Spartak Moscow owner vows to stamp out racism at Russian games

By David Gold

April 5 – Spartak Moscow is creating a programme to help tackle racism and anti-semitism in Russian football, its owner Leonid Fedun has revealed.

“This foundation will first of all will conduct special public actions aimed at instilling a good atmosphere in the stands of Russian stadiums,” Fedun explained on the club’s official website.

“[This is] so that the fans, even during the most hard-core chanting, don’t revert to national and race issues.

“Every club forms its own transfer policy,” he added, in a sideswipe at Russian Premier League leaders Zenit St Petersburg, whose former coach Dick Advocaat once said he wanted to, but did not, dare sign black players for fear of a negative reaction from supporters.

“Whatever the composition of the club, no-one releases it from the obligation of working with the fans to fight xenophobia in the stands.”

Striker Emmanuel Emenike (pictured) is the latest in a string of players to suffer racist abuse in Russia when he was targeted during Spartak’s 2-1 home defeat to Zenit last weekend.

Already since the resumption of the Russian league last month Anzhi Makhachkala defender Christopher Samba has been the victim of racist abuse during a game against Lokomotiv Moscow.

That particular incident led Russian authorities to create a task force designed to stamp out racism from the game.

With the World Cup coming to Russia in six years’ time, officials are determined to tackle the issue, and Fedun has vowed to push his drive against xenophobia at every Spartak home game.

In two earlier high-profile incidents, Anzhi’s legendary Brazilian full back Roberto Carlos (pictured below) experienced racist abuse, against Zenit and Krylya Sovetov Samara.

Spartak’s own fans have also been guilty of racist abuse – on one occasion towards their own player.

Brazilian forward Welliton was the subject of a banner that read “monkey go home” – an incident that led to the club being fined; fortunately for Spartak Welliton stayed in Moscow and the prolific forward has become a key player, being Spartak’s top scorer for the last two seasons and holding the club record for the fastest hat-trick in six minutes.

Earlier this year, the club’s supporters were slated by Sekou Oliseh, a midfielder with Spartak’s fierce Moscow rivals CSKA, for their behaviour towards black players.

“Every time we play against Zenit or Spartak Moscow it’s always the same thing,” Oliseh told Sport Express.

“They shout like crazy ‘you’re black’, ‘monkey’ and do monkey chants.

“When I pass [the ball] to [Seydou] Doumbia, or when he is on the ball, they shout these things.”

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