FC ROSTOV

The Tough Guys have a terrifying weapon to use for intimidation: a carpet

When a Rostov fan was renovating his house last August, he had a brainwave. With nowhere to put his beloved carpet, he took it to a football match instead and waved it every time Rostov scored.

And it was a case of every time. Rostov beat Yenisey Krasnoyarsk 4-0, and as his bizarre celebrations made headlines, fans subsequently adopted the traditional carpet as a lucky omen, taking it with them to every match. So popular did it become, the club launched a new fourth kit bearing the same pattern as the rug. More than 500 supporters promptly bought it.

The carpet craze is at odds with Rostov’s nickname: the Tough Guys. But it seems even the most fearsome of men can appreciate embroidery at its finest. Rostov are also known as the Tractor Drivers; formed in 1930 by workers from an agricultural plant, the club were called Rostselmash (the company name) until being renamed FC Rostov in 2003.

Paul Ashworth was the first Englishman to manage in the Russian Premier League, having a caretaker spell at Rostov in 2005, seven years before David Bentley (on loan from Spurs) became the first Englishman to play in the league. Bentley made little impact but Rostov’s fortunes were transformed in 2016 when, 12 months after avoiding relegation on matches won – a Russian tiebreaker – they qualified for the Champions League’s preliminary rounds. They shocked Anderlecht and Ajax to reach the group stage, where they troubled Atletico Madrid and then, incredibly, beat Bayern Munich 3-2.

Rostov finished 11th last season but things started more promisingly this term at the new Rostov Arena – success attributed to the rug, naturally. Well, if you were a visiting player, would you want to irk a Tough Guy brandishing a carpet at you? No, we thought not.