Chechen president's football outburst

Russian football officials have fined a leading Chechen club after a very high profile fan shouted abuse at the referee during a home game.

Russian football officials have fined a leading Chechen club, Terek Grozny, after one of its keenest fans, the Chechen president, Ramzan Kadyrov, took over the public address system to shout abuse at the referee during a home game.

Reporter: Tom Esslemont

There can't be many parts of the world where the president takes to the loudspeaker during a football match to express his dismay. In the Chechen capital Grozny, everything is a little different.

The president is also the city football club's biggest fan. And from the stands of Terek Grozny's stadium, shortly after the team's captain had been sent off in last Sunday's match, Ramzan Kadyrov grasped the microphone. He called the referee corrupt and said he was a donkey.

It didn't achieve much. The match was a nil-all draw and now the club will have to fork out a hefty fine - the equivalent of $3,200. The fine was doubled because after the match the strongman leader spent a few minutes in the dressing room with the referee, demanding an explanation, while his security guards kept the football officials at bay.

Mr Kadyrov, who used to be Terek Grozny's president, is not the one being directly penalised. Instead it is the club that is picking up the bill.

dismay ümitsizlik, dehşet; burada: memnuniyetsizlik

sent off yollandı

grasped kavradı

corrupt yoz, rüşvetçi

nil-all draw 0-0 berabere

to fork out (gönülsüzce) ödemek

hefty yüksek, ağır

at bay dışarda, kontrol altında

penalised ceza alan

picking up the bill hesabı ödeyen