September 11 – Plans by West Bromwich Albion fans to display a banner answering the alleged racist send-off given to Peter Odemwingie from Lokomotiv Moscow fans at today’s match against Tottenham Hotspur were scuppered by technical problems.
Russians displayed a banner saying “Thanks West Brom” and featuring a banana when the Nigerian player left, a gesture which has sparked outrage across football and has caused major problems for Russia’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
It has triggered a series of negative stories for the campaign, culminating earlier this week with Russia’s Sports Minister and 2018 bid leader Vitaly Mutko claiming that there is as much corruption and racism in English football as the rest of the world.
Baggies fans have raised £750 for an anti-racist reply.
The banner shows a picture of Odemwingie celebrating his goal for West Bromwich against Sunderland, with the “Let’s Kick Racism Out Of Football” logo on one side and a message in both English and Russian that reads “Thanks Lokomotiv” on the other.
But printing problems have now delayed the gesture for a week.
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