Russian Premier League outfit Terek Grozny is to change its name to "Akhmat," in honor of Chechen Republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov's slain father, the club said Wednesday. Kadyrov, who has ruled the region with an iron fist for a decade, said the move came after a petition by supporters.

"It is a great honor for me to tell all football lovers that from now on the Grozny football club is renamed 'Akhmat,'" Kadyrov wrote in an online post.Kadyrov's father, Akhmat, fought against Moscow in the first Chechen war for independence in the mid-1990s, before changing sides during a second conflict and becoming head of the region. The team already plays its home games in the Akhmat Arena, named after Kadyrov senior.