World Cup Countdown: Russia under microscope after racism incident at France friendly
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Mar 29, 2018
Flessel asked for "European and international" action after fans imitating ape noises could be heard by photographers on the field.
Authorities have been slow to accept that the World Cup host has a problem with racism, but the anti-discrimination inspector Alexei Smertin, a former Russian international, said a Russian federation probe was already underway.
As recently as three years ago, the former Chelsea midfielder told the BBC that "there’s no racism in Russia because it doesn’t exist."
Racist chants and problems with right-wing fans have been a problem in Russian club soccer for two decades after teams began to import players from Africa and Latin America.
Brazilian great Roberto Carlos walked off the field after a banana was thrown at him in 2011 and countryman Hulk complained that no one was addressing the problems -- neither referees or federation officials -- after another incident in 2015.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that his organization will take a hard-line approach to racism at the World Cup, promising to stop games if problems arise.
3 comments about "World Cup Countdown: Russia under microscope after racism incident at France friendly".
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Both Russia and Qatar are likely to be Cups where one watches with a hand in front of the face, with the index and middle finger slightly apart for viewing and a month long bout of acid reflux.
Doesn’t this boorish behavior qualify as hooliganism, by English standards? Just how does Russia plan to get this under control, especially if the powers that be continue to deny its even happening? What a mess! You hit the nail on the head, WS!
Infantino may be a new face of FIFA, but nothing has changed his he replaced Blatter's corruption train.