R1m for beer on the bus!

Zagreb - Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb said on Tuesday they have fined defender Domagoj Vida €100 000 (R 1 062 000) for having a beer in the team bus on his way to a match.

"Domagoj Vida was punished over his unsportsmanlike behaviour," the club said in a statement on its internet site.

The amount represents a quarter of the 23-year old's annual salary and could have bought him 50 000 bottles of local beer in any Zagreb bar, local media reported.

Dinamo gave no details on the incident, but local media reported that the defender could not resist opening a can of beer on the team bus en route to the western town of Vrsar for a national cup match.

According to an online edition of Vecernji List daily, Vida was ordered off the bus immediately by coach Ante Cacic after opening the can.

The fine illustrates Dinamo Zagreb's determination not to tolerate any more excessive behaviour from its players.

In early August Jorge Sammir Campos was fined twice with a total amount of €270 000, while Nikola Pokrivac had to pay €20 000 for having boozy nights out days before an important Champions League qualifier against Moldova's Sheriff Tiraspol.