Football Has Another Try in Moscow

While most people in Russia and the world have been focusing on the World Cup in the United States, Moscow did a bit of an about-face Sunday with an American-football exhibition game. About 600 people, mostly Russians, shelled out 1,000 rubles apiece at the Dynamo sports complex to witness the latest attempt at establishing an American football league in Moscow.The Moscow Mustangs outclassed the Kiev Destroyers to win the Kremlin Bowl 20-3. Led by two touchdowns from Alexander Sheglovsky, who serves as both coach and running back, the Mustangs looked like they might run away with it after scoring on their first possession, but Kiev kept it close until the fourth quarter with some big defensive plays.Experience was the key, as the four-year veteran Muscovites made less mistakes than their Ukrainian foes, who have only been playing for about a year."I'd compare it to junior-high-school football," commented Eric Jansen. "But it's stupid fun for 50 cents," added Shawn Jensen, who, like Jansen, is from Boulder, Colorado, and works for Set Technology in Moscow.Despite shaky finances and two previous failures to create an American football league in Russia, the president of the new league, Konstantin Kozhevnikov, believes the sport has a future."The talent is here, it just has to be developed," says Kozhevnikov, a former player with the Moscow Giants. As the season starts, Kozhevnikov is hustling to find more sponsors to fund a longer season and import American talent and expertise."It costs us over $2,000 a month to rent out this facility," he said, referring to Dynamo's Maly Stadion, where teams practice and hold games. Already, Kozhevnikov said, the league is almost entirely dependent on its sponsors.In the past, the quality of the Russian game had improved with help from American players and coaches who came to Moscow to coach and play. League officials would like to revive the tradition."We have people waiting to come over, but we need money to accommodate them," said Kozhevnikov, in a reference to American college players.In 1993, the organization received a big boost from the NFL's Players Association, which ran a training camp last spring. Kenneth Davis from the Buffalo Bills and Dave Duerson from the Phoenix Cardinals were among the professional players who helped run the camp. Kozhevnikov said his goal is to have Russia become the best American football power in Europe. He hopes eventually that Russian teams will be able to compete against Division III U.S. college teams which represent small-size institutions. American football has been played in Russia for more than four years. The previous league lasted two years, and even saw some of its teams play exhibition games against semi-pro teams in the United States and Canada. The latest incarnation will consist of five teams -- Moscow Mustangs, Moscow Stars, Moscow Giants, St. Petersburg 90's and the two-time champion Moscow Tsars -- playing a two-month season. One of the more popular past clubs, the Moscow Bears, will not field a team this season. "It's a shame the game loses some of the best athletes available. Due to financial realities, many players don't have the time to spend on the football field," said Edward Nakhamkin after the game. Players do not get paid for their efforts. Nakhamkin is a Russian-born American citizen, whose firm, New Era company, sponsors the Mustangs. He fell in love with the game when he saw it played in New York. There are plenty of encouraging signs for the future. Take, for example, Arkady Borohotov, one of the many youngsters attending Sunday's competition. The rugged looking 11-year-old said he is eager to start his first football-training camp in the fall. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father Sasha, a 250-pound right guard , who did not have any problems plowing holes for the Mustang's rushing attack.Arkady still does not know what position he wants to play, nor does he understand the finer points of the game, but he is certain that his father is "the guy who protects the quarterback.