Red Star Belgrade will have to play the home leg of their Europa League tie with CSKA Moscow in February behind the closed doors as punishment for its fans showing support for war criminal Ratko Mladic, UEFA announced on Friday.

Red Star supporters made chants and waved a banner in support of Mladic during the Serbian club's match against BATE Borisov in Belarus in November, a few days after a UN war crimes tribunal convicted the Bosnian Serb wartime military chief to life imprisonment for war crimes and genocide committed during the war in Bosnia that claimed over 100,000 lives between 1992 and 1995.

"The UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body has decided to order FK Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) to play their next UEFA competition match as host club behind closed doors... for the racist/discriminatory behaviour of its supporters," UEFA said on their website.

Red Star were also fined 50,000 euros, ($60,000).

Numerous fans of Red Star and their Belgrade rivals Partizan joined ultra-nationalist paramilitary groups during the Balkan conflicts that erupted following the collapse of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, and many Serbs still see Mladic as a national hero.

Red Star's general manager Zvezdan Terzic said the club would appeal the verdict.

"We are surprised by UEFA's draconian decision and hopefully we will not play in an empty stadium," Terzic told Tanjug news agency.

Serbian champions Partizan were ordered to pay a 30,000 euro fine as punishment for fans invading the pitch and setting off fireworks during their 2-1 Europa League win over Young Boys of Bern in November.