Russia FA may punish Grozny after calling referee a 'donkey'

Reuters, Monday 18 Mar 2013

Terek Grozny in hot water after officials insulted referee following Rubin Kazan game

Chechen side Terek Grozny could face stiff penalties from the Russian FA after officials insulted the referee following Sunday's 0-0 draw against Rubin Kazan, with the stadium announcer labelling him a "donkey".

The FA's disciplinary committee has scheduled a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the consequences of the events in Grozny.

Chechnya's strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who serves as Terek's honorary president, called FIFA referee Mikhail Vilkov a "sellout" after he sent off Rizvan Utsyev late in the game and continued the criticism in what was meant to be an apology.

"I want to apologise to the entire football world for my remarks but not to the referee," the Kremlin-backed Kadyrov said in comments posted on the internet.

"It was a terrible game because the referee was biased. He did everything possible to change the outcome of the match - didn't award a (clear) penalty and gave Utsyev a second yellow."

Vilkov was also insulted by the stadium announcer, who called the referee a donkey over the loudspeaker.

Terek, who remained in eighth place after the draw, could face a fine of up to 500,000 roubles ($16,300) or incur sanctions on their new stadium, named after Kadyrov's father Akhmat, who was killed in a bomb blast at the old ground in May 2004.

However, many Russian soccer experts think Terek will only be forced to pay a small fine and Kadyrov is unlikely to face any sanction because the Kremlin does not want to destabilise the situation in the volatile North Caucasus region.

"It's a total disgrace to our game. If people at his (Kadyrov) level make such outrageous comments, then what we should expect from ordinary fans?" former player Valery Reingold, now a media expert, told the Sport-Express daily on Monday.

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