June 8 – Russian Premier League side Terek Grozny is to change its name to ‘Akhmat’ in honour of the father of Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.
Kadyrov – a Kremlin loyalist who has ruled the region for a decade – said the move came after a petition by supporters.
“It is a great honour for me to tell all football lovers that from now on Grozny football club is renamed ‘Akhmat’,” Kadyrov wrote in an online post.
Kadyrov’s father – Akhmat – fought against Moscow in the first Chechen war for independence in the mid-1990s before changing sides. He was killed by a bomb in 2004 after which his son rose to power despite being accused of human rights abuses in Chechnya.
Terek – once coached by Dutch legend Ruud Gullit — have just finished fifth in Russia’s top division, the club’s best ever achievement.
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