Russian Premier League

"I'm not racist but…"

Whenever one hears or reads those words, there's an inward cringe because a potentially very offensive message is about to come forth.  In the case of Russian football club Zenit St. Petersburg's letter from it's largest fan union, Landscrona, the message was long, it was emphatic, and it made no apologies for its content.

"We're not racists but we see the absence of black players at Zenit as an important tradition.  It would allow Zenit to maintain the national identity of the club, which is the symbol of St Petersburg."

-Google Translation from Landscrona.ru, and The Guardian

In the paragraphs before this statement, Landscrona describes their ideal team composition: one with very particular Eastern European roots, preferably composed of players from St. Petersburg and Leningrad and then other Eastern European regions, THEN the rest of Europe, but only if desperate.  They're even willing to go for a Latin American player but that's an absolute last resort. The fan group also demands to be disassociated from any players who are gay or are "representative of sexual minorities", players who drink or smoke, or players who are often sold to different clubs (though many times this is done against the player's will).  

So who are they, exactly?  Who is Zenit St. Petersburg?  

In the letter Landscrona describe an idealized club that doesn't resemble the wealthy and winning clubs like the specifically named Manchester City or Arsenal.  The fans' group is requesting that Zenit St. Petersburg represent the city where they are from, and respect the working class roots of the people they name as the fans.  To this particular (and large) fan group, Zenit St. Petersburg represents themselves, and they cannot see themselves represented by anyone of a different race, an unfamiliar nationality, or a man who doesn't sleep with a woman in his bed at night.  The fan's group also asks for wage ceilings for young players, presumably so they don't grow into the "Hollywood" mentality they sneer at several times at the beginning of the letter.

Should we mock and shame this fan's group for expressing their desires to the people who run their club?  Their desires may seem antiquated, racist and homophobic to a wider world, but football clubs are born out of the places where they reside, and part of the joy of football is in the traditions long held by supporters.  Having never visited St. Petersburg, I cannot attest to their traditions, and would hope they do not extend to distaste for people of other nationalities, lifestyles, or sexualities. 

 A club with a rich history can reflect the area that it's from while still accepting players (and supporters) of different nationalities.  Liverpool, despite having its ownership woes, still has a loyal and fervent fan base, and scouse speaking supporters chattering and chanting away in Kop End.  On the other hand, the world's oldest football club, England's Sheffield FC -founded in 1857,  is seven leagues below Liverpool in the Northern Premier League Division One South, and boasts just one "foreign player"- Dan Williams, from Wales on it's team website.  Is Sheffield FC "more authentic" than Liverpool?  Are the supporters more pure or passionate?  How can one really equate such a thing?

The Zenit St. Petersburg's press office was quick to distance itself from this supporters' union's public requests telling CNN via email:

"FC Zenit has always been distinguished by its tolerant approach to players of various nationalities and confessions, and has always had diversity in its side. Furthermore, our club has millions of fans from all continents of the world. St. Petersburg is an open city which historically has united various cultures.

Zenit invites players to the team exclusively thanks to their sporting qualities and achievements, not based on their nationality or skin color. The club’s policy is aimed at development and integration into the world football community. We do not support archaic values.

We continue to be sure that fighting all manifestations of intolerance is the only principle for development of our club, football, and sports as a whole in the world. "

The club administrators call the demands of their largest fan group "archaic" and the fan group itself asks, "Let us be who we are."

Who are you, Zenit St. Petersburg?  Do you want to play football with the rest of the world, or would you rather only play amongst your own people in and on your own lands?  The lines between sport and culture are often crossed, and this fan group's carefully stated requests for their club to be as Eastern European and "pure" as possible are an example of a sociological disconnection between a club and the people in the stands.

Kim Newsome is a Contributor at Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand. 

From the start, Hulk's time in Russia always felt like an unlikely adventure. For big-spending Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg, the high-profile summer move signaled a statement of European intent. But in an already-established squad, Hulk was mostly an awkward fit.

Now, less than six months later, the whole thing might just be over.

