Russian football is in a state of mourning following the tragic death of one of their promising young talents.
Gasan Magomedov was killed near his parents’ home in North Caucasus on Saturday night. The 20-year-old Anzhi Makhachkala player was driving when his car was sprayed by machine-gun fire. He died en route to hospital.
No arrests have been made and a motive for his killing has yet to be established. No other casualties have been reported from the incident.
Magomedov was a regular starter for Anzhi’s youth and reserve teams and the club have issued a statement today saying he could not have provoked an attack such as this. The club also expressed their deepest condolences to Magomedov’s family.
Shoot-outs between rebels and Russian police are not uncommon in the volatile region of Dagestan, where the incident took place and where Anzhi is based. There is a long-running Islamist insurgency in the area.
The violence in Dagestan has intensified so much that the club had a policy of basing star players, including striker Samuel Eto’o, in Moscow, away from the threat of danger.
Hat-tip to the Guardian
