Nigeria international Bryan Idowu has opened up about his experiences of racism in Russia.
He could be playing in the World Cup next month for Nigeria.
Idowu, whose Nigerian father came to Russia as a student, made his international debut at left back in November and scored against Argentina.
If chosen for Nigeria’s World Cup team, he could end up playing Argentina again, and in his hometown.
As a young player for Zenit St. Petersburg, a club with a far-right fan base, Idowu was abused by a supporter while returning from training.
“There’s no black in Zenit’s colours,” he recalls the fan saying. “‘What’s going on there, and why are you in the kit?’ My friend got angrier than I did. I just responded with a smile.”
Other locals, however, urged him to become “the first black guy at Zenit,” before he ended up leaving the club to find first-team football.
FIFA is investigating Russia over monkey chants aimed at France players during a friendly in March.
Last month, the Russian Football Union fined two top clubs, Zenit and Spartak Moscow, for racist chants.
Despite the recent cases, Idowu said racist incidents have become less common in the last five years.
Osaze Odemwingie, another Nigerian player, left Lokomotiv Moscow for West Bromwich Albion in 2010, Lokomotiv fans celebrated his departure with a banner reading “Thanks West Brom” with a picture of a banana.
A major Zenit fan club published a manifesto calling for an all-white, all-heterosexual team in 2012 shortly after the signing of Brazil forward Hulk.
Monkey chants remain common at games, partly because they’re harder to track on surveillance systems, said Pavel Klymenko of the FARE Network, which helps UEFA and FIFA investigate discrimination and racism cases.
He added other fans don’t intervene because they are scared of far-right groups.