Hulk is reportedly upset with Zenit manager Luciano Spalletti and ready to leave the club as early as January, according to The Guardian. The 26-year-old Brazilian winger was visibly incensed at being substituted out of Zenit's Champions League win over AC Milan on Tuesday.

"If the situation with the coach does not resolve itself I may leave the club in the January transfer window," Hulk, 26, was quoted as saying by local media.

Spalletti, who initially played down the incident, reportedly hit back at the striker, telling local media: "Hulk can say anything he wants, but if I decide to change him during the game it means I'm not happy with his play.

"Hulk is mistaken if he thinks he should play for 90 minutes all the time. He said he wants to leave? Then, it's his choice and I can do nothing about it. As for myself, I'm not going anywhere."

Fighting words, indeed, from both sides. Beyond the obvious anger, they reveal a potential disconnect between Hulk and Zenit, one that both sides perhaps should have noticed before agreeing to terms over the summer.

About that: Zenit signed Hulk and Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel for a combined £64 million in early September (via BBC Sport). The move raised eyebrows because the former Porto star had long been linked with Chelsea of the more prestigious English Premier League.

Not long after, the problems began.

That same month, Zenit sent Igor Denisov—then the captain of the first team—to its reserve squad after a disagreement with the club (via FC-Zenit.ru). RIA Novosti later reported that Denisov had gone on strike over his wages, and speculation was rampant in the media that the problem stemmed from the big-money arrivals of Hulk and Witsel (via ESPN FC).

Clearly, all has not been right in St. Petersburg this season. Just as clearly drawn are the lines in the sand.

Hulk, as the headline player in a mega-money move, seems to think he ought to receive preferred playing time, if even a certain prestige in the squad. As Zenit spent so much money to acquire him, one can see why he would feel that way.

Zenit's existing players and manager, on the other hand, don't seem entirely comfortable with Hulk's presence. Certainly, it's impossible to deny that the team has been unsettled this season.

As the January transfer window nears, it's becoming increasingly possible that Hulk's stay in Russia will be short. With other big spenders like Chelsea reportedly interested (via ESPN.co.uk), a move sounds not only possible, but somewhat likely.

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Highly-rated Brazilian forward Hulk shocked the footballing world when he decided to shun interest from the elite of Europe and make a move to Russian club Zenit St Petersburg. Following his €40 million transfer, Hulk has only mustered four goals for his new club, and after a fallout with coach Luciano Spalletti, he has made his intentions to leave clear.

According to Goal.com, Hulk's substitution during Zenit's 1-0 win over AC Milan was just the latest in a string of events which have caused unrest between the Brazilian International and Spalletti. In an interview with Premium Calcio (via Goal.com), Hulk revealed his discontent with his current situation:

I feel fine in St Petersburg, my family is fine and my son is fine.

But if the situation with Luciano Spalletti does not resolve itself, I could leave in January. I don't know if Italy would be my destination, but anything can happen.

Spalletti returned the compliments, only compounding suggestions that Hulk is on his way out of the club, saying, "Hulk does and says what he wants. I will have no qualms about replacing him again."

Despite these desires, however, it would seem that even if Hulk wishes to leave Zenit St Petersburg during the January transfer window, FIFA regulation would tell that he is unable to. According to FIFA Regulations pertaining to transfers, a player can only play for a maximum of two clubs for the duration of a season.

Prior to his move to Zenit this year, Hulk played two games for Porto, meaning that any transfer in January would prove invalid. 

According to ESPN, if the Russian league adopted its previous calendar structure, Hulk would've been free to join a club this January due to overlapping transfer windows. However, in attempts to establish the league as a superpower down the track, its calendar has been synchronised with that of the rest of Europe. 

Hulk risks further exclusion from the Zenit squad if he continues to make his discontent with club proceedings clear. Such exclusion could have the potential to jeopardise his position in the Brazilian International team for the time being.

By now you have probably heard about the incident in Russia over the weekend that stopped a match between Dynamo Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg.

But wait. The story recently took a weird twist.

