Maskva's "Lokomotiv" harshly punished their football player Dmitri Tarasov, who publicly displayed socks with the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin after a UEFA Europa League match. For this, the club fined the player 300 thousand euros.
On Tuesday, "Lokomotiv" played the Europa League round of 16 match against Istanbul's "Fenerbahce" team. The Russians lost to the hosts 0:2.
After the match, D. Tarasov removed his footballer's socks, under which there were another pair, on which the image of V. Putin in military uniform and the inscription "the most polite president" were displayed.
"That's my president and I decided to show that I am with him and support him always. Everything I want to say is written on the socks," explained the "Lokomotiv" player his gesture.
The 300 thousand euro fine may not be everything. UEFA will also impose its own punishment. He faces a 10-match suspension. If he is also fined another sum of money, "Lokomotiv" will deduct it from the player's salary.
"In this case, we can clearly see a breach of discipline and provocation. The footballer could be punished severely - suspended for up to 10 matches. It could also hinder the "Lokomotiv" team - they could face a monetary fine for the player's behavior," explained an unnamed UEFA representative to the Russian media.
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