ZENIT ST PETERSBURG will be forced to close part of their stadium for the visit of Celtic as punishment for displaying a banner praising Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic.
The Russian club's supporters have a long history of controversy - an Ultras group once demanded they never sign a non-white or gay player - and there have been several incidents of racist chanting towards black players over the years including some in their own team.
UEFA hit Zenit with a fine of 10,000 euros for the banner which was seen during a match against FK Vardar at the Krestovsky Stadium.
They were found guilty of “racist behaviour” under Article 14 of UEFA’s disciplinary regulations and instructed to “close the entire sector where the discriminatory banner was displayed” during their next European match, which will be against Brendan Rodgers's side in February.
Mladic was found guilty of genocide by a U.N. war crimes tribunal the day before the match and sentenced to life in prison for his role in massacres and ethnic cleansing during Bosnia's war.
UEFA said in a statement that it had also asked Zenit to display a banner with the words “#EqualGame” and the UEFA logo on it in the same section of its Krestovsky Stadium.
Zenit’s largest organised fan group, called Landscrona, boast of thousands of members and said they were "proud" of their "patriotic views."
They have been known to wear KKK hoods to games and make Nazi salutes.
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