A fan’s guide – the club from early doors to today
One of the surprise packages of the 2016-17 European competitions, conquerors of Bayern, Ajax and Anderlecht, FC Rostov owe their recent and only real success to Kurban Berdyev.
The manager from Turkmenistan who had achieved so much success over a decade or more at Rubin Kazan came to Rostov in Russia’s far south in December 2014. Saving ‘Selmashi’ from the drop, he then took the team to within two points of a first title, running neck-and-neck with CSKA in 2015-16.
For reasons not entirely clear, Berdyev bowed out just as Rostov’s European run was setting off – but his influence remains.
The club was founded in Stalinist times, when Rostov was a booming industrial town and port. The works team of the Rostselmash plant that made farming equipment, Selmashstroy changed their name to Traktor in 1941 and joined the Azov-Don division of the Russian league after World War II.
Playing in the third tier of the Soviet system, the later named Rostselmash made the second tier for a brief period in the 1960s and late 1980s. Finishing high enough up the table to qualify for the inaugural post-Soviet top Russian league in 1992, ‘Selmashi’ spent a decade or more in the lower half of the table, goals from Aleksandr Maslov keeping Rostselmash afloat. He later returned for a career-ending stint at the club and joined the coaching staff.
Providing the chances was Sergei Balakhnin, who spent most of his playing career at the club and several seasons as either head, assistant or caretaker coach. It was his side that reached, and lost, the Russian Cup final of 2002-03 to Spartak Moscow.
In the spring of 2014, still hanging on in the top flight, the now named FC Rostov enjoyed an easy passage to the cup final, beating Vladivostok at home in the semi final after their opponents had travelled nearly 7,000km to reach the Sea of Azov.
Up against local rivals Krasnodar in the final, staged for political expediency in the war-torn republic of Dagestan, Rostov bookended a goalless draw with six successful penalties, one converted by on-loan player of the season Artëm Dzyuba. The later Zenit striker also reclaimed his place in the national side.
After Montenegrin coach Miodrag Božović failed to get his Rostov side past Trabzonspor in the Europa League, and domestic form dipped, the club brought in Kurban Berdyev. Just avoiding automatic relegation on goal difference, Rostov dispatched Tosno 4-1 in the play-off in front of a full house at the Olimp-2. A hat-trick from defender Vitaly Dyakov either side of half-time kept Rostov in the Premier.
The momentum rolled on into the 2015-16 campaign, Moldovan midfield captain Alexandru Gatcan leading the way as Rostov brushed aside the likes of CSKA, Spartak and Zenit at home without reply. Goalie Soslan Dzhannayev, once of Spartak, was keeping clean sheet after clean sheet. Pavel Mogilevets, a midfielder on loan from Zenit, was at last showing his promise. Ivan Novoseltsev, plucked from relegation-bound Torpedo, had become a rock in defence, earning an international call-up, while Aleksandr Bukharov, a hit under Berdyev at Rubin and a flop at Zenit, was sparking to life.
This was a squad of players that few other coaches would have rushed to assemble. And a squad that Berdyev had brought together in an unlikely location to mould into a team greater than the sum of its individually unimpressive parts. International flavour was provided by Ecuadorian midfielder Christian Noboa, Iranian forward Sardar Azmoun and Spanish stopper César Navas, all three Rubin Kazan old boys.
With five games to go, Rostov led the league but a late-goal defeat at bottom-placed Mordovia Saransk on May Day put CSKA back into the driving seat.
Qualifying for the penultimate qualifying round of the Champions League as Russian Premier runners-up, Rostov kept hold of the bulk of the 2015-16 team with one crucial exception. After the club’s shock debut in the Champions League, a 2-2 draw at home to Anderlecht then a 2-0 win in Brussels, Kurban Berdyev resigned. Fed up with unpaid salaries and club mismanagement, he had made a secret agreement to go to Spartak Moscow and was going to take key players from Rostov with him.
