They're Russian, they're rich and they're in a hurry... the Anzhi explosion
By Ashley Gray
PUBLISHED: 21:37 GMT, 24 October 2012 | UPDATED: 23:21 GMT, 24 October 2012
When Anzhi Makhachkala faced Rangers in their UEFA Cup debut 11 years ago, one observer thought Russian boasts of a £68,000-a-man win bonus were a little far-fetched.
'One suspects that £68,000 would be more than enough to buy the whole club,' quipped a Scottish football writer. How times have changed. That amount is now barely enough to get Anzhi captain Samuel Eto'o to tie his bootlaces.
A spirited 1-0 defeat by the then Scottish giants was the last we heard of Anzhi — until Suleyman Kerimov invested his billions.
Big names: Guus Hiddink and Roberto Carlos have been enticed to Anzhi as manager and technical director respectively
Plenty to cheer: The Anzhi fans will soon have a 40,000 stadium in which to watch their side
An acquaintance of Fabio Capello, the 46-year-old financier eyed Roma before the authorities in Dagestan, a Russian republic by the Caspian Sea, convinced him to buy the club in his own back yard just under two years ago. Politics and football are intertwined in the Russian regions and Anzhi are a tool to promote a northern Caucasus republic which has a deadly mix of ethnic and religious diversity.
Anzhi, who play Liverpool in the Europa League tonight, are hated by many in the rest of Russia — particularly in Moscow — partly for being the wealthy new kids on the block and partly because of a dislike for the area.
Money man: Oligarch Suleyman Kerimov is bankrolling Anzhi's bid to conquer Russia and Europe
Yury Zhirkov saw the strength of feeling when he played for Russia against Serbia in a friendly soon after he joined Anzhi from Chelsea last year. Far from a returning hero, he was roundly booed by the Moscow crowd, called a 'whore', and apparently later broke down in tears in the dressing room.
But once he bought the club, Kerimov did not hang around. Inside a month the football world learned of Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, when Roberto Carlos, then 37, turned up on a whopping £65,000 a week. The move was little more than PR, the Brazilian World Cup winner having since retired and moved into an ambassadorial position, following an unsuccessful spell as a coach.
Destination Dagestan: Samuel Eto'o signed for Anzhi from Inter Milan and reportedly earns £250,000 a week at the Russian club
Pointing the way forward: Eto'o has nine goals in 13 outings so far this season
Solid as a rock: Christopher Samba joined Anzhi from Blackburn for £12.3m last season
More than £100million has been spent on talent, with the £18.5m arrival of Eto'o from Inter Milan 14 months ago the real breakthrough.
This summer they signed two players with plenty of offers from the Barclays Premier League. Former Arsenal, Chelsea and Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra joined from Real Madrid for around £4.5m, and Ivory Coast striker Lacina Traore came in for £14.5m.
Traore, 6ft 8in, is built for the English game and was a target for Brendan Rodgers while he was at Swansea — the Liverpool boss also considered a bid this summer. A mooted £6m deal with another Russian club, Kuban Krasnodar, was blown out of the water.
No-one ever says they are joining a club for the money, only for the 'exciting project', which is why Chris Samba left Blackburn for £100,000 a week to go to Russia's poorest and most volatile region.
Former Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink joined last winter, tightened up the defence and secured fifth in the Russian Premier League to ensure a Europa League place. Now they are top of the table and seemingly heading for next season's Champions League.
Chelsea connection: Yuri Zhirkov has linked up with former boss Hiddink at Anzhi
Investment has been matched off the pitch. An academy is planned, and two stadiums are being built to replace their 15,000-capacity temporary home. Eventually they want a swish 40,000-plus arena, if UEFA ever let them play a home game in the lawless region — they play Europa League home games at Lokomotiv Moscow's stadium.
How this fits in with Financial Fair Play rules is anyone's guess. You can watch Anzhi play for £2, with the best seats setting you back a tenner. Russian Premier League TV deals bring in paltry amounts of cash.
Bright future: Hiddink and Carlos are determined to take points from Liverpool to maintain their good start to the season
But money isn't everything. Liverpool have not won the league title in the 21 years that Anzhi have existed, although a trip to Anfield is still a special thing.
Hiddink said: 'I've been to Anfield. The atmosphere is awesome. It will be a landmark game for us. It is great that Anzhi has achieved such progress in their short history.'
On the pitch, he has a midfield crisis. Diarra is injured, while key players Odil Ahmedov and Jucilei are also likely to miss the game.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2222704/Who-Anzhi-Makhachkala--team-facing-Liverpool.html#ixzz2AGcXSN80
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