Russia History

Vast nation's big ambition

Russia went through some dramatic changes in the course of the 20th century, but the vast nation's love of football has remained something of a constant.

Early history
Football was being played in the time of the last Tsars of Russia, with some alleging that the first organised games were played as far back as 1887, when English mill owners Clement and Harry Charnock formed a team at the Morozov mill near Moscow.

Local leagues
Certainly, there are records of local leagues in both Moscow and Saint Petersburg at the turn of the century, and the Football Union of Russia sent a side to contest the Olympics in 1912 - they lost their first official competitive game 2-1 against Finland.

Soviet times
Even after the Russian revolution toppled the Romanov dynasty, football continued to thrive as the Soviet Union encouraged the growth of the game - indeed pitches were laid in Red Square in 1942 and 1943 for games to be played during the May Day celebrations.

First title
However, the Soviet Union did not join FIFA until 1946, and it was not until 1952 that the new nation played its first official game, beating Bulgaria 2-1 at the 1952 Olympic tournament - which they would win at the second attempt in Melbourne in 1956.

European triumph
At this point, the Soviet Union were very much in the ascendant. Quarter-finalists at the 1958 and 1962 FIFA World Cups, they scooped their first major piece of silverware by winning the inaugural UEFA European Championship in 1960, beating Yugoslavia 2-1 in the final. However, they were thwarted in the final of the competition in 1964.

Magnificent Yashin
Goalkeeper Lev Yashin was a constant in the team that reigned in the 1950s and 1960s, and he was certainly one of the brightest stars of the World Cup in England in 1966, his heroics helping the Soviet Union to the semi-finals.

Blokhin era
However, he had hung up his gloves by the time a new team emerged in the 1970s, and while the Soviet Union would continue to qualify regularly for the World Cup with the likes of the Ukrainian Oleh Blokhin on side, it was the European Championships which saw them thrive. They were losing finalists in 1972 and 1988, and won Olympic gold for a second time in the latter year.

Independence days
The break up of the Soviet Union initially saw Russia competing as part of the Confederation of Independent States in the 1992 European Championship, but they later returned to international competition as Russia.

Unfortunate result
The new nation created a stir at the 1994 World Cup as Oleg Salenko scored five goals against Cameroon, but the 2002 World Cup was a campaign which most Russians would prefer to forget following a 1-0 defeat by Japan which prompted outrage back at home.

Bewitching blend
Russia began their UEFA EURO 2004™ qualfying campaign brightly under new coach Valeri Gazzaev, but their fortunes started to slide and Gazzaev resigned. Georgi Yartsev took over and, despite something of a struggle, Russia negotiated their way through a perilous play-off with Wales. Their blend of experience and youth may yet prove to be a deadly concoction in Portugal.

Country Info

Russia back in business

AREA: 17,075,200 sq km
POPULATION: 144,526,278
NEIGHBOURS: Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Norway, Poland, Ukraine
LANGUAGE: Russian
CAPITAL: Moscow
 
Russia, a country with a 1000-year history, started playing football in the end of 19th century when the game was brought to the world's largest country by English workers.
 
Football established
The official date of the birth of Russian football is generally considered to be 12 October 1897, when a newspaper first covered a football match in St. Petersburg. All-Russian Football Union was founded on 6 January 1912, when representatives of city leagues from across the country gathered in St. Petersburg. On 17 June 1912 the union became a member of FIFA, and Russia played in the Olympic games that year.

Olympic debut
Strangely, Russia played their first ever match as a team right there at the Olympics. On 17 June, Russia lost to Finland 2-1, but that was to prove little more than an unpleasant aperitif for a much more comprehensive defeat. Their second game at the tournament ended in disaster, as the Russians were hammered by Germany 16-0.

Russian Revolution
The All-Russian Football Union existed until 1917, when the Russian Revolution saw the 300-year-old Romanov royal dynasty overthrown by communist rebels. The union had been around long enough to hold the first two Russian championships, with St. Petersburg emerging triumphant in 1912 while Odessa, which is now in Ukraine, celebrated a year later. However, World War One was to disrupt the league.

Soviet control
The Soviet era saw football having to be re-established again, as it was only in 1935 that organised matches returned to the national schedule. From 1935 and until 1959, the USSR Football Section, part of the Ministry of Sport, was the governing body of football in Russia until, in 1959, the USSR Football Federation was founded - it existed independently until 1964, but became a part of the Ministry of Sport later.
 
New championship
The Russian club championship was revived in 1936, as famous clubs like FC Spartak Moskva, FC Dinamo Moskva and CSKA Moskva emerged in the capital. On 27 September 1947, the USSR became a member of FIFA, and played their first official match at the Olympic games against Bulgaria in 1952, winning 2-1.
 
International successes
The USSR won Olympic football titles in 1956 and 1988, as well as the 1960 UEFA European Championship in 1960, and produced great players like goalkeepers Lev Yashin and Renat Dasayev and forwards Oleh Blokhin and Ihor Belanov.

Russian inheritance
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Football Union of Russia (RFU) was founded on 8 February 1992, becoming the official successor to the old Soviet Union for the Russian federation in the international arena. Success at national level has not come easily, especially with so many players that would have been available for the Soviet Union now playing for their own individual republics, but there have been encouraging signs.

Emerging force
Russian clubs like Spartak and FC Lokomotiv Moskva have become serious competitors in Europe, while the national team is hoping to impress having qualified for UEFA EURO 2004™ following a play-off win against Wales.
 

Today year 2004 Russia Team

Aldonin Evgeni Midfield Bulykin Dmitri Forward Evseev Vadim Midfield Gusev Rolan Midfield Ignashevitch Sergei Defender Izmailov Marat Midfield Kerzhakov Aleksandr Forward Loskov Dmitri Midfield Malafeev Viatcheslav Goalkeeper Mostovoi Aleksandr Midfield Onopko Viktor Defender Ovchinnikov Sergei Goalkeeper Radimov Vladislav Midfield Sennikov Dmitri Defender Smertin Aleksei Midfield Sytchev Dmitri Forward

Group A
	PLD	W	D	L	GS	GA	PTS
Portugal	3	2	0	1	4	2	6
Greece	3	1	1	1	4	4	4
Spain	3	1	1	1	2	2	4
Russia	3	1	0	2	2	4	3

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