Zaurbek Pliev, a defender for Rodina who previously wore the Akhmat Grozny jersey, recalls the high-end gifts that surfaced from the Chechen leadership under Ramzan Kadyrov.
“During my time with Akhmat, gifts were not particularly extravagant. I only saw a few moments when Ramzan Kadyrov handed out presents. For instance, Ablai Mbenga donated a car to Spartak right after his support, and he gave a Mercedes to his students Utsiev and Mitrishev. Overall, Kadyrov did not deprive us; things were consistently provided,” Pliev notes, as cited by Meta ratings.
Pliev also made his mark with Ufa, Dynamo Moscow, and Alania along the way, building a reputation across several Russian clubs.
Following the 17th round of the Russian Premier League, Zenit remains at the summit, while Spartak sits in second place on 36 points, a six-point cushion ahead of the red and white squad. The top trio is completed by Rostov under Valery Karpin, with Spartak trailing by a single point in the standings, as reported in contemporary season summaries.
The campaign continued with national cup fixtures. On the league table, Spartak eliminated Lokomotiv, and Ufa knocked out Rostov, while Krasnodar was set to host CSKA in a clash where the first leg concluded 3-0 in favor of the Muscovites.
Former coach Valery Gladilin suggested that Krasnodar would have a real chance to win if CSKA were to stumble, a remark that underscored the unpredictability of the fixture schedule and the competitive balance across teams.