FC Dynamo Moscow

For the sports club's departments, see Dynamo Moscow.

Dynamo Moscow
Full nameФутбольный клуб Динамо Москва
(Football Club Dynamo Moscow)
Nickname(s)Belo-golubye (White-blues)
Dinamiki
Menty (Cops)
Founded18 April 1923; 101 years ago (1923-04-18)
GroundVTB Arena
Capacity26,319
OwnerDynamo sports society
General DirectorPavel Pivovarov
Head coachMarcel Lička
LeagueRussian Premier League
2023–24Russian Premier League, 3rd of 16
Websitehttps://en.fcdm.ru/
Current season

FC Dynamo Moscow (FC Dynamo Moskva,[1] Russian: Дина́мо Москва́, romanized: Dinamo Moskva, [dʲɪˈnamə mɐˈskva]) is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow. Dynamo returned to the Russian Premier League for the 2017–18 season after one season in the second-tier Russian Football National League.[2]

Dynamo was the only club that had always played in the top tier of Soviet football (along with Dynamo Kyiv) and of Russian football from the end of the Soviet era until they were relegated in 2016. Despite this, they have never won the modern Russian Premier League title and have won Russian Cup only once, in the season of 1994–95.

During the Soviet era, they were affiliated with the MVD (Ministry of Internal Affairs – The Soviet Militia) and with the KGB[3][4] and was a part of Dynamo sports society. Chief of the Soviet security and secret police apparatus NKVD Lavrentiy Beria was a patron of the club until his downfall. For this reason, the team and fans was nicknamed "the cops" (менты).

From 10 April 2009 the VTB Bank has been the owner of Dynamo after acquiring a 74% share in the club.[5] Boris Rotenberg Sr. was chairman until he resigned on 17 July 2015.[6] On 29 December 2016, Dynamo Sports Society agreed to buy VTB Bank shares back for 1 ruble.[7] On 14 February 2019, Dynamo Sports Society agreed to sell the club back to VTB for 1 ruble.[8][9] On 24 February 2022, the shares were transferred by VTB back to the Dynamo sports society.[10]

Dynamo's traditional colours are blue and white. Their crest consists of a blue letter "D," written in a traditional cursive style on a white background. The club's motto is "Power in Motion," initially proposed by Maxim Gorky, the famous Russian author, who was once an active member of the Dynamo sports society.

  1. ^ uefa.com FC Dinamo Moskva
  2. ^ «Динамо-Москва» возвращается в Премьер-лигу с рекордом ФНЛ! (in Russian). Russian Football National League. 12 April 2017.
  3. ^ James Appell (14 August 2008). "Kiev make mincemeat of Spartak". ESPN Soccernet. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  4. ^ Franklin Mossop; Lawrence Booth; Matthew Cunningham (8 May 2003). "Men behaving badly". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  5. ^ "ВТБ получил 74 процента акций московского "Динамо"". Sports.ru.
  6. ^ Борис Ротенберг покидает пост президента (in Russian). FC Dynamo Moscow. 17 July 2015.
  7. ^ ВФСО "Динамо" приняло решение купить акции одноименного футбольного клуба у банка ВТБ (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 29 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Сообщение для прессы" [Press release] (in Russian). Dynamo Sports Society. 14 February 2019.
  9. ^ "ФК "Динамо" перейдет в управление ВТБ за один рубль" [FC Dynamo moves to VTB for one ruble] (in Russian). Sport Express. 14 February 2019.
  10. ^ "Сообщение ВТБ об ФК "Динамо"" (Press release) (in Russian). VTB Bank. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.