Prior to Sunday's round of 16 match between Russia and Spain, the 18-year-old player posted a couple of pictures on his Instagram page to show his support of Russia with a hashtag "mustache of hope", referring to the mustached Russia head coach Stanislav Cherchesov.

Following Russia's victory on penalties, Gotra posted a video where he celebrated the team's advancement to the quarter-finals with a caption "Yes, bravo". His club's management subsequently decided to terminate his contract.

"I took the decision on Gotra personally, and all the responsibility rests with me as the head of the club. Maybe it's too drastic and emotional, but you can't do without emotions in football," Smaliychuk  wrote on his Facebook page.