Google – AFP, 24 October 2013
Manchester
City midfielder Yaya Toure (R) attends a press conference in Moscow
on October
21, 2013, on the eve of their Champions League match against CSKA
Moscow
(AFP/File, Alexander Nemenov)
|
Paris —
European football's governing body UEFA on Thursday charged CSKA Moscow after
their fans were accused of racially abusing Manchester City's Ivorian captain
Yaya Toure.
Toure
described as "unbelievable and very, very sad" the monkey chants
reportedly directed at him by fans of the Russian capital club during Wednesday's
Champions League Group D game, won 2-1 by City.
"We
want to stop that and UEFA have to be strong, maybe close the stadium,"
Toure told Britain's Sky television at the end of the match.
City
manager Manuel Pellegrini added: "It is a pity that these things happen
and I hope that the right measures (are taken)."
Manchester
City's Yaya Toure controls
the ball during the UEFA Champions
League group
match against CSKA in
Moscow on October 23, 2013 (AFP,
Alexander Nemenov)
|
UEFA said
Thursday that disciplinary proceedings had been opened against CSKA.
"Proceedings
have been opened against CSKA Moscow for racist behaviour of their fans
(article 14 of the UEFA disciplinary regulations) and for setting off of
fireworks (article 16) at last night's UEFA Champions League group stage match
in Moscow against Manchester City," said a statement.
"The
case will be dealt with by the UEFA control and disciplinary body on 30
October."
European
football has been hit by a string of high-profile incidents against black
players, most notably AC Milan's Kevin-Prince Boateng, who walked off the pitch
during a friendly earlier this year because of racist chanting.
UEFA is
this week mounting a "No to Racism" week with the Football Against
Racism in Europe (FARE) group, which has seen anti-racism and discrimination
messages broadcast during Champions League and Europa League matches.
Toure was
wearing a "No to Racism" armband in Moscow.
UEFA has
vowed tougher sanctions against clubs found guilty of racism, including playing
matches behind closed doors and shutting problem areas of grounds.
But the
chairman of British football anti-racism group Kick It Out, Herman Ouseley,
said more needed to be done.
"(The
referee) failed to do his duty last night and that is a clear issue that UEFA
should be dealing with," he told BBC radio.
"UEFA
and (world football governing body) FIFA take us for mugs. That can't go on any
longer."
In Moscow,
the accusations levelled at one of the 2018 World Cup hosts' top clubs drew a
mixed response, with the club itself claiming that Toure had been mistaken.
"Having
carefully studied the video of the game, we found no racist insults from fans
of CSKA," a club statement read.
"In
many occasions, especially during attacks on our goal, fans booed and whistled
to put pressure on rival players, but regardless of their race."
The Moscow
club's Ivorian forward Seydou Doumbia claimed in an interview on the front page
of Russia's popular Sport Express daily that his compatriot had "clearly
overreacted."
"I've
never heard any such thing from our fans," Doumbia said.
"Sure,
they loudly support our team and try to put as much pressure on the opponents
as possible. But no one permits themselves racist chanting."
Russia's
UEFA spokesman Sergei Borisov told the ITAR-TASS news agency that he was at the
match and "heard no racist chanting".
But state
television's vesti.ru website conceded that "CSKA Moscow could face
serious problems" if City's complaint was upheld.
The
accusations are particularly sensitive to Russia after they won the right to
host the 2018 World Cup following a bitter battle against front-runners led by
England.
Russia's
Moskovsky Komsomolets tabloid was especially cynical about the amount of
attention devoted to the issue in the British media.
"This
situation played right into the hands of the British media, which once again
started playing the old record about how the 2018 World Cup was awarded to a
country where racism flourishes," said the paper.
"The
British media has long been waging a campaign to boycott major football
tournaments played in Eastern European countries."
But
Russia's 2018 World Cup organising committee acknowledged that football in
Russia did have a racism issue.
"What
is clear is that football is uniquely positioned to educate fans in combating
this global issue," it said.
"The
2018 World Cup in Russia, in particular, can act as a catalyst to positively
change the mindsets and behaviour across all involved in Russian football over
the next four years."
Related Articles:
CSKA Moscow: Uefa opens racist chants case after Man City match - New
Yaya Touré: players could boycott 2018 World Cup in Russia over racism
CSKA Moscow: Uefa opens racist chants case after Man City match - New
Yaya Touré: players could boycott 2018 World Cup in Russia over racism
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