The soccer club Terek Grozny, based in the Chechen capital, has been hit with a fine after the Russian republic’s leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, publicly criticized a referee during a match.
The Russian Soccer Union’s Disciplinary Committee ruled on March 20 that Terek must pay 200,000 rubles ($6,500) and play one match on a neutral ground.
During the March 17 match between Terek and Tatarstan’s Rubin, Kadyrov used the stadium’s public address system to denounce the referee as “bought” after a Terek player was sent off in the 87th minute.
The match ended in a scoreless draw. Kadyrov wrote in his Instagram account on March 17 that he apologized to the “soccer world, but not to the referee” for his outburst.