Russian Club Terek Grozny Appeal FA Sanctions For Kadyrov Incident

Russian Premier League club Terek Grozny has appealed a decision by the Russian FA to play its next league game against champions Zenit St. Petersburg at a neutral ground, according to R-SPORT. The sanction was applied Wednesday after Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-appointed strongman leader of Chechnya, "allegedly demanded explanations from referee Mikhail Vilkov following his team's 0-0 draw with Rubin Kazan on Sunday." Terek VP Khaidar Alkhanov said, "We've filed an appeal. It's unclear when they'll examine it, but we intend to ensure a home game at our stadium." Kadyrov's visit to the referee's room also earned the club a 100,000 ruble ($3,200) fine. In a separate incident during the game, the public address announcer was heard saying Vilkov was "bought" after he sent off a Terek player (R-SPORT, 3/21).

FANS GET IN FREE: In Moscow, Aleksandras Budrys wrote Kadyrov said that Terek Grozny fans intending to watch the team's next Russian Premier League match "will be able to do so for free." He said, “We’ve decided to do everything we can so that our fans don’t suffer from the decision by the disciplinary committee to stage the game at a neutral venue. Regardless of the number of people who want to see the game, everybody will get the opportunity to go there, get tickets and even have lunch for free." He said that all expenses "will be covered by a regional charity fund named after his father Akhmat," who was assassinated in '04 (MOSCOW NEWS, 3/21).