Untimely fines for Russian teams as Uefa punishes fans’ racist taunts

● Liverpool are also hit in the pocket after supporters smashed Manchester City bus

Uefa has ordered Zenit St Petersburg to play their next European game behind closed doors in another racism sanction for World Cup host nation Russia.

Zenit fans jeered injured Leipzig player Naby Keita, who is from Guinea, during a Europaleaguegameinmarch at the same St Petersburg stadium that will host World Cup matches.

As well as ordering Zenit to play their Europa League qualifier in July without fans, the club was fined £44,000 for their fans’ racist behaviour, and another £17,500 for fans throwing objects and blocking staircases.

Fifa also fined Russia after fans racially abused France players with monkey chants during a game in St Petersburg in March.

Zenit, who played Celtic in the last 32 in February, were previously fined over a banner honouring the convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic at a Europa League game in November.

Another Russian club, Spartak Moscow, were fined after their supporters abused a black Liverpool youth player.

Racist chants became more common in Russian football this season even as the overall number of racism incidents decreased, according to a study published last week by the anti-discrimination Fare Network and Moscow-based SOVA Center.

Liverpool have been fined £17,500 for disturbances at the Champions League quarterfinal first leg in April, which included an attack on the Manchester City bus.

City boss Pep Guardiola has also been suspended by Uefa for one match for his dismissal in the second leg of the tie, with a further match ban suspended for one season.

Liverpool were also fined a total of £8,000 for setting off fireworks in the second leg with City and the second leg of the semi-final at Roma.

Liverpool’s main punishment was for the “setting off of fireworks, throwing of objects, acts of damage and crowd disturbances” at the Anfield clash with the Premier League champions, Uefa said.

City’s bus was pelted with bottles and cans ahead of the match, which Liverpool won 3-0, and the visitors had to find a replacement for the return journey to Manchester after at least one window was smashed.

The Reds, runners-up in the tournament as Real Madrid won a 13th title in Kiev last month, condemned the behaviour as “completely unacceptable” in the immediate aftermath.