Soccer: Ruud awakening awaits in Chechnya

It's a long way from Chelsea to Grozny, but in one of the most extraordinary appointments in recent sporting history, legendary Dutch footballer and former Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit has been unveiled as the new manager of Terek Grozny, the Russian premier league club in restive Chechnya.

The outlandish appointment will lead many to suspect that thoughts of his wallet have got in the way of Gullit's ethical radar. His direct boss will be Ramzan Kadyrov, the former rebel fighter who is now the Moscow-backed President of Chechnya.

Accused of all manner of human rights abuses, Kadyrov is also the club president. He said yesterday he was excited to welcome the Dutchman and expected that, with him in charge, Terek had a serious chance of winning the Champions League.

Kadyrov has been keen to use football to boost the image of Chechnya in Russia and the world. When the country won the right to host the 2018 World Cup last month, he stated that Grozny was a perfect football venue and should be added to the list of host cities. Nobody took him particularly seriously. Grozny, ravaged by two wars with Moscow, has been rebuilt under Kadyrov's watch and the Islamic insurgency has, for the most part, moved to neighbouring regions.

But the situation is still tense. There are occasional suicide bombings and shoot-outs, while human rights groups have reported hundreds of torture cases and kidnappings which they allege are often carried out by paramilitary forces loyal to Kadyrov.

Gullit has not yet travelled to Chechnya or met Kadyrov, but said yesterday he was delighted to have signed an 18-month contract and had been promised funds to build the team.

Kadyrov wants Gullit to lead Terek to a top-eight finish this season and qualify for European football by the end of next season. They were 12th in the Russian league last year. "Gullit has won almost all the most prestigious cups," said Kadyrov. "I'm sure that together with him we'll be able to win the Champions League." Formerly manager of Chelsea, Newcastle and LA Galaxy, Gullit quit the Dutch national team as a player after a conflict with the manager.

Kadyrov, in a recent meeting with local officials, gave an insight into his leadership strategy: "I'm the boss here. I'm at the wheel," he said. "There is nobody else, except me. Do you understand? Ramzan - and that's it! Nobody else! Ramzan!"

Kadyrov, 34, has ruled the republic along these lines since the death of his father, Akhmad, in May 2004, killed in a huge bomb blast while watching a military parade at the stadium where Terek now play.

The club only returned to Chechnya in 2008; they had played home matches elsewhere when Grozny was deemed too dangerous.

Those who get on the wrong side of Kadyrov have an unnerving habit of meeting sticky ends.

Two brothers from the powerful Yamadayev clan were both shot dead: one in Moscow, the other in Dubai. Dubai police accused Adam Delimkhanov, a member of the Russian Parliament for Chechnya and Kadyrov's cousin, of organising the murder. Others to meet unpleasant ends include Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist who wrote about torture and rights abuses in Chechnya, and Natalya Estemirova, a human rights worker who investigated cases of kidnapping and disappearances.

"Maybe Gullit read Wikipedia and decided that Kadyrov is a Mandela-like figure," wrote the Russian news website lenta.ru, with its tongue firmly in its cheek.

CULTURE CLASH: CHELSEA v GROZNY

Post-match drinks: There was no shortage of bars in Ruud Gullit's former stamping ground. No such luck in Grozny - Chechnya is dry, part of Ramzan Kadyrov's drive to instil Islamic values. For a small bribe, some cafes will let you smuggle in beer to drink out of a teacup.

WAG hangouts: While London offers copious haunts, such as Mayfair's Whisky Mist, WAGs should take care in Grozny - gangs of youths have taken to roaming the streets and shooting women not wearing headscarves with paintball guns.

The main drag: Vying with the King's Road is Grozny's Putin Ave. The bizarre name was Kadyrov's personal thank you to the Russian Prime Minister for financing the rebuilding of Grozny, which Putin had ordered to be bombed in 2000.

- INDEPENDENT