Russian linesman gets life ban for attacking Chechen player

Moscow, April 29 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A Russian linesman has been banned for life for punching and kicking an 18-year-old player at a football game in Chechnya, an official told R-Sport Monday.

Musa Kadyrov is said to have attacked left-back Ilya Krichmar after a reserves game between two Russian Premier League sides, local team Terek Grozny and Krichmar's Amkar Perm.

After the final whistle, Krichmar insulted Kadyrov's mother and the linesman punched him to the ground and kicked him before being restrained by Terek players, Russian FA official Alexei Spirin has said.

Kadyrov, who was making a rare appearance at a national-level game, has now been banned by Chechnya's regional football federation.

"Musa Kadyrov has been banned for life from working as a referee by the Football Federation of the Chechen Republic. I have the relevant transcript from the meeting," said Lom-Ali Ibragimov, head of an umbrella organization for regional football federations in southern Russia.

"Having received a ban from the republic's federation, he will not be able to work anywhere."

Ibragimov blamed the player for provoking Kadyrov, who, he said, was "guilty, but you can understand him."

"Throughout the whole game, the Amkar player was swearing at him, and Kadyrov didn't signal with his flag once after these actions, instead referring it to the referee. Unfortunately, the referee didn't react," he said.

The incident is the second football-related scandal to hit Chechnya in a month, after the republic's leader Ramzan Kadyrov, understood not to be a relation of the linesman, branded a Russian Premier League referee "bought" over the public address system during a Terek game.

Terek were fined for that outburst, and also ordered to play one home game at a neutral ground as punishment for Ramzan Kadyrov confronting the same referee after the game.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

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