A TEN-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPION, six-time Russian Supercup winner and the first Russian side to ever win a European trophy, PFC CSKA Moscow is without doubt one of the most globally renowned and prestigious footballing institutions in Russia. But despite recent success in the Russian Premier League, the Krasno-sinie (Red-blues) have typically played second-fiddle to their Moscovian neighbours Dynamo and Spartak Moscow in the Russian and Soviet leagues respectively.
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This has not always been the case, mind you; CDKA Moscow (Sports Club of the Central House of the Red Army), the precursor of CSKA (Central Sports Club of the Army), was a Russian juggernaut, powering their way to five Soviet Top League titles over the span of six years. However, with success came the quandaries of fame, with the club shrouded in corruption, political agendas and even eradication due to one disastrous night in Helsinki.
The history of CDKA dates back to 1911 when members of the Imperial Russian Army with a passion and fondness for skiing founded the Society of Ski Sports Amateurs. The club soon opened up for other sports and games for the soldiers to take part in, including basketball, hockey and most notably football. After a brief hiatus due to the Russian Revolution in 1917, the sporting institution was re-opened to members of the communist Red Army.
Moscow Championship between clubs runner-up (Autumn) Moscow Championship between first teams runner-up. 3rd place of Moscow Championship (Autumn) 1918. 3rd place of Moscow Championship (Autumn). Black Plain x PFC CSKA baseball cap. Retro 1991 T-shirt game with a long sleeve. The baseball cap.
The then-Soviet government actively encouraged those in the military to participate in sport, aiding to the growing standards of Russian athletes, granting the club a wider pool of players to choose from. The football arm of the club’s stadium was originally housed by the former royal stables, leading to their most renowned nickname: Koni (Horses).
CDKA Moscow soon faced growing competition. In the early years of Soviet football, other associations in Moscow formed their own clubs; Spartak was founded by trade-unions, Lokomotiv by railroad workers and Dynamo Moscow by the police. Dynamo, coined from the Greek ‘Power in Motion’, would later become a sporting umbrella which many clubs in the Eastern Bloc would adopt, most notably spawning Ukrainian giants Dynamo Kyiv.
Until 1947, the USSR was not a part of FIFA and was therefore using the archaic and British influenced 2-3-5 formation. When Russia hosted the Basque national team as their first stop on their world tour in 1937 – aimed at raising global awareness of the Basque country’s plightin the Spanish Civil War – propaganda and lack of global football knowledge led the Russian public to believe that the Soviet teams would brush aside the Basques with ease. The Basque side would end up thrashing the majority of Russia’s most coveted clubs on home soil, with their superior 3-2-2-3 (W-M) formation making the majority of fixtures a mismatch.
Boris Arkadyev, fresh from a league and cup double with Dynamo Moscow, decided to reconstruct his philosophy after the USSR’s embarrassment at the hands of the Basques. He spent pre-season in February 1940 drilling the tactically superior W-M formation into the players and heavily encouraging the front three attackers to roam – to create unpredictability and stretch the opponents’ defence to create space. After a difficult start, Dynamo Moscow’s form began to pick up; they famously thrashed defending champions Spartak 5-1. The press branded his philosophy as “organised disorder” – a foundation to Total Football and the modern False 9 formation seen today.
After the outbreak of the Second World War, the Soviet Top League was suspended, with the players sent off to fight Nazi Germany. Arkadyev, then in his 40s, was too old to fight so joined local neighbours CDKA Moscow in 1943.
Under Arkadyev’s leadership and creative vision, CDKA would go on to become one of the most successful sides in Russian history. Utilising Arkadyev’s W-M formation and fluid football philosophy allowed the technical and talented attack of Vsevolod Bobrov, Grigory Fedotov, Valentin Nikolayev, Aleksei Grinin and Vladimir Dyomin to roam and flourish. CDKA would go on to win three titles in a row from 1946-49. Such was the success of CDKA’s side that their entire starting 11 was named in a list of the top 33 players in the country by the USSR’s National Committee of Physical Culture and Sports. Seven of the players were listed as number one.
With success grew envy from rival sides. Fellow Soviet teams would rue the corrupt nature in which the Koni recruited talented players. For CDKA, when they scouted a gifted young player, they would immediately enlist him into the military and given a nominal job so that he could lend his services to the club. The lure and propaganda of the Red Army led to many talented Russians joining CDKA, particularly as the most successful players were promoted to the prestigious rank of Lieutenant.
