April 14 – World Cup legacy is championed as an important ingredient of hosting the world’s biggest sporting event and generally the build-up to the event generates enthusiasm and excitement for the game – it is a catalyst for the growth of the game in the country. So the news that Rotor Volgograd, one of Russia leading clubs in the 1990s has gone bust, is a an unfortunate counter to the legacy proposition.
Rotor, founded in 1929, finished runners-up in the Russian Premier League in 1993 and 1997. Their famous past also saw them beat Manchester United in the UEFA Cup 20 years ago – a club whose financial fortunes have taken an opposite trace.
But Rotor Volgograd had fallen on hard times and were competing in the second division in the southern zone, effectively Russian football’s third tier.
Volgograd is one of the 11 host cities for the 2018 World Cup and is having a new stadium built, although Rotor did not play at the Victory Arena, which will have a capacity of 45,000 spectators.
“The Volgograd Region’s administration have signed an official document concerning the bankruptcy of Rotor,” the club’s website stated.
But this isn’t the end for the famous club as according to the club website a “new” amateur club, to be called Rotor Volgograd, will join the Russian third division.
“Over time, the Volgograd Region’s administration plan to turn Rotor Volgograd into a legally binding structure, which will allow them to compete at a professional level,” the club added.
So out of the ashes a football club legacy phoenix may rise.
And on the subject of rising out of the earth, check out the real time progress on the Volgograd World Cup stadium build via the 24/7 webcam. Click the bottom button if you don’t read Russian ow.ly/Evdib
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