Money no longer talks in football, in fact it is barely a whisper. Ask Bill Kenwright at Everton, he will tell you. If you can hear him.
The new elite only deal in oil darling and even though they’re so rich they don’t need to speak at all their wealth is deafening.
These sheiks and Russian oligarchs are so preposterously loaded they could play at being Bond villains at the weekend if they were so inclined; build a secret base within the heart of a dormant volcano complete with an army of uniformed men and fire off nuclear rockets at will. Just for kicks on their Sunday off.
Kenwright, a man of such financial clout that as recently as twenty years ago he could have arguably bankrolled his beloved Everton to glories, would struggle to stretch to an underground bunker in Stanley Park.
It all began with Abramovich of course at Chelsea. Then came Man City. More recently further territories were explored as Middle-Eastern royalty and Russian multi-billionaires looked to splurge their extravagant riches upon a blessed club and establish it as part of a new world order. First there was PSG in France and shortly after it was little Malaga who suddenly found their bank statements had a string of extra noughts attached. It’s the latter who face the most daunting challenge of breaking up the established hierarchy with Real Madrid and Barca…yeah, good luck with that.
Now along comes mega-rich Anzhi Unpronouncibles. At least that was their name when they first came to prominence with their eye-raising signing of aging ball-twister Roberto Carlos back in February. After nearly thirty million was splashed out on Samuel Eto’o – still one of the most predatory strikers in world football – people however began to sit up and learn it properly. Makhachkala. Sounds like a heretic Jew sneezing.
The tiny Russian outfit – who have only been in existence for twenty years – were purchased in January by billionaire Suleyman Kerimov, a native from the Republic of Dagestan where the club is based. Kerimov is a rarity amongst the new breed of well-heeled owners because oil has played only a minor role in his amassing of incredible wealth.
Banking, a creditor to large utilities companies, gold and silver mines, hotels, the man has a portfolio that makes the Dragons Den clowns look like they’re playing Junior Monopoly. He is currently listed in Forbes magazine as the 118th richest man on the planet with a fortune estimated to be close to eight billion dollars.
Regular attacks in the region by Islamist insurgents means that the players reside and train 1600 kilometres away in Moscow and fly to Dagestan the day before each home game.
Though Kerimov appears to have all the shady characteristics required of a modern-day eastern-European self-made man – he is mysterious and you probably wouldn’t want to scratch his supercar – he also, to his credit, appears to possess a social conscience and a philanthropic desire to improve the deprived area of his youth.
And areas don’t come much more deprived than Degestan. Situated perilously close to both the Afghan border and Chechnya it is rife with violence, poverty and widespread unemployment and is in dire need of modernisation. Kerimov – who also represents the area in the Russian Senate in his capacity as a member of the Federation Council of Russia – has pledged to personally invest $1.5 billion into improving the infrastructure of the unstable region that lies on the Caspian Sea coast. It seems strange that he has chosen to start with building a football team replete with global superstars before constructing schools and hospitals– a classic case of ignoring the practical realities and first giving the people a place to dream – but by doing so he remains a popular local figure.
Which isn’t perhaps surprising when your small going-nowhere team is suddenly sprinkled with Brazilian and Cameroon legends not to mention current Russian, Hungarian and Moroccan internationals who have all been lured to the Caucasus for vast sums.
Regular attacks in the region by Islamist insurgents means that the players reside and train 1600 kilometres away in Moscow and fly to Dagestan the day before each home game.
It is hard not to be reminded of celebrities being choppered into war zones to entertain the troops with a show before getting the hell out of there. It is also hard to think of any other team who consequently has less everyday contact with those who cheer them from the stands.
Even so the current 16,000 capacity Dynamo Stadium in Makhachkala is scheduled to be expanded into a 40,000 all-seater affair with entertainment and shopping facilities nearby which will provide a symbol of pride for a socially and financially beleagured community.
Anzhi’s recent outlandish bid to lure Jose Mourinho for a reported £25m a year is yet more evidence that there are plenty more chapters to come in this bizarre and fascinating story. Inevitably the next stage in their development is qualification for the Champions League and with the mind-boggling talent at their disposal it’s more than likely this will be achieved this season. So remember the name. Anzhi Makhachkala. Because pretty soon their status and standing could well be deafening.