After back-to-back Soviet titles in 1950 to 1951, Arkadyev was called-upon to lead the USSR for the first time at the Helsinki Olympic Games. The renowned tactician called up the likes of Nyrkov, Bobrov and Nikolayev from his successful CDKA side to aid him in the tournament. After a shaky 2-1 victory over Bulgaria, the USSR were drawn against social and political rivals Yugoslavia.
Yugoslavia were dominating the USSR, leading 5-1 with 30 minutes left of normal time when CDKA and USSR captain Vsevolod Bobrov scored a hat-trick in the dying minutes to secure a replay. Unfortunately for Arkadyev, Bobrov and in-turn CDKA Moscow, the USSR lost the replay to Yugoslavia 3-1.
Josef Stalin branded the result a disgrace, expecting the USSR national team to win the tournament. Yugoslavia was a country rebelling against the USSR’s line of development, with the defeat a factor which fuelled the Tito-Stalin split that led to Yugoslavia disbanding from the Soviet Union. So angry was Stalin that he banned the USSR media from reporting on the nation’s defeat.
Following the USSR’s poor Olympic campaign, Stalin blamed Arkadyev and CDKA for disgracing the country. He stripped Arkadyev of his Master of Sports title and disbanded CDKA Moscow completely and ordered its best players to transfer to rivals Dynamo Moscow and withdraw from the Red Army. The club would not compete again until 1954, after Josef Stalin’s death.
After briefly losing their club and the majority of the squad, CDKA eventually rebranded to CSKA, but never recovered to the standards of their golden age – winning just two Soviet Top League titles until the dawn of the Russian Premier League. Rumours from the USSR at the time suggested that the leader of the police force and key supporter of Dynamo, Lavrentiy Beria, was key to Stalin’s decision reagrding CDKA, causing a bitter tension to develop between the two clubs; a tension that holds to this day.
CDKA Moscow was a cornerstone in both football and political history, demonstrating one of the earliest examples of Total Football while playing a part in Red Army propaganda and political disputes in the Soviet Union. While CSKA Moscow has often struggled since, the club are showing signs of a renaissance with back-to-back Russian Premier League titles over the past two seasons.
Free of political dogma and united once more with strong management and talented players, the Krasno-sinie may be ready to dominate Russia once again.
By Tom McMahon. Tom is a long-term writer for TFT and frequently pens for This Is Anfield. His work has previously been featured on Guardian Sport. Follow him on Twitter: @TomMc_Sports
This article originally featured on http://www.thesefootballtimes.net/
Third most successful Russian club in Soviet times, second in Championship titles since USSR's dissolution, CSKA's achievements cannot match those of another Moscow, Soviet Union, and Russia great, Spartak, but, in 2005 they did become the first Russian club to win a UEFA competition, plus, they are the most decorated team in the country in the 21st century, two major modern-era accomplishments that fill their fans with pride.
Basic facts
Founded: 1911
Country: Russia
City: Moscow
Home grounds
Grigory Fedotov Stadium (1961-2000)
Arena Khimki
Luzhniki Stadium
Arena CSKA (2016-)
Main trophies
Soviet Top League: 7
Russian Premier League: 6
Soviet Cup: 5
Russian Cup: 7
UEFA Cup: 1
Prominent players
Vladimir Fedotov, Grigory Fedotov, Igor Akinfeev, Sergei Ignashevich, Vágner Love, Vladimir Polikarpov, Vasili Berezutski, Aleksei Berezutski, Dmitri Bagrich, Dmitri Galiamin, Dmitri Kuznetsov, Sergei Semak, Vladimir Kaplichny, Albert Shesternyov, Vsevolod Bobrov, Vladimir Dyomin, Valentin Nikolayev, Aleksei Grinin, Keisuke Honda, Ahmed Musa, Seydou Doumbia, Zoran Tošić, Elvir Rahimić, Miloš Krasić, Mário Figueira Fernandes, Jô, Pontus Wernbloom, Bibras Natkho, Roman Eremenko, Ivica Olić
Club records
Most games played: Igor Akinfeev (509)
Top goalscorer: Grigory Fedotov (128)
The PFC CSKA Moscow team in 2014.
History
Professional Football Club CSKA Moscow, as is their official name, were founded in 1911, and were first called “OLLS” (ОЛЛС in Cyrillic characters), initials of the Russian words for Amateur Society of Skiing Sports. The team participated with success in the Moscow Championship, until the Soviet Union started having a national competition in 1936.
