FC Spartak Moscow

) is a football club from Moscow, Russia.

Spartak have won 12 Soviet championships (second only to Dynamo Kyiv) and 9 of 14 Russian championships. They have also won the Soviet Cup 9 times and the Russian Cup 3 times. Spartak have also reached the semi-finals of all three European club competitions.

The football club is a part of the Spartak Moscow sports society. Other teams in the society include ice hockey club Spartak Moscow.

History

In the early days of Soviet football many government agencies such as the police, army, and railroads created their own clubs. In contrast to this, Spartak Moscow was created in 1922 as a trade union sports club, thus gaining the image of the "people's team". The founder of the sports society was Nikolai Starostin. He proposed the name that was derived from Spartacus, a slave who led a rebellion against Rome, and was inspired by eponymous book by Raffaello Giovagnoli. Starostin is also credited with the creation of the Spartak logo.History of Spartak, fcspartak.ru Since 1935 the club was a part of Spartak sports society.

Spartak had become a major Soviet football power by 1936, when it won its first USSR title. As the popularity of football grew in the USSR in the 1960s, Spartak fared well, winning two league titles in that decade. However, the club was less successful in the 1970s and in 1976 Spartak was relegated into the lower league.

During the following season, the stadium was still full as the club's fans stayed with the team during its time in the lower division. Spartak came back the next year and won the title in 1979, beating Dynamo Kyiv and thanks to Spartak supporters, the period is considered to be the start of the modern-style fans' movement in the Soviet Union.

A new page in the club's history began when the USSR collapsed and its championship ceased to exist. In the newly created Russian league, Spartak, led by coach and president Oleg Romantsev dominated and won 9 titles out of 13. Year after year the team also represented Russia in the Champions League.

Problems began when Nikolai Starostin, the club's patriarch, died and left the whole enterprise to Romantsev who sold his stock in 2000 to oil magnate Andrei Chervichenko The two were soon embroiled in a row that would continue until Romantsev was sacked in 2003 with the club suffering several sub-par seasons until Chervichenko finally sold his stock in 2004. The new ownership made a number of front office changes with the aim of returning the team to the top of the Russian Premier League.All-star Spartak rise again, Eduard Nisenboim, uefa.com

In the 2005 season, Spartak, led by Aleksandrs Starkovs, finished 2nd in the league following an impressive run to beat Lokomotiv, Zenit and Rubin to the last Champions League place.

Following a mixed start to the 2006 season and public criticism from Dmitry Alenichev, the team's captain and one of its most experienced players, Starkovs left his position to Vladimir Fedotov.

Spartak was entitled to place a golden star on its badge in 2003 in commemoration of having won five Russian championships (this having been achieved in 1997).

Nickname

The team is usually called "red-and-whites", but among the fans "The Meat" is a very popular nickname. The origins of the nickname belong to the days of the foundation of the club; in the 1920s the team was renamed several times, from "Moscow Sports Club" to "Red Presnya" (after the name of one of the districts of Moscow) to "Pishcheviki" ("Food industry workers") to "Promkooperatsiya" ("Industrial cooperation") and finally to "Spartak Moscow" in 1934, and for many years the team was under patronage of one of the Moscow food factories which dealt with meat products.

One of the most favourite slogans of both the fans and players is "Who are we? We're The Meat!"

The other nickname is "Svin'i" ("Pigs"), although, unsurprisingly, this is considered offensive by the team's fans.

Rival teams

At present, Spartak's arch rival is CSKA Moscow; although this is a relatively recent rivalry having only emerged in the last twenty years. One of the most celebrated rivalries is "Spartak-Dinamo", with neighbours Dinamo Moscow. However, this has faded somewhat due to Dinamo's poor performances. Matches against Lokomotiv Moscow and Zenit St.Petersburg attract thousands of people as well, almost always resulting in packed stadiums.Another rivalry became a "lost" derby with the collapse of the Soviet Union. This was with Dynamo Kyiv, one of the leaders of the USSR championship but now playing in the Ukrainian championship.

Stadium

Spartak has never had its own stadium and the team has played in various Moscow stadiums throughout its history. Currently, the club's home ground is the 5-star Luzhniki arena which officially belongs to another Moscow club, Torpedo.

However, the club's new board has recently declared that "Spartak will soon play on their own stadium". The government of Moscow has agreed to give land for the stadium near the Tushino air field. The construction will begin in 2006 and is expected to end in 2009. Spartak will have its own stadium, club's official website. Retrieved on 13 March 2006.

Famous transfers

Russian football has experienced significant revenue growth thanks to sponsorship from foreign companies and domestic oil producers. The improvement in revenues has allowed Russian teams to enter the expensive transfer market. Since (and during) the takeover Spartak has bought a number of well-known players.

In 2004, Fernando Cavenaghi, who had scored 55 times in 88 appearances playing for River Plate, was bought by Spartak for around £6.5 million. He remains the second most expensive incoming transfer in Russian history, behind Dinamo Moscow's purchase of Maniche.

In 2004, Nemanja Vidic, a youngster with potential, was discovered by Spartak's scouts and brought in from Red Star Belgrade for €6m. Spartak developed the young talent into a solid player and he became the most expensive outgoing transfer in Russian history. Vidic was signed by Manchester United for a hefty £7.5m in January 2006 and has already made a number of appearances for the club. United's coach Alex Ferguson sees him as an "ideal player for the future".

In 2006, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, a young forward, who is a graduate of the world famous Ajax academy, was signed from Arsenal for around £1.45m.

In 2006, Martin Stranzl was finally signed from VfB Stuttgart in order to adequately replace Vidic. Spartak wanted to sign him during the winter break, but his former club had no intention of letting him go. After a couple of matches, holes in Spartak's defence were already noticeable. This led to Spartak's board attempting to sign Stranzl again. Finally, Stuttgart agreed just in time for Stranzl to be registered for the Russian league. The transfer reportedly cost about €3m.

There have been a number of other transfers, including Emanuel Pogatetz, who now plays for Middlesbrough.

Current Squad

As of 16 March 2006, according to the Russian Premier League official website.

Reserves

The following players, according to the club's website, form the reserve team:

However, all these players are eligible to play for the first team.

Honours

* Champion of the USSR 1936 (autumn), 1938, 1939, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1962, 1969, 1979, 1987, 1989
* Champion of Russia 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
* Runners-Up in the Russian League 2005
* USSR Cup 1938/1939, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1958, 1963, 1965, 1971, 1992
* Winner of the Russian Cup 1994, 1998, 2003
* Winner of USSR Federation Cup 1987

FC Spartak Moscow: Encyclopedia BETA

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