FIFA steps into Frimpong racial abuse saga

FIFA has asked the Russian Football Union to explain the latest high-profile incident of racism that saw Ghanaian star Emmanuel Frimpong banned for two matches for his reaction to fan abuse and the alleged abusers' team escaping action.

In a video from last week Friday's Russian Premier League game, Spartak Moscow fans could be heard racially taunting FC Ufa midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong. The former Arsenal player, who posted a video of the incident on social media, is black.

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 yesterday that the Russians had been given until Tuesday to respond to the governing body's disciplinary department after asking for details before sanctions could be imposed on Wednesday.

Mr Addiechi said he was waiting to see if "the evidence used to make the decision ... that we can see clearly on the internet has been taken into consideration”.