Stories of Hope Part 2: The Rebirth of FC Alania Vladikavkaz (Russia)

Russian football is often defined by oligarchs owners and has been dominated by the superpowers of St. Petersburg & Moscow. Russian football is rich in heritage with its clubs stretch across the country showcasing just how diverse the largest country in the world is.

The Southern part of Russia near the Caucuses and the Ukraine has the likes of Anzhi Makhachkala, FC Sochi, FC Krasnodar, FC Rostov, Kuban Krasnodar, and FC Akhmat Grozny, which have all made strides in recent years when competing with the giants of St. Petersburg and Moscow.

One of Southern Russia's strongest outfits is FC Alania Vladikavkaz, a club from the North Ossetia near the border of Georgia. The Snow Leopards have recently fallen on hard times to the brink of disappearance over the past few seasons but look to finally be moving in the right direction.

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Vladikavkaz is the capital city of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, a semi-autonomous republic in the North Caucuses. The city itself is known for being the center of industry and manufactured products such as lead and zinc. The Republic of North Ossetia-Alania is known for it's extremely close ties with South Ossetia, a de-facto partially recognized territory in Georgia. Both republics despite in separate represent the Ossetian people.

Vladikavkaz town center

The club's name Alania stems from the medieval kingdom of the Alans, a people group of Iranian, Chinese, and Central Asian descent. This term quickly became popular through various political organizations, a TV channel, and of course the local football team Alania, which was founded in 1921.

Given the club's close ties with the Ossetian people, Alania often represents that identity with the club's colors matching that of the Ossetian flag: red, yellow, and white. The club's badge has a snow leopard on it and represents just some of the magnificent wildlife in the Ossetia region of Russia.

Alania was a strong contender in the Soviet Top League throughout its history. The club's greatest success came in 1995 when they won the Russian Top League just after the fall of the USSR. Their most famous European ties came against Borussia Dortmund in the 1993-94 UEFA Cup where they lost by one goal and Rangers FC in the 1996-97 UEFA Champions League qualifying stages where they lost 10-3 on aggregate. They also famously defeated Manchester United in the 1995 UEFA Cup. As recently as the 2011-12 season, the club played in the Europa League qualifying stages against Besiktas losing 3-2 on aggregate.

The club has gone through changes in its ownership many times since the fall of the USSR. The club has changed its name from from FC Spartak Vladikavkaz to FC Spartak-Alania and FC Alania and back to Spartak.

Alania were a major part of the Russian Premier League until 2014 when they went under due to financial mismanagement from RusHydro, a Russian Hydroelectric company that bought the club in 2012. Shortly after the investment from the corporation, which has close ties to Ossetian and Russian leaders, the club went through a turbulent period falling to the third division. Oiligarhic investment in football has proven to be unstable and Alania has been a victim of the game's privatization in recent season to owners who aren't interested in the club's long term sustainability but instead political favors.

The club was then re-founded under the leadership of the government under the name of Spartak in 2018 then in 2019, a new privately owned club financed under Daniil Guriev, an unkown local businessman. The club was named FC Alania and got a license to play in the PFL. For one season, there were two clubs in Vladikavkaz and over time the players on Spartak left for Alania as they earned promotion last season to the second division. Overall the club now has a professional looking set up with a modern website and corporate look.

The club's massive 32,644 seater Republican Spartak Stadium is rarely full at the moment due to the club's lowly status in the second division but there is hope for better days ahead with the club recently hosting CSKA Moscow last season in the Russian Cup.

The Republican Spartak Stadium when Alania was in the 2011-2012 season.

Given the tough times that Russian football is currently in with many club's falling out of professional status, Alania represents a potential road back to legitimacy and prominence.

Given the passion for the game in the region and the success stories of Krasnodar and Rostov, it is only a matter of time before Alania rises back to prominence. Watch out for the Snow Leopards.