Soccer-Ventspils keeper gets 10-match European ban for racist conduct

FK Ventspils goalkeeper Kostiantyn Makhnovskyi has been given a 10-match European ban for "racist conduct" during the Latvian side's Europa League match at Malta's Gzira United, European soccer's governing body UEFA said on Thursday. Ukrainian Makhnovskyi was sent off in stoppage time of the second qualifying round, second leg tie and Gzira's Senegalese forward Amadou Samb, who had already been substituted, was also shown a red card almost immediately afterward.

Samb was banned for two games for "insulting others present at the match", UEFA said without giving any further details. The match played on Aug. 1, finished 2-2 and Ventspils won the tie 6-2 on aggregate.

UEFA said it had also ordered Georgian club Dinamo Tbilisi to play their next home European match, which will be against Dutch side Feyenoord in the Europa League qualifiers on Aug. 15, behind closed doors due to racist behavior by their supporters. The club was also fined 50,000 euros ($56,065.00).

UEFA said the incidents happened during Dinamo's 3-0 home win against Azeri side Gabala SC in their second qualifying round, second leg match on Aug. 1. They won the tie 5-0. Tbilisi was also ordered to display a banner with the wording “#EqualGame”, and with the UEFA logo on it, over three sections of the Boris Paichadze stadium's South Stand. ($1 = 0.8918 euros) 

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