There will be no World Cup in Russia if African players boycott the 2018 event on the back of Manchester City midfielder Yaya Touré’s claims he was racially abused in Moscow, says the boss of Europe’s anti-discrimination body.
Disciplinary proceedings against CSKA Moscow have already been opened by Europe’s governing body UEFA after Wednesday’s match and there have been calls to close the Russian side’s stadium.
City’s 2-1 Champions League victory kept them second in Group D as they look to reach the last 16 of the European Cup for the first time, but now the focus has switched to the racism row.
FARE’s (Football Against Racism in Europe) executive director Piara Powar told PA: “Yaya Touré is absolutely right in raising the spectre of African players or players of African heritage not going to the 2018 World Cup..
“Without them there will not be a World Cup in Russia.
“I wouldn’t blame them – in this era players are the most powerful force and if all the players said they are not going there wouldn’t be a World Cup, or if there was it would be meaningless.”
UEFA’s Control and Disciplinary Body will deal with the case on October 30, where CSKA could face the same fate as clubs such as Lazio, Dinamo Zagreb and Lech Poznan, who have all been hit in the past by stadium closures for racist abuse.
Touré hinted at a bigger punishment for Russian football however when he suggested the abuse could spark off a mass boycott.
“If we aren’t confident at the World Cup, coming to Russia, we don’t come,” the midfielder was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.
Not all agree with Touré, including his international teammate Seydou Doumbia, who says in three years at CSKA he has never heard racist chanting.
“I didn’t hear anything like that from the CSKA fans,” Doumbia was quoted as saying by Russian newspaper Sport Express.
“Yes, they’re always noisy in supporting the team, and try to put as much pressure as possible on our opponents, but they wouldn’t ever allow themselves to come out with racist chants.
“So my Ivory Coast colleague is clearly exaggerating.”
Image courtesy of BBC via YouTube, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
