“At around 20.45 local time on 12th October 2002 a power failure at the Mikheil Meskhi stadium in Tbilisi plunged Georgia’s Euro 2004 qualifying match against Russia into darkness. It wasn’t to be the last time that an energy shortage in the Caucasus would cause a blackout in the relationship between these two bitter rivals. Captaining Georgia that night was AC Milan defender Kakha Kaladze, the young republic’s most famous footballing export, but even the defensive barricade that would go on to collect a Champions League winners medal barely three years later was powerless to intercede as he and his teammates waited with uncertainty in the Tbilisi darkness.” World Soccer

“It’s easy to forget that the all-conquering magicians of Europe Bayern Munich began their romp to the continental crown last season as the victims of a remarkable conjuring act. A startling result, which saw the grand masters beaten 3-1 in the former Soviet province of Borisov by a team who had never before tasted victory at Europe’s top table, might for all the world have been an illusion mechanised by Belarusian champions BATE for the benefit and bemusement of the world’s press. Not so much a rabbit out of a hat as a tractor, the likes of which are produced at the Borisov Auto Electric plant from where the club draws its name, bursting from the toe of a delicately stitched Bavarian stocking.” World Soccer

“Had Tottenham Hotspur arrived in Moldova’s eastern city of Tiraspol for their recent Europa League fixture by road rather than by air they would have been greeted by an almost unique phenomenon in international diplomacy. Travelling from the Moldovan capital Chisinau to the city that homes league champions Sheriff requires visitors to cross perhaps the only international check-point in the world that brings you out in the same country that you thought you were leaving, at least in any legal sense. The Moldovan dispute with breakaway autonomous region Transnistria, sitting between the Dnistria river and the south-western tip of Ukraine, could well be described as Europe’s forgotten conflict – dormant since 1992 when a brief war over sovereignty that defined the immediate post-Soviet period fizzled out into a polite ceasefire.” World Soccer

“It’s been quite the year for Spartak forward, Yura Movsisyan. After making the move to Moscow last winter from another Russian club, FC Krasnodar, Movsisyan has bagged a pair of hat-tricks, scored 22 goals in 32 appearances, and emerged as one of the young guns on a rising Armenia side. Spartak, meanwhile, are 3rd in the league, just three points behind Zenit and Lokomotiv. Though he’ll miss the final two matches of 2013 due to knee surgery, the 26 year old was on fire all autumn, racking up eight goals in his final seven appearances, including strikes against Bulgaria and Italy in World Cup qualifying. After 17 league matches, he’s tied with Artem Dzyuba for top scorer on 12 goals. And assuming he’s fit when play resumes in March, Yura will be raring to help Spartak battle for the league crown after a 13-year drought.” Russian Football

“This season was one to forget for the Hungarian clubs in European competitions. In 10 matches the 4 clubs of Honved, Videoton, Debrecen, and Gyor mustered only 3 wins and 1 draw. What’s makes this statistic even more disappointing is that the 3 wins came in the first round of the Europa League to teams that finished 3rd and 6th in the Montenegrin League. Stepping into the 2nd round saw both Debrecen and Honved lose at home in second leg matches to Stromgodset of Norway and Vojvodina of Serbia, respectively, by a combined score of 1-6. To bring the reality full circle, the Hungarian teams earned a coefficient score of 0.875 for their efforts in Europe this year. This is combined with previous years to determine the number of European spots available. …” SF Union

“It began while much of Europe was still asleep, and indeed many Russians would have only been stirring in their beds when the first goal went in. Vasily Karmazinenko’s 28th minute goals for SKA-Energia Khabarovsk against Volga arrived just before 4.30am in the UK, and by the time the final whistle blew, British clocks were yet to strike six. Nevertheless, Volga were out of the Russian Cup. Karmazinenko grabbed a double was enough to see off the Nizhny Novgorod side 2-0, and before long they were joined on the cup scrapheap by ‘local’ rivals and an altogether much bigger side in Rubin. Tasked with the equally daunting prospect of a trip to the Far East to take of Luch-Energia Vladivostok, Kurban Berdyev’s men responded by falling a goal behind inside the first three minutes. Ruslan Mukhametshin responded after another ten minutes, but a devastating spell of ten minutes either side of the break saw the hosts breeze through into the next round with a 4-2 win. Things had only just begun.” Russian Football

“Football east of the Danube is becoming by reputation a cradle for something unsavoury in the European diplomatic stakes. The season, still in its infancy but maturing quickly in its propensity to shock, has brought a cloud over this part of the continent with ethnic tensions across four countries spilling onto the terraces and further contaminating some already poisonous relations. Lech Poznan were hit with a 5000 fine for racially aggravated chanting during their Europa League match with Zalgiris Vilnius in August whilst Budapest Honved were reprimanded for similar offences in Vojvodina. But whilst both episodes chimed with jingoistic thuggery – the UEFA disciplinary panel don’t get out of bed for anything less than the most brazen lashes of a chauvinistic tongue– there is a more insidious line that threads them together.” World Soccer

