Fifa fines Russia after fan abuse

Geneva: Five weeks before the World Cup kicks off, Fifa fined the Russian soccer federation 30,000 Swiss francs because fans racially abused France players during a game in St Petersburg. Monkey chants were aimed at black players, including Paul Pogba, during France’s 3-1 win over Russia in a friendly in March at a marquee stadium which will host seven World Cup games. Fifa on Tuesday said its disciplinary panel noted “the gravity of the incident but also the limited number of fans involved.” Anti-racism group Kick It Out said Fifa’s “lack of effective action ... Will likely result in the further abuse of black players in matches involving (Russia).” Russia faced criticism of racist incidents in domestic club games even before it was picked as World Cup host in 2010, and the federation was fined for racial incidents involving fans at the past two European Championships. Russia will play one groupstage game in St Petersburg, against Egypt on June 19. The host nation also plays Saudi Arabia and Uruguay in Group A. London-based Kick It Out said it had “little confidence that Fifa can effectively deal with potential incidents of racism during this summer’s World Cup and protect those black players, staff and supporters who will be in attendance.” Fifa said a disciplinary panel chaired by Anin Yeboah, a supreme court judge from Ghana, had made a “thorough investigation including the review of video evidence.”