Here are the basics. The hosts, Dynamo Moscow, led Saturday's match 1-0 through Vladimir Granat's 27th-minute opener.

The match was then abandoned in the 36th minute because of crowd trouble. That trouble involved Dynamo goalkeeper Anton Shunin being hit by an object that had been thrown from the stands.

Footage of the incident appears in the video above. It serves as our Set Piece Video of the Day for this Monday.

Shunin, 25, later said he was having trouble with his vision and hearing. A team doctor said his cornea had been burned (Press Association via ESPN FC).

Zenit, a club that has been known to tell it how it is, in an official statement condemned what it called "stupidity and irresponsibility" (via FC-Zenit.ru). A Zenit supporters' club called the incident an "act of a provocateur or idiot" (via ESPN FC).

So here's the new twist.

The idiot, it turns out, was reportedly a female Zenit fan who smuggled the object into the match inside her body.

Yes, inside her body.

According to RT, 92 people—including three women—were arrested at the match. The perp was not among that number.

"During the inspection of the stadium after Dynamo’s match against Zenit, at which one of the female fans of the St. Petersburg team threw a firecracker on the pitch, injuring the Dynamo goalkeeper, the police found dozens of condoms in the ladies' room,” an unnamed source in the police force told Interfax.

Fireworks in condoms, eh? Maybe it's just us, but we're thinking Bill Buford has a sequel to write.

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The FC Barcelona squad have arrived in Russia for their next Group G UEFA Champions League match against Spartak Moscow. According to the Barca website, they will train Monday before facing the Russians Tuesday.

Tito Vilanova, the La Blaugrana manager, and Cesc Fabregas will hold a press conference for their team. Umai Emery, the Spanish-born Spartak Moscow manager, will do the same for the Russians.

What is at stake in this match and who will prevail? The answer is based on the preview and prediction of this vital match for both teams. 

Spartak Moscow

The Russians are currently in last place in the Group G UCL table. The list of players that are injured will not help their cause in this match.

Midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is expected to be out due to an abdominal injury requiring surgery. The Bilyaletdinov injury was reported on the UEFA webpage.

Bilyaletdinov's expected recovery will last during the rest of Spartak Moscow's UCL group matches. According to The Himalayan Times with a h/t to Reuters, Sergei Pesyakov, Artem Dzyuba, Artem Rebrov and Andriy Dykan are on the injured list.

Dykan and Rebrov suffered a shoulder injury. Pesyakov has a foot fracture and Dzyuba a hamstring injury.

The list of injuries continues with Romulo, Aiden McGeady, Sergei Parshivlyuk and Welliton. The Russians won only one of their matches (against Benfica last October) during the current UCL season.

Regardless of their current state, Spartak Moscow should not be underestimated. They almost defeated Barca when the two met at Camp Nou last September.

FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona is currently in first place in the Group G UCL matches. They barely defeated Spartak Moscow, 3-2, and lost to Celtic the second time.

La Blaugrana left Benfica scoreless and are secured a place in the UCL with this victory. Alexis Sanchez and Marc Bartra will not participate because of injury.

Bartta, a defender, has an injury to the adductor muscle. Sanchez has an ankle ligament that was damaged during a match for the Chilean national team.

It is hoped that La Blaugrana learned a lesson from its last match against Celtic. Barca had possession but underestimated the opponent and gave Celtic a victory.

Prediction

The match between Spartak Moscow and FC Barcelona is expected to be an intense match. The two teams will score and not allow concessions to each other.

La Blaugrana is expected to prevail in this match after facing resistance from Spartak Moscow and their supporters. The score is expected to be the following.

Spartak Moscow 3-4 FC Barcelona

With a full-sleeve tattoo and a gnarly Grizzly Adams beard, Martin Jiranek looks just about the way one might imagine a central defender should look.

But with that cannon of a right leg, he's got a shot most strikers could only dream about.

It's early in the European club season, but 2012-13 already has a strong candidate for goal of the season. It happened this weekend, and it came courtesy of Jiranek, our Grizzly Adams defender with the leg of gold.

