Kadyrov vs Brazil … Maybe

Ramzan Kadyrov, the ruthless leader of Chechnya, loves to relax with sports. A few years ago, he befriended Mike Tyson. But lately he’s been all about soccer.

The big buzz in Moscow is about an upcoming match in Grozny, which will see Kadyrov captain a Chechen soccer team to play against a team supposedly comprising some of Brazil’s best players ever (specifically, members of the side that won the country the 2002 World Cup). When the match was first floated, Chechnya’s sports minister said Ronaldinho and Kaka were among the superstars expected in Grozny, the capital recently rebuilt after years of separatist war.

I keep wavering on whether to go. On the one hand, it’s sure to be an absurdly colorful story. On the other, Kadyrov (via the Foreign Correspondents’ Association) has invited 60 journalists to watch the match. It’ll be a media circus.

So today I called Kadyrov’s spokesman to see if I could make a decision, thinking that finding out which Brazilian players were expected might help. I asked him who was expected: “There is a list and there are confirmations.” That’s great! Like who? “As long as they have not arrived, we will not say.” But you have confirmations, you say? “Yes, but, you understand, Brazil is the other side of the world.” Thanks for clearing that up! I asked the his spokesman, Alvi Kerimov, who I should call in Brazil to get more information and he promptly hung up.

I wonder if the Brazilians know what they’re getting in to.