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Words in the News
Chechen president's football outburst
22 March 2013
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Russian football officials have fined a leading Chechen club, Terek Grozny, after one of its
keenest fans, the Chechen president, Ramzan Kadyrov, took over the public address
system to shout abuse at the referee during a home game.
Tom Esslemont reports for the BBC:
There can't be many parts of the world where the president takes to the loudspeaker
during a football match to express his dismay. In the Chechen capital Grozny,
everything is a little different.
The president is also the city football club's biggest fan. And from the stands of Terek
Grozny's stadium, shortly after the team's captain had been sent off in last Sunday's
match, Ramzan Kadyrov grasped the microphone. He called the referee corrupt and
said he was a donkey.
It didn't achieve much. The match was a nil-all draw and now the club will have to fork
out a hefty fine - the equivalent of $3,200. The fine was doubled because after the
match the strongman leader spent a few minutes in the dressing room with the referee,
demanding an explanation, while his security guards kept the football officials at bay.
Mr Kadyrov, who used to be Terek Grozny's president, is not the one being directly
penalised. Instead it is the club that is picking up the bill.
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2013
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Vocabulary and definitions
dismay feeling of disappointment and surprise
sent off told to leave the football pitch because of doing
something that is not allowed
grasped tightly held
corrupt dishonest/not playing by the rules
nil-all draw no goals were scored by either team
to fork out to pay money, although they do not want to
hefty large
at bay under control
penalised punished/forced to pay
picking up the bill having to pay
Read and listen to the story and the vocabulary online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2013/03/130322_witn_chechen_football.shtml
Related News story
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21835904
Words in the News © British Broadcasting Corporation 2013
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bbclearningenglish.com