The goal can be seen in the video above. It's the Set Piece Goal of the Weekend (with apologies to Demba Ba's volley and Fabrizio Miccoli's 50-yard lob). But before you watch, make sure you sit down with a nice glass of brandy—or something else more to your liking—because this one just absolutely oozes class.

Take a look at the goal from every angle (the money shot starts around the 0:45 mark). Not only did Jiranek hit that ball extraordinarily hard, but he also put some nasty backspin on it with the outside of his boot. The keeper really had no chance.

A little background info: Jiranek is indeed a central defender. He's 33, a former Czech Republic international and he currently plays for Terek Grozny in the Russian Premier League.

Jiranek, who has also played for Spartak Moscow and Slovan Liberec, among other clubs, joined the club in 2011. And eagle-eyed readers might remember seeing him play for Birmingham City in their 2011 Carling Cup final win over Arsenal.

Jiranek couldn't inspire his team to victory this weekend, wonder goal and all. Terek lost the match 2-1. But it's safe to say we can all pretty much agree that they took home all three style points anyway.

[h/t 101 Great Goals]

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What happens when a nouveau-riche football club starts throwing money around in a Russian city with a communist legacy?

The answer is being played out at Zenit St. Petersburg, and it involves Russian President Vladimir Putin, global energy giant Gazprom, the local communist party and two footballers bought for a combined $100 million—Hulk and Axel Witsel.

Gazprom are the Russian natural gas company who have bankrolled Zenit since 2005. It was their money that lured former Roma manager Luciano Spalletti to the club in 2009 and has since helped the Italian win two straight Russian Premier League titles.

But when Zenit bought Hulk and Witsel this summer—two of the most sought-after talents in European football—it soon became clear the club's naked ambition was at odds with certain philosophies, both internally at Zenit and woven into the political fabric of the city it calls home.

Club captain Igor Denisov has voiced his opposition to how much Hulk and Witsel are earning in comparison to Zenit's Russian players—with the former said to be bringing home an annual salary of $8 million.

Said Denisov to Sport Express Daily, as per Eurosport Asia:

I'm not against foreign players but there must be a balance in the team. Yes, the club has bought good players but do you think they are so much better than us that they should make three times as much?

Zenit already have great players who have won as many titles as the new guys. I would understand if we got Messi or Iniesta. They would deserve any price.

The principles of how the club is run are the most important as well as the respect of the Russian players, especially us—the St. Petersburg natives who have always made up the core of a team like Zenit.

Zenit were not pleased. In reaction to his comments and reported contract demands, Denisov was "indefinitely transferred to the club's youth team." For a 28-year-old international who's been at the club for a decade, the punishment is akin to being exiled to Siberia.

This, as per Zenit's official website:

This measure is related to the fact that Denisov made an ultimatum to the club and refused to take the pitch against Krylya Sovetov, demanding that his personal contract be reviewed.

...FC Zenit believes that by breaking his agreement with the club, Denisov is behaving unprofessionally, thereby discrediting himself as a player of FC Zenit and the Russian national team, and causing serious harm to his reputation.

Denisov is clearly not the only Zenit player to be at odds with the club's transfer policy. Striker Aleksandr Kerzhakov was also sent down to train with the youth team, though both he and Denisov may return to first-team duties as soon as Sunday.

Responding to a question on his players' mental state, Spalletti said, "They need to understand that the way they're thinking isn't fair."

We can only assume they're thinking Hulk and Witsel are taking up too much of the wage budget.

Whatever the truth behind the training-ground doors, speculation surrounding the inner turmoil at Zenit has only been encouraged by the club's recent results. Home defeats to Terek Grozny and Rubin Kazan were compounded by a 3-0 loss to Malaga in the Champions League.

Things have gotten so bad that the local branch of the Communists of Russia party decided to send an open letter to President Putin, pleading he intervene to put things right.

