• Racism in Football

CSKA handed partial stadium closure for Toure racist abuse

UEFA's control and disciplinary body have ordered the partial closure of CSKA Moscow's Arena Khimki stadium for their next Champions League game against Bayern Munich on November 27 after the Russian club were charged over the racist abuse from their supporters towards Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure.

Toure told referee Ovidiu Hategan that he had been the victim of monkey chants from the home fans at the Khimki Arena during City's 2-1 win in the teams' Champions League meeting last week, and UEFA subsequently charged the Russian club with "racist behaviour of their fans".

A seven-strong panel met to determine whether Toure was abused, hearing documentary evidence from both clubs at the private hearing.

UEFA said in a statement: "The fight against racism is a high priority for UEFA. The European governing body has a zero tolerance policy towards racism and discrimination on the pitch and in the stands.

All forms of racist behaviour are considered serious offences against the disciplinary regulations and are punished with the most severe sanctions. Following the entry into force of the new disciplinary regulations on June 1, the fight against racist conduct has been stepped up a level - resulting in more severe sanctions to deter any such behaviour."

CSKA have strongly disputed the charge, issuing a statement on the club's official website to describe the accusations as "unfounded", but Toure reacted angrily to the denial.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has in recent days reiterated his belief that fines and stadium closures are "nonsense" and said there is a need to "eliminate teams from a competition or deduct points".

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