Then… he stayed. The deal with Spartak collapsed and Berdyev was seen acting as coaching assistant to Dmitri Kirichenko his own former coaching assistant. Whatever the pre-match chaos, it worked, as Rostov pulled off a sensation when they drew 1-1 with Ajax then beat the Dutch 4-1 at the Olimp-2. With lanky Aleksandr Yerokhin, a new signing from Ural Yekaterinburg, outstanding in midfield, ‘Selmashi’ swept past the four-time European champions.
Days before the group stage, Moldovan Ivan Danilyants was announced as head coach. Rostov were duly slaughtered 5-0 at Bayern but recovered to offer creditable performances against PSV Eindhoven and Atlético Madrid. In late November, a stunning Noboa free-kick sealed a memorable 3-2 win over Bayern at the Olimp-2, before Rostov claimed a Europa League spot with a tight 0-0 draw in Eindhoven.
With Dmitri Poloz still scoring for fun, Rostov had too much for Sparta Prague in the initial knock-out round and prepared for the next round with Manchester United by tonking Tom Tomsk 6-0 in the first domestic league game of the 2017 spring season.
Stadium Guide
The field of dreams – and the stands around it
Home of FC Rostov since the club’s formation in 1930, the Olimp-2 has been through almost as many name changes as its tenants.
Once holding 32,000 before the upper tier was removed and the main West Stand (западная трибуна, ‘Zapadnaya Tribuna’) rebuilt, the stadium currently seats just under 16,000. The home South Stand (южнaя трибунa, ‘Yuzhnaya Tribuna’) was the most recently reconfigured, set right up close to the pitch.
At the other end, the North Stand (севернaя трибунa, ‘Severnaya Tribuna’) is set back from the goal, away supporters occupying one half, sectors C6-C8. Officially the Olimp-2 can accommodate 1,584 away fans, ie ten percent of the total – depending on the fixture, adjoining sectors in the East Stand (восточная трибуна) are also set aside for visiting supporters.
Only the main West Stand has a roof, the rest is open – but the running track has been removed.
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getting there
Going to the stadium – tips and timings
The stadium is on the main road, prospekt Sholokhova, from the airport to town, beside the Prigorodni Avtovokzal (пригородный автовокзал), the Suburban Bus Station, also referred to as the Old (старый) Bus Station, once the city’s main terminal.
Several buses and shared minibuses (marshrutki) serve the stop, most notably the No.7 that runs from the airport to the main train station in town via Sholokhova and Bolshaya Sadovaya. The Nos.3, 67, 85 and 85A, and trolleybus No.1 also go the same route through the city centre between the train station and the Prigorodni Avtovokzal. Transport tends to be lined up outside the stadium after the final whistle.
Match Tickets
Buying tickets – when, where, how and how much
Before big games, tickets are sold from the yellow-and-blue kassa outlet just inside the main gates at the stadium, operating daily 9am-6pm in the run-up to the match. The best seats are under cover in the main West Stand (западная трибуна), 8,000-16,000 roubles. Uncovered (без крыши) seats are slightly cheaper. Opposite, in the East Stand (восточная трибуна), tickets are in the 3,000-4,000 rouble range. Behind the goals, in the home South Stand (южнaя трибунa) and North Stand (севернaя трибунa) partly allocated to visiting supporters, tickets are around 2,000-2,500 roubles.
These prices are for major European fixtures, they come down considerably for domestic games. Availability, though, can be a problem – average gates in 2015-16 were 13,000-plus.
There are online sales too – but you’ll need a Russian speaker with a Russian-issued credit card.
Club Shop
Shirts, souvenirs and gifts – plus opening hours
A modest selection of yellow and blue replica shirts, hats and scarves will be on sale on match days in the forecourt in front of the main stand.
The Olimpik-Football store at Krasnoarmeyskaya 87 in the city centre stocks tops of the major club sides, including Spartak Moscow – but not FC Rostov.
Stadium tours & Museums
Explore the stadium inside and out
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Where to Drink
Pre-match beers for away fans and casual visitors
Surrounding the roundabout by the stadium is a number of restaurants, none particularly football-friendly: sushi eateries Ric and Osaka, and the more suitable Tamada with its flame-grilled shashliks, meat platters and various Caucausian specialities. It’s licensed, too, so has plenty of wines, plus Czech Krušovice and Bavarian Paulaner on draught.
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