White-'n-Blue -- this is
Dynamo Kyiv.
Red-'n-White -- this is Spartak Moscow.
White-'n-Blue -- this is 13 USSR Championships and 5
Championships of Ukraine.
Red-'n-White -- this is 12 USSR Championships and 5
Championships of Russia.
White-'n-Blue -- this is a harmonious accord and a common denominator
of the Yellow-Blue Ukraine from Lviv to Kharkiv. This is the first and
the second presidents of Ukraine sitting in the box for honorable guests
at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv.
Red-'n-White -- this is the torn apart Russian tri-color.
One part - red-'n-white -
in hands of those who took an oath of love to Spartak. Another - blue -
went to those who hate it.
White-'n-Blue -- this is a symbol of Ukrainian Statehood, born in
Khrushchev era due to the efforts of the Ukrainian TsK.
Red-'n-White -- this is a symbol of Moscow Statehood. Moscow considers
Spartak to be the symbol of Russia. And only Moscow.
White-'n-Blue -- this is St. Peterburgh of the XIX century. The line of the
Alexander's classicism, Nikolai's drill. The recognition by Europe.
Red-'n-White -- this is Moscow of of the XIX century. Two-floor houses.
Crooked lanes. Domes of churches hiding in the shadows of Stalin's monstrous
buildings. Quiet Moscow, kind Moscow, gentle like the knit of the fine
Spartak's passing.
White-'n-Blue -- this is 3 European trophies. The Cup of Cup Holders
of 1975 and 1986. The SuperCup of 1975
won away from mighty Teutons from Bavaria.
Red-'n-White -- this is triumph in the Champions League-95. And the legend of
Spartak's all-European fame yet to be marked in any European chronicles.
White-'n-Blue -- this is esperanto of European football pragmatism.
Red-'n-White -- this is the ornamental language of Spartak`s football which
if approaching the famous world arenas very often turns out to be a
dialect.
White-'n-Blue -- this is the solely thing what made Kyiv closer to Europe than
Moscow. This is the break-though. Decisive overcome of provincialism. Kyiv
was losing to Moscow in other matters and at best was a supplier at the
Moscow court. The Dovzhenko Film Studio was famous for its bellicosely
mediocre products. Realities of Kyiv stage were reflected in hillarious
fables of theatrical Moscow and Leningrad. Loud-voiced lads and gals from
rich on talents Ukraine were inevitably dispatched to Bolshoi and Kirovskii...
White-'n-Blue -- this is millions of the Ukrainian magnate
Hryhori Surkis.
His investments repay with favourable attention of the two Ukrainian leaders -
past and present - Kravchuk and Kuchma.
"Football reconciles people with hard
realities of life", - says president Kuchma. "In these six years of
independence Surkis has done maybe more than anybody else to
strengthen the
international prestige of Ukraine", - says ex-president Kravchuk.
Red-'n-White -- this is millions of "Gazprom". It was the party of
"Gazprom" which got indorsement of the best Russian team during the first
elections to Duma. And in addition this is money of "Akai" - titled sponsor of
Spartak. And maybe somebody's else too. Maybe, Moscow club lives
on the resale of players - its stars - to the West. Who knows?
This is under the
seal of secrecy. To make it public means to destroy the myth and charm of
Spartak's unpredictiveness. When football fans will learn the mystery of
Spartak's gold they would be able to judge definitely the claims of
Spartak as nowadays the results in European Football are often
(more often than one would like) are in direct link with club's bank
statement.
White-'n-Blue -- this is the persistence of
Valeri Lobanovsky.
Red-'n-White -- this is the persistence of Oleg Romantsev.
Valeri Lobanovsky says that he is building
a superclub fit to fight European giants.
Oleg Romantsev is convinced that it is impossible in Eastern Europe.
The team of Lobanovsky has humiliated the
grandeur of Barcelona in a two-week interval: 3:0 in Kyiv and
4:0 in Barcelona.
The history of Spartak doesn't know such victories. And it seems like
it will never do untill Red-'n-White remains Red-'n-White and
White-'n-Blue remains White-'n-Blue.