FIFA question Russian FA after Frmpong banned for two games for his reaction to fan abuse
FIFA have asked the Russian Football Union to explain the latest high-profile incident of racism that saw former Arsenal player Emmanuel Frimpong banned for two matches for his reaction to fan abuse and the alleged abusers' team escape action.
In a video from Friday's Russian Premier League game, Spartak Moscow fans could be heard racially taunting FC Ufa midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong. Reacting with a finger gesture to the fans led to Frimpong being banned for two games, while Spartak escaped punishment over the latest racism incident to blight Russian football ahead of the 2018 World Cup. The RFU found no evidence of racism.
But FIFA sustainability head Federico Addiechi, whose brief covers racism issues, said that the Russians have been given until Tuesday to respond to the governing body after asking for details before sanctions are imposed on Wednesday.
Addiechi said he is waiting to see if "the evidence used to make the decision ... that we can see clearly on the internet has been taken into consideration."