“Recently, fresh from five days in Europe’s biggest metropolis, Istanbul, myself and my traveling companion decided to stop off in the Turkish capital Ankara for a couple of nights in advance of a plunge into deepest Anatolia. With floodlights punctuating the central skyline and flags and pennants emblazoned across shop and market stall windows, it was clear that this was yet another football-worshipping hotbed. Closer inspection, however, revealed the banners, as well as the numerous replica shirts on display to be the black & white, redcurrant & amber and blue & yellow of the Constantinople clubs. It was as I had expected of course – Ankara is a modern creation to place alongside the likes of Washington DC and Ottawa and if it lacks, at four million, the anodyne blandness of Brasilia or Canberra, it’s a town the charms of which take a while to reveal themselves.” In Bed With Maradona

“1) Igor Akinfeev, Goalkeeper. Overlooked by Dick Advocaat at Euro 2012′ in favor of Vyacheslav Malafeev, the CSKA captain started every single qualifying game under Fabio Capello. He only conceded five goals during the campaign and broke the record for the longest clean sheet kept by a Russian goalkeeper in competitive matches. 2) Aleksandr Kerzhakov, Forward. Zenit’s Kerzhakov is always the main man up front for Don Capello. Whenever he is in form and scoring, Russia will always benefit with victories. His vital goal against Portugal at Luzhniki was the highlight, and the forward took part in all ten games for the team, scoring five goals along the way. …” RUSSIAN FOOTBALL NEWS

“These are the words of Bernard ‘Bajdo’ Vukas – which can be seen engraved upon his tombstone – whose name is equally revered by those who never saw him play just as much as by those that did. Born on May 1st 1927 in the Trešnjevci district of Zagreb, in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Vukas’ early life saw him eventually grow up to be a Dinamo Zagreb supporter. This was in no small part down to the intervention of his father, Vinko, who it is said, took his belt to his 10-year-old ‘fakin’ or ‘urchin’ son for daring to follow Partizan Belgrade instead.” In Bed With Maradona (Video)

“‘Someone rears their head and twenty others go to press the lid’ goes the Bulgarian jibe, echoed earlier this month by Levski Sofia director Nasko Sirakov. Perhaps it’s a cloud from the Soviet age that still hangs in the air, inspiring disapproval and distrust amongst the common stock whenever anyone breaks from the pack and seeks to bargain on their own terms.” World Soccer

“Contemporary recollections of Mostar almost always surround the Stari Most, the 16th century Ottoman Bridge located in present day Bosnia and Herzegovina. Standing towering for over 427 years until it was destroyed in 1993 by the Bosnian Croats the scenic bridge was reopened again in 2004. It stands today as a reminder of the Balkan conflict yet remains one of the former Yugoslavia’s foremost tourist attractions.” World Soccer

“These are the words of Bernard ‘Bajdo’ Vukas – which can be seen engraved upon his tombstone – whose name is equally revered by those who never saw him play just as much as by those that did. Born on May 1st 1927 in the Trešnjevci district of Zagreb, in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Vukas’ early life saw him eventually grow up to be a Dinamo Zagreb supporter. This was in no small part down to the intervention of his father, Vinko, who it is said, took his belt to his 10-year-old ‘fakin’ or ‘urchin’ son for daring to follow Partizan Belgrade instead.” World Soccer

“Contemporary recollections of Mostar almost always surround the Stari Most, the 16th century Ottoman Bridge located in present day Bosnia and Herzegovina. Standing towering for over 427 years until it was destroyed in 1993 by the Bosnian Croats the scenic bridge was reopened again in 2004. It stands today as a reminder of the Balkan conflict yet remains one of the former Yugoslavia’s foremost tourist attractions. Across in the north western reaches of Mostar there stands another building less famous but equally symbolic of the tragic Balkan conflict. Built in 1971 the Bijeli Brijeg Stadium was until 1992 the home territory of Velež Mostar. Alongside the Maksimir in Zagreb and the Marakana home of Red Star it was recognised as one of the ‘hottest’ grounds in the former Yugoslav First League. Venue for some special nights in Yugoslav domestic football, the stadium also witnessed UEFA Cup competition including wins for Velez against the likes of Derby County, APOEL, Belenenses and Spartak Moscow.” In Bed With Maradona

“Seven games into the Russian Football League season and Rubin Kazan are unbeaten. Sounds good right? But the reality is that it’s not as bright as it seems early on. While it’s nice to see a goose egg in the loss column, Rubin only have two wins from those seven games meaning they’re already playing catch up to league leaders CSKA Moscow. Perhaps the saving grace for Rubin is that the league is so tight this year. Rubin sit seventh in the standings, but they only trail CSKA by six points. There’s certainly time for Rubin to make their way up the standings and secure European football again next year, but they better get moving soon.” Russian Football News

“There aren’t many bandanas around Birmingham these days but in the summer of 1995 they were all the rage. Aston Villa, their supporters dizzied by the rollercoaster journey already shaping their existence in the new Premier League, had broken their transfer record to bring in one of their most exotic, most mysterious signings yet.” World Soccer

