Former Russian football champion team Alania Vladikavkaz appeared on the brink of financial collapse on Monday after coach Vladimir Gazzaev admitted that the organization lacked even the funds to travel to its next match.
Alania won the 1995 Russian title and made regular appearances in the Champions League and UEFA Cup throughout the 1990s, but has endured crises on and off the pitch in recent years. After relegation from the Russian Premier League last season, the team has been battling to return to the top flight.
Alania's players have gone unpaid for several months, and their next match puts particular strain on the team's budget because it involves a journey across seven time zones to Russia's Far East for a meeting with Luch-Energia Vladivostok.