The first golden era
The club had its first golden era right after World War II. Named “CDKA” (Sports Club of Central House of the Red Army) since 1928, they won all but one Championship titles from 1946 to 1951, the last one as “CDSA” (Sports Club of Central House of the Soviet Army). The last word in both names makes it all too clear who was the club's strong backer in Soviet times, and up until the first years of post-USSR Russia.
The main man to watch back then was Grigory Fedotov. Born in 1916, he joined CDKA in 1938, and when he retired in 1949, having been part of the team that had won the first three Championship titles and the Soviet Cup in 1945 and 1948, he had scored an incredible 128 goals in just 159 games. Sadly, he passed away at the early age of 41, in 1957. His significance to the club's history is such, that four years after his death, when the team entered their new (back then) stadium, they decided to name it after him.
CSKA (Central Sports Club of Army, ЦСКА in Cyrillic characters), renamed once again in 1960 to what we've known them ever since, had to wait 19 years to celebrate winning another Championship. That 1970 title was the only one that Vladimir Fedotov, son of Grigory, won, in the 16 years he spent at the club, his entire career. He was only 14 when his father died, and 17 when he joined CSKA. When he played his last game in 1975, he had worn CSKA's jersey in more than 400 games, Championship and Cup combined, a record that lasted for forty years.
What makes his achievement even more special is that he served CSKA all those years playing half the games in a stadium that held his father's name, and, when he finished his career, CSKA had a deceased father and his son as their all-time leading goalscorer (Grigory Fedotov) and most capped player (Vladimir).
Cska Moscow 1920 Kitsempty Spaces The Blog 2017
CSKA spent another 21 years without a title, but compensated their fans by winning both the Soviet Top League and the Cup in 1991, which was the last season before Russia got its own national Championship.
Post-USSR era
After a slow start in post-USSR era, CSKA really stepped on it after the turn of the century. They have won more Russian Premier League and Russian Cup titles than any other team since 2000, while in 2005 they made history by becoming the first Russian team to win a UEFA competition, the (back then) UEFA Cup, beating Sporting Lisbon in the final, at their own home, the José Alvalade stadium, in Portugal's capital city.
CSKA's spectacular achievements in the first years of the 21st century have the names Igor Akinfeev, Sergei Ignashevich and Vágner Love written all over them. The first one, joined the Moscow club when he was just 16, in 2003, and has risen to become the most capped player in CSKA's history, having played in more than 500 official games. His partner in defense, Ignashevich, joined the club in 2004, and would be their most capped player if it weren't for Akinfeev.
As for Vágner Love, in the more than 200 games he played with CSKA between 2004 and 2013, he scored 124 goals, and came incredibly close to breaking Grigory Fedotov's record from the forties. He would have definitely broken it if weren't for his spells (on loan) at Palmeiras and (mostly) Flamengo, from 2009 to 2012.
CSKA's new arena since 2016.As of September 2016, CSKA are happy to be playing in their brand new stadium, one of the most recognizable worldwide, thanks to the vast skyscraper in one of its corners, resembling the trophy the club won by beating Sporting Lisbon in 2005's UEFA Cup final.
Cska Moscow 1920 Kitsempty Spaces The Blog -
By Dimitris Basias
Logo
The latest version of CSKA's logo has obviously the team's name in Cyrillic, the initials PFC (Professional Football Club) at the bottom, again in Cyrillic, and the founding year of the club, 1911, left and right of the ball in the middle. The ball itself is a relatively new addition. Unlike other top Russian clubs, CSKA have avoided adding stars on top of their emblem (with their 12 Championships they could have two, since in Russia each star stands for five Championships won), considering obviously that the mostly red star they already have, associated with their historic identity as the army's club, is enough.
Trivia
Football clubs also founded in 1911
HNK Hajduk Split
Vasas FC
›Football clubs ordered after establishment
External links
›Official website
›CSKA Moscow on Wikipedia
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFC_CSKA_Moscow
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/ЦСКА_(футбольный_клуб,_Москва)
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Федотов,_Григорий_Иванович
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Федотов,_Владимир_Григорьевич
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Акинфеев,_Игорь_Владимирович
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vágner_Love
http://en.pfc-cska.com/club/history/trophies/
http://arena.pfc-cska.com/stadium/
Image source:
1. Дмитрий Голубович
2. skyscrapercity.com