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Russian match postponed because of security fearsMOSCOW, March 25 (Reuters) - A season opener in the southern
Russian city of Astrakhan between premier division newcomers
Anji Makhachkala and Torpedo Moscow on Saturday has been
postponed because of security risks.
Russian forces have been fighting rebels in Chechnya, 200 km
from Astrakhan, for the last six months and security has been
tightened in many areas of the south.
"We received confidential information from the Interior
Ministry about the situation in that region and the decision was
made to postpone the match," Alexander Tukmanov, executive
director of the Russian Football Union, told Reuters.
"Everyone understands that this region poses an extra
security threat to the players, officials as well as the fans."
No date has yet been given for the match to be rescheduled.
The game was originally scheduled for Makhachkala, the
capital of Dagestan, to the east of Chechnya, because Anji's
home ground could not meet stricter premier division guidelines.
Russian government officials have also warned about
guerrilla attacks by the Chechen rebels before of Sunday's
presidential election.
Last March a bomb killed more than 50 people in Vladikavkaz,
just a short walk from the city's main stadium, where premier
division Alania play their matches.
The league agreed last week to a police request to move one
of the three premier division games in the Russian capital from
Saturday to Friday.
"They told us they were having trouble providing enough
security for all Moscow venues if the games were played on the
same day and asked us to move one of the matches to Friday,"
Tukmanov said. "As we all know, Moscow police have already been
working round the clock in recent weeks due to the elections."
Thousands of police were assigned to Friday's season opener
between Moscow's Lokomotiv and CSKA but could still not prevent
clashes between hundreds of rival fans.
On Saturday in Moscow, defending champions Spartak meet 1995
winners Alania Vladikavkaz while Dynamo host Saturn Ramenskoye.