Former Fulham and Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak’s comment that it is “laughable” to have black players in the Russia national team has been blasted by president Vladimir Putin’s human rights adviser.
Mikhail Fedotov, head of the presidential Human Rights Council said the comments made by Pogrebnyak, who made 33 appearances for Russia between 2006-12, “smacked of racism”.
2
Pogrebnyak in action for Russia during Euro 2012
“I believe that any football player who plays well and has Russian citizenship has a right to represent the Russian national side,” Fedotov told the TV channel Moscow 360.
“The colour of their skin, eyes, hair and everything else has no significance. This should be obvious to anyone,” he added.
In an interview with tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda, Pogrebnyak said he was opposed to the recent trend of non-Russian players receiving Russian passports with the view to representing the country in international matches.
LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS
The 35-year-old picked out examples of Brazilian-born pair Mario Fernandes, who plays for CSKA Moscow, and Ariclenes da Silva Ferreira (Ari), who is a Krasnodar player.
“I don’t see the point of this. I do not understand at all why Ari received a Russian passport,” he said. “It is laughable when a black player represents the Russian national side.
“Mario Fernandes is a top player. But we also have Igor Smolnikov in his position. We could make do without foreigners as well.”
LIVE on talkSPORT
There are eight live commentaries across the talkSPORT network this week. Find out what they are and where to hear them, below...
- Germany vs Serbia (Wednesday) – talkSPORT 2
- Kazakhstan vs Scotland (Thursday) – talkSPORT 2
- England vs Czech Republic (Friday) – talkSPORT
- Walsall vs Barnsley (Saturday) – talkSPORT 2
- Shrewsbury vs Portsmouth (Saturday) – talkSPORT 2
- Gibraltar vs Republic of Ireland (Saturday) – talkSPORT 2
- San Marino vs Scotland (Sunday) – talkSPORT 2
- Netherlands vs Germany (Sunday) – talkSPORT 2
Pogrebnyak could face a ten-match ban for his comments according to Russian website sports.ru.
And the deputy anti-discrimination officer for the Russian Football Union says it will be looking at possible punishment for Pogrebnyak, who plays for Russian top flight club Ural Yekaterinburg.
The player has sought to clarify his comments since, telling Sport24 that he has played abroad and respects “all players without exception”.
“I do not have anything against black players,” said Pogrebnyak , who also played for Stuttgart in Germany.
2
Ural say they will stick by Pogrebnyak
“In the interview I voiced my strictly personal opinion that in the Russian national side I would like to see footballers who were born and raised in our country. That is all. I did not mean to insult anyone.”
Ural Yekaterinburg’s president, Grigory Ivanov, has said the team will stand by Pogrebnyak, and claimed most Russian players would share his views.
Previous Post Previous post: Transfer news and football gossip: Man United rival Liverpool for Chelsea's Hudson-Odoi, Tottenham want Diogo Jota and Grealish, Arsenal target Ligue 1 duo Next Post Next post: Here's the online verdict on Zarika vs Phiri bout
Mbungo, Okaty acknowledge opponents' potency, promise
Arsenal defender Stephan Lichtsteiner wants first-team assurances before committing his future to the club. The 35 / Arsenal full-back Stephan Lichtsteiner has confirmed he is expected to leave the club this summer. Lichtsteiner, 35, moved to north London on a free transfer last summer, signing on an initial one-year deal.
First Team | Arsenal.com
Manchester United legend Andy Cole tells Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to build team around Marcus Rashford Cole believes Solskjaer has injected fresh confidence into the Red Devils' star striker By Sean O
Andy Cole tells Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to build Manchester
The INCREDIBLE stat that gives all Liverpool fans hope they will beat Man City to title LIVERPOOL are hoping for a favour in their quest for their first Premier League title - and Burnley may be
The Stat That Will Give Liverpool Fans Confidence Ahead of
Previous Post Previous post: Sevilla 3-2 Real Betis: The Seville derby is a must-have experience for anybody who truly loves football
GoT's strongman champ admits to steroid use | Gist Junction
gistjunction.com/2019/04/14/gots-strongman-champ-admits-to-steroid-use/
10:23 AM ET Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, the man known to "Game of Thrones" fans as "The Mountain" and the reigning World's Strongest Man, says he is willing to do whatever is necessary to win — including taking steroids.
Crystal Palace 1-3 Manchester City: Raheem Sterling and
Huddersfield Town became the second team of the Premier League era to be relegated before the end of March after a 2-0 defeat by Crystal Palace away meant they slipped 19 points from safety with
Crystal Palace vs. Huddersfield Town - Football Match Report
Liverpool transfer target Memphis Depay not keen on Everton move as he feels Toffees are not 'prestigious' enough by Stephan Uersfeld 11 mins ago 11 mins ago 0 0
Sport: Liverpool not interested in Depay move - PressFrom
Top 20 wonderkids in Europe's top five leagues, including
This is in stark contrast to most young English players who have to piece together minutes in cup competitions here and there, and often haven't played more than a handful of games before they
Two words for our young Three Lions England team: thank you
Apr 08, 2019 · The Manchester City boss wants a Pep Guardiola wants the Community Shield to be taken more seriously by the English soccer community. If it's not important, he argues, he simply won't
Pep Guardiola, Juventus Rumours 'Unfounded' Says Manchester
~ 'Can we please sign Becks again?' - Manchester United fans call on club to re-sign David Beckham following impressive performance in Treble of '99 match ~ Kenya Latest
'Can we please sign Becks again?' - Manchester United fans
sportworld360.com/can-we-please-sign-becks-again-manchester-united-fans-call-on-club-to-re-sign-david-beckham-following-impressive-performance-in-treble-of-99-match/
'Can we please sign Becks again?' - Manchester United fans call on club to re-sign David Beckham following impressive performance in Treble of '99 match.
'Can we please sign Becks again?' - Manchester United fans
hollywoodadviser.com/can-we-please-sign-becks-again-manchester-united-fans-call-on-club-to-re-sign-david-beckham-following-impressive-performance-in-treble-of-99-match/
COME BACK United ran out 5-0 winners at Old Trafford and the 44-year-old was a standout performer on the day Manchester United fans were treated to a taste of the good old days on Sunday afternoon when a number of club legends took part in an anniversary match from their memorable treble winning campaign in 1999.
'The Word Is Camp': What to Know About the Inspiration for
No comments:
Post a Comment