Did Alain Boghossian Get $1 Million by Chechen Leader?

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov gave a team of international football stars — among them Alain Boghossian — diamond-studded watches for taking part in a show game in the republic’s capital, the Sports.fr website said on Monday, RIA Novosti reports.

The all-star team, led by Argentina’s Diego Maradona, played local Kavkaz (Caucasus) team during the opening ceremony of the Akhmad Kadyrov Sports Complex in the Chechen capital Grozny on Wednesday.

Sports.fr said football stars each received diamond-studded watches ranging in value from 12,000 to 70,000 euros ($17,000-$100,000 US).

The stars were also paid between 200,000 and one million euro ($285,000-$1.4 million) for taking part in the event, the website said.

Boghossian, a retired player of French-Armenian descent who now assistant coaches the French national team, denied the claims, saying that he took part in the match out of charity.

“It’s a private initiative, independent of the French Football Federation. Several days ago, a player called me and proposed I participate in a match in Chechnya for a humanitarian cause. I agreed to play in the match because I have Armenian roots and understand the situation in Chechnya. I took vacation days and went. For free, clearly.”

The site says Canal+ shows the other stars admiring Boghossian’s watch, while the player himself says: “All these diamonds, guys. Me, they gave me diamonds because I played well.” Later, it says, he defended himself: “Yes, I got a watch just before leaving, but not one knew there would be such a gift. As for me, I didn’t get any money for playing,” reports the Global Post.

Kadyrov and presidential envoy to the North Caucasus Alexander Khloponin both played on the Kavkaz side, which won the game 5-2.