Maskvos „Lokomotiv“ football club defender Dmitrijus Tarasovas could suffer severely due to his excessive love for Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to UEFA sources, a 10-match suspension threatens the Russian footballer for a public display after the match with the Turks, where Putin's image was proudly displayed.
On Tuesday, "Lokomotiv" played away against Istanbul's "Fenerbahce" team in the Europa League round of 16. The Russians lost 0-2 to the hosts.
After the match, D. Tarasovas took off his footballer's shirt, underneath which there were more shirts showcasing Putin's image in military uniform and the inscription "the most polite president."
"He is my president and I decided to show that I support him and will always support him. Everything I want to say is written on the shirts," explained the "Lokomotiv" player his actions.
"In this case, we can clearly see a violation of discipline and provocation. The player may be punished very seriously - a suspension of up to 10 matches. It could also hinder the "Lokomotiv" team - a financial fine could be imposed for the player's behavior," an unnamed UEFA representative explained to the Russian media.
According to UEFA regulations, expressing political slogans during matches is prohibited.
Even before the match, D. Tarasovas had unambiguously declared: "We will play football in Istanbul, not fight with the stands and the Turkish nation."
The relationship between Russia and Turkey deteriorated after November 24th, when a Turkish fighter jet shot down a Russian bomber following numerous violations of Russian aviation airspace.
D. Tarasovas's shirt display at the Istanbul stadium did not turn into serious trouble with Turkish fans only because he showed the shirts with Putin to a few sectors. And yet - the player was booed. If the stadium cameras had been directed at the Russian, and the image shown on the scoreboard, there could have been even more repercussions.
lrytas.lt
