Zenit Saint Petersburg, one of, if not Russia’s largest and most successful footballing team are notoriously known for having racist fan-groups. One in particular, that goes by the name of ‘Landscrona’, have in recent times taunted and made racial gestures towards Brazilian international Hulk (who is in fact their own player) and demanded their side do away with all black and gay players.
“We’re not racists but we see the absence of black players at Zenit as an important tradition,” was posted on the ‘Landsrona’ website back in 2012, following the transfer of the South American.
Are We Not Able to Put an End to Outright Racism and Homophobia in Football?
Additionally, Zenit remain the only ‘top club’ in Russian football to have never signed an African player. This is wrongfully due to the strong nationalist influence the racist individuals have forced upon the club and despite methods used to try and change the way violators view race and sexuality, these narrow minded individuals continue to operate in organised groups, and are still witnessed performing monkey chants and other racial gestures to players of a different race. More disgracefully, football supporters aren’t the only ones who behave in such abhorrent ways. Certain officials in Russia have also been known to do so. Moreover, Premier League director of security Alexander Meitin told reporters (after supporters of Anzhi Makhachkala threw bananas at two players, one of a South American origin and the other African) that it wasn’t racially motivated in any way, shape or form but as a kind of gift. Now, I see this as defending racism, and that is certainly something we and in particular FIFA shouldn’t stand for and therefore allowing Russia to host the World’s biggest football tournament only puts our players at risk of further discrimination. Surely we should be protecting our elite performers?
We all know a certain Yaya Toure; this world class central midfielder who currently plays for Manchester, was in October 2013 subject to racial gestures during City’s UEFA Champions League tie with CSKA Moscow. Toure claimed the fans of the Russian club were making monkey chants and shouting abuse towards him throughout the game, and what I’m trying to get across here is that these Nazi-like organisations are still a huge part of Russian society. They still operate, and are therefore a supreme danger to potential tourists that will come to Russia during the 2018 World Cup.
Another incident that further supports the fact that Russia is incapable of hosting any multinational event, never mind the World’s most significant sporting tournament, is the downing of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which killed all 298 passengers and crew-members on board. The flight from Amsterdam never reached its intended destination (Kuala Lumpur) as it was brought down by a missile launched from territory held Russian rebels.
What’s not to say these rebels won’t strike again? This time on a FlyRyanair aircraft en route from London Stansted (England) carrying 250+ England fans, providing they qualify that is.
Conclusively, Russia, in my opinion, and I’m sure many of you reading this will agree, is evidently a country incapable of hosting the world’s most prestigious sporting event. Racial and homophobic abuse is something that I certainly don’t want to be associated with football. It’s ruining the game we love, the game we live for.
In all honesty, I can’t see many nations that qualify from Africa and Asia being overly encouraged to send their sporting representatives into a country where certain individuals wrongfully despise any individual of a black race.
Mind you, what civilised football fan would want to visit Russia at this present time; a country with it’s government recently marshalling tanks on its border? I know I for one, will certainly not be there.
