Russian club Rostov punished for discriminatory chants

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MOSCOW (AP) — Russian soccer club FC Rostov has been fined 140,000 rubles ($2,100) for discriminatory chants by its fans.

The Russian Football Union says Rostov, which played in the Champions League in 2016-17, was playing a league game against Anzhi Makhchakala on Saturday when fans made offensive chants "regarding the origins" of the opposition.

People from Russia's predominantly Muslim regions in the North Caucasus often face discrimination in Russian society.

While the World Cup in Russia passed without racist incidents, numerous Russian teams have been punished for fan racism.

Zenit St. Petersburg was sanctioned by UEFA last season, while CSKA Moscow and Spartak Moscow faced similar sanctions in previous years. The Russian national team was also fined last season for monkey chants aimed at French players.