Roberto Carlos leaves pitch after having a banana thrown

[HuSsAiN]

Russia has vowed to stamp out racism in its football stadiums before it hosts the 2018 World Cup after Brazilian footballer Roberto Carlos had a banana thrown at him.
By Andrew Osborn, Moscow
3:03PM BST 23 Jun 2011
The incident, which took place on Wednesday during a league match, prompted the 38-year-old 2002 World Cup winner to throw the banana back at the stands and to walk off the pitch in the city of Samara in disgust.
"I am really upset by what happened," the Brazilian said afterwards. "It was a nasty surprise and I really hope that the Russian football authorities get to grips with this so that the person who did it is found and punished."
Team-mates said Carlos broke down in tears when he got back to the dressing room and appeared crushed by the racist jibe.
"I am used to there being no racism in football," Carlos added. "Russia should not be an exception."
The Brazilian former superstar, who now plays for a Russian club called Anzhi Makhachkala, was targeted for similar racist abuse in March when a fan from a club in St. Petersburg taunted him with a half-peeled banana. In that case, the racist fan's club was fined the equivalent of 6,600 pounds and the fan banned for life from its stadium. In Wednesday's incident, CCTV cameras caught the man who threw the banana on camera and police said they were urgently seeking to identify him.
Meanwhile, the racist fan's club, Wings of the Soviets, called the perpetrator "a scumbag" in a statement, while the Russian Premier League appealed to fans to stop fellow supporters damaging the reputation of the Russian game.
"People allowing themselves such outbursts are sitting next to you at the stadiums," it said. "If you don't want your club to suffer, don't let them disgrace Russian football."
African players who have signed for Russian clubs in the past have complained of monkey chants and thrown bananas, while ethnic clashes that rocked Moscow late last year were organised in co-ordination with football fans. FIFA brushed aside claims that the Russian game was riddled with racism to award it the 2018 World Cup last December accepting assurances that the authorities would crack down hard on racism.

and russia are going to host the WC?

[kaebi kabab]

fiking dogs theyt done this to odemwingie rats russia is gna be a shit host also well done fifa

[soniq]

Just to put it out there members saying racist stuff on this boards, specially to arabs are no different.

[Aryan.Arvandi]

AFP - Russia's football authorities vowed to step up the fight against racism Thursday after a fan threw a banana at Roberto Carlos in the latest apparent racial attack on the Brazilian former World Cup winner.

Carlos, a defender for revamped Caucasus side Anzhi Makhachkala since February, received a pass from the goalkeeper and was about to pass it when a banana was thrown on to the pitch, landing nearby.

The 38-year-old Brazilian picked it up and threw it back, walking off the field before the final whistle and raising two fingers at the stands, indicating this was the second such incident since March.

Both Anzhi and their hosts -- Krylya Sovetov of the Volga city of Samara -- denounced the insult and vowed to find the culprit.

"The stadium is no place for racism," Anzhi said in a statement after the match, demanding that the fan be identified and punished.

It is the second such incident in a matter of months. In March a fan was pictured holding the fruit out to Carlos during a game against Zenit Saint Petersburg. Zenit was fined 300,000 roubles ($10,700) and banned the fan from its games.

Carlos has proved a huge success after signing for the Dagestan outfit in February in a late-career move, inspiring the previously marginal team to fourth in the Russian Premier League so far this season.

He has also charmed the Russian public, in football and outside, with his usually smiling demeanour and an apparent genuine interest in the country.

Russia's Premier League issued an appeal to fans to prevent fellow supporters tarnishing the reputation of the Russian game.

"People allowing themselves such outbursts are sitting next to you at the stadiums. If you don't want your club to suffer, don't let them disgrace Russian football," it said.

Carlos was shown after the incident sitting down on the bench and burying his head in a towel in distress. "Such things should not be tolerated in civilised countries," he told Sport Express newspaper after the match.

He added that he "felt deep disappointment and had no desire to continue the game," which Anzhi ended up winning 3-0.

Premier League spokesman Sergei Alekseyev said the league is ready to do everything to "change the situation" with discrimination against players, but added that legal prosecution is not always possible.

"The stadium in itself is a democratic environment," he told AFP. "The police can seize flares, but how can they seize fruit?" he asked.

Krylya Sovetov said on its website that it will "do everything to find and punish the scumbag who insulted the wonderful and respected footballer," and announced a 50,000 rouble ($1,700) reward for information about the culprit.

Russian Football Union head Sergei Fursenko said the union will also "investigate the incident and punish it in the harshest way", in televised remarks.

But spokesman for Samara regional police Sergei Goldshtein said the fan is not likely to face any punishment from the police.

"We are trying to identify him due to the large public outcry," he told AFP. "But there is no existing legal liability for throwing bananas or other objects on the field."

Foreign players have previously complained of suffering from racist outbursts, with Cameroonian Andre Bikey breaking off his contract with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2007 after alleging racial abuse.

Some of Russia's football fans are closely interrelated with far-right groups and often show up at nationalist rallies, the largest of which drew 5,000 near the Kremlin in December before turning violent.

Source: http://www.france24.com/en/20110623-...aign=DTN+Iran:

[IranFootball10]

I'm sorry but can I ask why a banana is racist to Brazilians? I remember someone threw a banana to Neymar in the Brazil - Scotland match a while ago...why is a banana so offensive?

[Farhad-7]

^to classify them as monkeys. usually happens to the dark skinned races like Africans, Native Brazilians, Indians, etc.

[KC McElroy]

****

And so we bid farewell and look 24.

[Kaveh Ahangar]

I'm sorry but can I ask why a banana is racist to Brazilians? I remember someone threw a banana to Neymar in the Brazil - Scotland match a while ago...why is a banana so offensive?

Banana implying that the victim is a Monkey/Ape and therefore a subhuman. Also gorilla/monkey noises and chanting are very common in Eastern European football stadiums where black players ply their trade.

Were you seriously not aware of the rationale behind this kind of racial abuse?

[Shervin.]

I'm sorry but can I ask why a banana is racist to Brazilians? I remember someone threw a banana to Neymar in the Brazil - Scotland match a while ago...why is a banana so offensive?

if you look back in brasil's history, there were lots of africans coming in, thats why they all look like a mix of africans and latin americans.

***

I think what he meant was that why would a banana be offensive to someone who isnt african, because the racisism is meant to be that africans look like monkeys therfore have the bananas, and hence also the chants of monkey noises to africans. Its lke saying why would a chinese person be offended by the n word, its not a stupid question.

[Asghar Agha]

I'm sorry but can I ask why a banana is racist to Brazilians? I remember someone threw a banana to Neymar in the Brazil - Scotland match a while ago...why is a banana so offensive?

Go to Moscow and visit the city only for few hours and you'll have your answer.

[ihatefootball]

Racism always makes me sad and disgusting.

[KC McElroy]

Racism always makes me sad and disgusting.

Racism makes you disgusting?

[Shogun_Rua]

^^^

[HuSsAiN]

this is not the first time btw.. so don't think this is a 'over-reaction'.

[Milad-69]

Just to put it out there members saying racist stuff on this boards, specially to arabs are no different.

Well Said