Celtic opponents Zenit fined by Russian FA for '˜naked protest'

Celtic's Europa League opponents Zenit St Petersburg have been fined and censured by the Russian FA because their fans displayed '˜intimate parts of their bodies' in a league match.

The Hoops will travel to Russia for the second leg of their European tie in February, with the first leg in Glasgow.

Zenit fans have a fearsome reputation and UEFA cracked down on them by ordering the partial closure of one of their stands for the tie against Celtic, following the display of a banner praising former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic during a 2-1 home win over Macedonian side Vardar Skopje.

Zenit supporters pictured during their side's Europa League clash with Real Sociedad. Picture: AFP/Getty

Now they’ve been rapped by their own FA after a bizarre naked protest at what their supporters regarded as heavy-handed policing during the match last month against Spartak Moscow.

Many of their fans stripped off entirely during the game, and the Russian FA were far from amused.

Their Control and Disciplinary Committee’s spokesman Arthur Grigoriants stated: “Following the match between Spartak and Zenit, we received letters and videos about the behaviour of the fans of Zenit.

“Some of their fans bared their bodies and showed intimate parts of the bodies.

“It was next to the family section of the ground and there were children there. It’s not acceptable.”

Zenit were hit with a £20,000 fan for their fans’ actions.