Soccer-Chechnya makes top flight comeback

By Gennady Fyodorov

GROZNY, Russia, March 14 (Reuters) - Chechnya hosted its first top-flight match in 14 years on Friday, a game President Ramzan Kadyrov hailed as a sign the region was returning to normality after a decade of war.

Terek lost at home to Krylya Sovietov Samara 3-0, disappointing a capacity crowd in the renovated Sultan Belimkhanov stadium in Chechnya's capital Grozny, a city left devastated by the fighting between Moscow and separatist rebels.

The match, the first of the Russian Premier League season, was watched by pro-Kremlin President Kadyrov whose father Akhmad, also a leader of the region, was assassinated in a bomb explosion in the same stadium just under four years ago.

"It's a great victory for us because this shows Grozny has returned and the Chechen people are tired of war and just want to live normal lives," the 31-year-old president told reporters.

Paramilitary forces loyal to Kadyrov, a former rebel, have helped Russian troops subdue the separatist insurgency but there are still occasional attacks and there was tight security for Friday's match.

Russian football authorities granted Terek permission to host games after receiving safety guarantees from Kadyrov, who called on Grozny residents to show "true Chechen hospitality" to the visitors.

Authorities placed snipers on nearby rooftops, called more than 7,000 police officers in to ensure order, checked sewers and jammed mobile telephone signals, a precaution against remote-controlled bombs.

Around 100 Krylya fans arrived on a chartered flight and were escorted by police in a special bus to eat lunch in a local restaurant before playing a friendly against Terek fans, Russian news agencies reported.