Here's an amended extract, as per their official website (translation from Google):

There is a loss of control over the team—and a loss of mutual understanding within team sports creates a heavy moral atmosphere. A series of very painful lesions has been replaced by open squabble between the leading players in the team to see who of them will get any more (money).

In this conflict, the public cannot decide who is right or wrong—all are equally ugly, selfish and greedy.

The letter goes on to reference the 1984 Zenit team, which won the league under Soviet communist rule, but with no "abnormal fees"—the suggestion being that success is just as achievable through hard work and organization as it is through free spending in the transfer market.

Most shocking was their attack on Spalletti and the claim that western coaches are purely money-motivated. In his place, they'd like "a stern coach from North Korea, where sport is part of the daily struggle for the independence and dignity of the country."

Who said sport and politics don't mix?

Here's what Putin had to say in response, as per insideworldfootball.biz:

I also complain sometimes. I would like to note that it's the companies that buy the players and not the Government. But fans also want to see world stars, not those who are on the wane but those who are at their peak.

Putin's position is a precarious one, because he also has to be mindful of Russia's role as hosts of the 2018 World Cup and the need for the country to be sending out the right message. The President wading into a crisis at one of the country's major clubs just doesn't look good.

As for Zenit's immediate future, home games against Lokomotiv Moscow—who have won their last four in a row and conceded just once—and Italian giants AC Milan in the Champions League loom large.

Spalletti is in a difficult spot. He must find a way to placate the likes of Denisov and Kerzhakov, while also making sure his big-money signings feel welcome enough to produce the kind of performances Zenit paid $100 million for.

Only success will suffice. And even then, there will still be those in St. Petersburg who undermine his progress as the natural result of gratuitous spending.

You get a sense Hulk and Witsel may come to regret their moves to Russia.

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The news was stunning, both because of the names and figures involved and for what it meant.

First, the names and figures involved.

On Tuesday, Zenit St. Petersburg announced the signings of Brazilian winger/forward Hulk from Porto and Brazilian midfielder Axel Witsel from Benfica (via The Guardian). Both players reportedly cost €40 million, for a total outlay of €80 million—or about £64 million.

Now, what it means.

Zenit, the two-time defending champions of the Russian Premier League, are no longer content with winning in Russia. Zenit and GAZPROM, a Russian energy company that bought a controlling stake in the club in 2005 (via St. Petersburg Times), have set their sights on Europe.

Spending increased immediately under GAZPROM, with the arrivals of high-priced foreign imports like Turkish international Fatih Tekke and South Koreans Kim Dong-Jin and Lee Ho (via UEFA Magazine).

This takes things to a lavish new level.

Hulk, 26, is a game-changer, a powerful, creative attacker powerful with a lethal left foot. Quite simply, he could start for almost any club in the world and the long-term pursuit of European champions Chelsea suggested just that.

That Hulk would cost €40 million is no surprise. The surprises are that Witsel cost the same amount, that both Porto and Benfica decided to sell and that Zenit bucked up for both.

Witsel, 23, has made 30 appearances for Belgium's senior national team and his precocious skills are well-documented. But €40 million is a lot of money for any player, and even Hulk apparently was surprised by the deal.

Hulk: "I wasn't expecting this. I had no reasons to leave, but my agent informed me FC Porto and Zenit have reached a deal" (@joao_ruela) -W

— Transfer Central TNC (@TransferNewsCen) September 3, 2012

The same probably could be said for most fans and even most European clubs. For all of GAZPROM's money—and they reportedly have buckets of it—Tuesday's news was as stunning as it was purposeful.

That purpose was to send Zenit's aggressive new message out to the continent. On that point, Zenit have succeeded, but now the question emerges: Will it work?

Zenit reached the round of 16 in last year's Champions League before losing to Witsel's Benfica. That team featured some impressive talent, including goalkeeper and captain Vyacheslav Malafeev, defenders Bruno Alves and Domenico Criscito and forward Aleksandr Kerzhakov.

Manager Luciano Spalletti has been with the club since 2009 and has molded the team into Russia's best. With this latest infusion of cash and talent, could a run at Europe come next?

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