Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has issued an apology after he lambasted the performance of a referee through a stadium-loudspeaker microphone.

GettyImagesRamzan Kadyrov is the Chechen leader

Kadyrov, head of the Russian province, was outraged at the official's decision to dismiss Terek Grozny captain Rizvan Utsiev for a bad challenge.

As Utsiev was shown a second yellow card, Kadyrov grabbed a microphone and shouted, "the ref's been bought off! You're an ass!''

Kadyrov apologised on Monday and said his reaction was "a cry from the soul of all Chechen fans", while he also accused the referee of bias against Terek.

The Russian Football Union have announced they are planning to investigate the incident.