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Smertin
reiterated racism is a global problem; not a Russia-specific problem. He added
his role is to educate people who don’t understand the problem, emphasising
that these incidents take place in small groups.
In recent
years, the words ‘racism’ and ‘Russia’ haven’t been too far apart when it comes
to the context of football in the country.
High-profiles
cases involving high-profile players has led to racism being one of the most
scrutinised topics ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The task of
clamping down on the problem lies in the hands of the former Russia National
Team Captain and recently appointed Head of Anti-Racism, Alexey Smertin, the
same person who in 2015 told the BBC’s World Football Radio programme that
“racism does not exist in Russia”.
When asked
whether his views have changed and how exactly he plans to tackle one of the
biggest threats on the footballing scene in Russia, Smertin said "No I
said in global. If it happens as I say to you it is individually or small
groups compared to all population of Russia. It happens everywhere. I’ve been
educating myself. I’ve been creating the team and I would like to create a
public council for that. People who are influential who can help me."
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