By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
September 4 – Nigeria are to actively campaign against Russia’s bid to be awarded the 2018 World Cup following the alleged racial abuse suffered by its striker Peter Odemwingie when he played in the country for Lokomotiv Moscow.
Lokomotiv fans recently unveiled a banner during one of their games aimed at Odemwingie, which showed a banana and said: “Thanks West Brom” – a reference to the player leaving the club to sign for the Premier League club in England.
Alexei Sorokin, the chief executive of Russia’s bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, has denied that the banner was racist.
He has claimed that in Russia the phrase “to get a banana” is slang for “to fail a test” and that white Russian players have suffered similar treatment from upset fans.
But the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have said that they plan to write to FIFA over Odemwingie’s treatment and will urge them not to award the World Cup to Russia.
Odemwingie has claimed that he was regularly abused during his spell in Russia.
“We condemn this act of racism aimed at Osaze [sic] Odemwingie, hence we are preparing a letter to FIFA to discipline racist incidents in accordance with the FIFA statutes and the FIFA disciplinary code,” a spokesman for the NFF said.
The news is a blow to Russia as Nigeria’s Amos Adamu is one of the 24 members of the FIFA Executive Committee, who will vote at a meeting in Zurich on December 2 where the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be held.
Adamu is expected to vote for England.
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