MOSCOW (CNN) -- Russian president Vladimir Putin has a new problem to add to his already considerable workload: the country's national anthem.
It has a rousing tune but no words. After eight years of committees and contests there are still no lyrics to fire the hearts of the Russian people.
Now some of the country's footballers have had enough. They believe the lack of a proper anthem to sing at matches is affecting their performance and players from Spartak Moscow have written to the president demanding one.
"We can't sing and our people love to sing," says coach Valentin Pokrovsky. "Our people are spiritual. That's why we need lyrics for the anthem."
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The Russian anthem was brought in to replace the Soviet one, which originally praised Stalin and contained the refrain: O Party of Lenin, the strength of the people, to Communism's triumph lead us on!.
After the fall of Communism, Russia's new leaders selected a piece of music already well-known to the people -- a section of a Glinka opera -- which tells the stirring tale of a peasant who sacrificed his life to save the czar from Polish invaders.
Choosing the words to go with it, however, has not been easy. A spokesman at the Russian Embassy in London told CNN.com: "The words from the opera were not appropriate."
It takes time and talent to create something good enough for the purpose and it is difficult, especially during this period of complicated reforms when the nation is not united on many issues, including the issue of the anthem.
In an effort to solve the crisis, Spartak's coach penned a few lyrics of his own and offered them up for national use. President Putin, however, is now said to prefer the idea of putting new words to the old Soviet anthem.
That idea is likely to appeal to parliament, which has already tried to bring back the Soviet flag and the hammer and sickle.
But nothing has been decided yet and with the Olympic Games looming, it looks as if any Russian men or women who win medals in Sydney will just have to hum along.
CNN's Steve Harrigan, in Moscow, contributed to this report.
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