Dan Petrescu
“From occupying the bottom of the table to nearly finishing 3rd, Dynamo Moscow had one of last season’s biggest comebacks. The introduction of Dan Petrescu as manager led to a series of impressive results, including a whopping 5-1 win over Spartak in the oldest Russian derby and a 14-match unbeaten run. The former ended in the sacking of Unai Emery as Spartak manager. The latter ended in a humiliating 1-0 loss for the Muscovites to the later-relegated Alania. The team disappointed at the end of the season, their scoreless draw against Volga leaving them short of a Europa League spot.” Russian Football News

“When Suleiman Kerimov purchased Anzhi Makhachkala and thrust the club onto the back pages of newspapers across Europe, thanks to their extravagant transfer budget, the world was led to believe that this was the birth of a team that could propel itself to domestic and European success. The signings of Samuel Eto’o, Roberto Carlos and Yuri Zhirkov proved to be a minor flurry, before the likes of Willian, Igor Denisov and Aleksandr Kokorin followed suit for equally impressive sums. But like any fairytale, there are always a few bumps along the way and over the past 24 hours the club has been thrown into turmoil.” Slavic Football Union

Anzhi Makhachkala: Why are big-spending Russians cutting back?
“When news broke that Anzhi Makhachkala, the billionaire-backed Russian Premier League club, were cutting their budget and selling their top players, many journalists – myself included – thought it was a late April fool. But this was no joke. In the hours that followed a series of announcements, each more puzzling than the other, confirmed “The Anzhi Project”, at least as we previously knew it, was coming to an end. Suleyman Kerimov, Anzhi’s billionaire backer since January 2011, was no longer happy to finance a gravy train. The club’s budget, officially quoted at an extravagant £116m per season (second only to Zenit St Petersburg in Russia), was to be reduced to between £32m and £45m.” BBC

“The south of Serbia, with its rich and complicated past, is something of a historical and political melting pot. Niš, the region’s most populous city, is no different. Over the years, the city bore witness to the coming and going of a multitude of would-be conquerors, each of whom recognised the city’s importance as a gateway between East and West, a metaphorical confluence of cultures, ideologies, and nations. Consequently, Niš has long been possessed of a certain flexibility of nature, an ability to seamlessly adjust to the incursion of a previously unfamiliar authority. This year, the city’s illustrious football club, Radnički, has been obliged to exhibit a similarly acquiescent character.” World Soccer

“The south of Serbia, with its rich and complicated past, is something of a historical and political melting pot. Niš, the region’s most populous city, is no different. Over the years, the city bore witness to the coming and going of a multitude of would-be conquerors, each of whom recognised the city’s importance as a gateway between East and West, a metaphorical confluence of cultures, ideologies, and nations. Consequently, Niš has long been possessed of a certain flexibility of nature, an ability to seamlessly adjust to the incursion of a previously unfamiliar authority. This year, the city’s illustrious football club, Radnički, has been obliged to exhibit a similarly acquiescent character.” In Bed With Maradina

“Turkey’s youth development system is a bit acarpous. Coaches first look for physical characteristics and have no tolerance for incapable players. They do not want to give these players time for improvement. Most coaches don’t know how to teach basic fundamentals. For example, if Thomas Müller was from Turkey, there is no way that he would make it anywhere near the national team. The other problem of youth development of Turkey is uneducated football coaches, who after retiring from football have an opportunity to get licence from Turkish FA with just a little bit of tuition, not enough to educate young players.” Outside of the Boot

“Just over a year ago Poland was riding the crest of a UEFA-fuelled wave. With pre-tournament doubts over hooliganism and racism dispelled, Euro 2012 passed largely without a hitch, and a new era in the Polish game was heralded by many. But with the passing of the pan-European party – held across four of the country’s biggest cities – Poland has awoken to a domestic game with a hangover of massive proportions.” In Bed With Maradona

“Many Communist institutions have fallen into disrepair since the collapse of the Berlin Wall. In sporting sphere, the downward descents that many former state-sponsored clubs have had to go through may have been less severe, but they have had to adapt nonetheless. In the Czech Republic, one historic name is making a return in style. Dukla Prague sunk after the dissolution of Czechoslovkia and the name all but vanished from the annuals. For years it looked like they would be fondly remembered by fans of Half Man Half Biscuit, those old enough to have seen the likes of the great Josef Masopust and the statisticians amongst us. Football and modernity had sadly passed the giant of old behind.” In Bed With Maradona

“If I were to walk into a bar in England, Spain or any of the ‘big’ football nations of the world, and tried to start a conversation about Russian football, the dialogue would most likely sway towards one of three topics: 1) Racist fans 2) ‘The team that Eto’o plays for’ (Anzhi Makhachkala 3) Roman Abramovich. Perhaps past images of communism, dictatorship and war prelude the fine standard of football Russians are treated to week in, week out. Or perhaps maybe people just don’t care much for football that isn’t shown on prime time television. Whatever the reason, millions are missing out on the superb action taking place in the former USSR.” Outside of the Boot