Daily Mail

KOP RACE FURY

Teen star is abused in Russia

- By DOMINIC KING

LIVERPOOL have made an official complaint to UEFA after one of their young players was racially abused by fans in Moscow.

Bobby Adekanye, the 18-year- old Nigeria-born winger who Liverpool signed from Barcelona in 2015, was subjected to abusive chants and gestures during the UEFA Youth League game against Spartak Moscow’s Under 19 team. UEFA are set to open an investigat­ion.

The match, which Liverpool lost 2-1, took place at Spartak’s academy on Tuesday afternoon in a small stadium in the Sokolniki District of the city, 13 miles from where Liverpool’s Champions League group game was staged.

Adekanye is highly regarded within Liverpool’s academy and he was named by Steven Gerrard, who is in charge of the Under 19s European campaign, in a team that included Wales striker Ben Woodburn.

The Russian club have also been charged by UEFA after fans displayed illicit banners and set off fireworks during the 1-1 draw against Liverpool in the Champions League.

Disciplina­ry proceeding­s also cover blocking of stairways and illicit chants in the Otkritie Arena.

It is the second time this month that the club have been charged by UEFA. During Spartak’s group opener at Maribor, a flare fired from the away stand almost hit German referee Deniz Aytekin. The club were fined £53,000 and banned from selling tickets for their next away Champions League match at Sevilla.

UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplina­ry Body will deal with the latest case on October 19.

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