem. Even when one of the big three from the city centre (CSKA, Spartak and Dinamo) come to visit, tickets don’t sell out. A seat in one of the side stands will cost less than 200 Roubles (£4.50).
Dinamo Moscow are traditionally known and hated for being the Russian Army Club, although they can actually trace their roots back to the 1880’s when Charles Charnock, an English industrialist based in Moscow, put a factory team together. The team were the premier team of Moscow during the pre-revolution years, winning the Moscow Championship from 1910 to 1914. After the Revolution in 1917, the club fell into the hands of the Secret Police, the Cheka who were certainly influential in building a formidable team during the early 1920’s. In 1936, Dinamo won the first ever Soviet Championship, and followed it up with the double in 1937. The club then regularly won the Soviet Championship, albeit with some strong rumours of influencing the opposition and officials alike. In 1949 the club’s dominance really came to the fore, with six Championships between 1949 and 1959 along with a couple of Soviet Cup’s. It was during this period that legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin started his long career with the club.
Up until the introduction of Roman’s Roubles at CSKA, Spartak were the team of the new Russian Republic. From the start of the first Russian Premier League in 1992 until the end of last season, Spartak have won 9 titles – although the last one of these was in 2001. They have also won the Russian Cup on three occasions although European progress has always eluded them. 
The club got their first chance to experience European football in 2006 as they qualified for the Intertoto Cup. After beating the Hungarians MTZ-Ripo 3-0 on aggregate they then drew Hertha Berlin, with a place in the UEFA Cup at stake. After a fantastic 0-0 draw in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, hopes were high for a solid home performance. However, the German class showed through with a 2-0 victory on the night and on aggregate. As the Russian season winds down, FC Moscow are sitting comfortably in 5th place. Although the Top 3 Champions League spots are out of the question, the club could still make the UEFA Cup in the remaining few games. The team were part of the Torpedo Club until the mid 1990’s, going by the name of Torpedo Zil, the car manufacturer. 