The fans of Russian football club CSKA Moscow have reportedly been hit with a partial stadium ban in order to punish them for racially abusing Manchester City captain Yaya Toure in a Champions League match between the two sides.
Toure, who is from the Ivory Coast, claimed that he was racially targeted by CSKA fans with 'monkey' chants, during his club's 2-1 win in Moscow on October 23.
According to Sport24, European football governing body UEFA stated that their disciplinary body had ordered the closure of Sector D of CSKA's Arena Khimki for the club's next Champions League game against German side Bayern Munich, in a bid to defend their zero tolerance policy towards racism and discrimination.
Stating that it is crucial to hit back against stadium racism, UEFA further stated that all forms of racist behaviour are considered serious offences against the disciplinary regulations and are punished with the most severe sanctions.
The body also stated that the fight against racist conduct has been stepped up a level following the entry into force of the new disciplinary regulations on June 1, which resulted in more severe sanctions to deter any such behaviour.
However, the report mentioned that the closure would not have a great effect on CSKA's attendance or earnings as the stand that has been closed is quite small and CSKA matches rarely sell out in reality.