UEFA to investigate after Fenerbahce fans taunt Dynamo Kyiv with Putin chants

UEFA are opening an investigation into the behaviour of Fenerbahce supporters during Wednesday night's Champions League qualifier defeat to Dynamo Kyiv following complaints that followers of Turkish club were singing pro-Vladimir Putin songs.

The governing body said that an ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to investigate "alleged misbehaviour of Fenerbahçe supporters" during the second qualifying round, second leg match which the Ukrainian club won 2-1 in extra time. The first leg, played in Poland, had finished scoreless.

The chants occurred after Dynamo midfielder Vitaliy Buyalskyi celebrated giving his side the lead by making an eagle gesture with his hands. The eagle is the symbol of Fenerbahce's arch-rivals Besiktas.

In a statement condemning the behaviour Fenerbahce referred to "the exaggerated movements of some of the opposing team's players," but said it "does not accept the reaction that arises from some of our stands" and their "stance [is] that sports and politics should always be kept separate from each other".

Dinamo head coach Mircea Lucescu, who formerly managed Turkey's national side, said that UEFA "cannot accept the behaviour of the [Fenerbahce] fans and described the chants as "a pity" while Putin's army continue to commit atrocities across Ukraine.

Some fans have called for Fenerbahce to be banned from European competition. If found guilty of misconduct the club will likely be fined or potentially be forced to play a home game behind closed doors.

Ukrainian ambassador Vasyl Bodnar said in a Facebook post that the incident had "saddened" him. "We will never understand the words of support for the Russian killer and aggressor who deliberately kills Ukrainians and destroys our country," Bodnar wrote. "Even football, which is so loved in Turkey, has its limits."

Dynamo will face Austria's Sturm Graz in the third qualifying round with the first leg scheduled to be played in the Polish city of Lodz next Wednesday.

The Ukraine domestic league is also scheduled to return in late August with matches behind closed doors for safety reasons and fixtures expected to be held in cities west of Kyiv.

Andriy Pavelko, president of the Ukrainian FA, said the resumption "is about demonstrating the fearlessness of our people, the indomitable spirit and desire for inevitable victory."