FIFA dismisses racism claims

MANCHESTER: FIFA has dismissed a complaint from England’s FA about an alleged racist incident in the Under-17 World Cup final due to a “lack of sufficient evidence”. England player Rhian Brewster recounted in a newspaper interview an insult made by a Spain player towards team mate Morgan Gibbs-white during the final in India, which England won 5-2. The FA subsequently lodged a formal complaint with FIFA about the incident, but world soccer’s governing body said it had dismissed all charges. “Following a thorough investigation, the Disciplinary Committee has decided to dismiss all charges in view of the lack of sufficient evidence that could corroborate the English player’s claim,” FIFA said.

RUSSIA PROBES NEW MONKEY CHANTS

MOSCOW: Russian football chiefs said they will probe apparent monkey chants directed at Cape Verdean midfielder Nuno Rocha during a domestic cup semi-final this week. The incident comes less than two months before Russia hosts the World Cup and is sure to fuel fears of racism marring the tournament.

Wednesday’s game in Moscow culminated with a penalty shootout between hosts Spartak and the small Russian Premier League side Tosno. Rocha scored the winning spot-kick for Tosno before running past Spar- tak supporters while celebrating the upset. Footage on the Championat.ru sports site showed the 26-year-old cupping his hand to his ear as what sounded like a chorus of ape noises rang down from the crowd.