"Not obligatory": UEFA responded to accusations of racism of Krasnodar football players who did not kneel

English fans have accused Krasnodar players of racism after the Champions League match with Chelsea.

Social media users criticized the players for not supporting the Black Lives Matter campaign and not bowing the knee, as did Frank Lampard's charges.

The episode that caused such a violent reaction occurred before the start of the meeting, which took place at the Krasnodar stadium.

Shortly before the starting whistle, Chelsea players and team staff, as well as a Turkish referee team led by Ali Palabyik, knelt to express solidarity in the fight against racism and to honor George Floyd, who died as a result of police violence.

Most of the hosts' footballers did not repeat this symbolic gesture and continued to stand on the field waiting for the start of the match.

The example of the British was followed only by the Dutchman Tony de Vilhena, the Brazilian Cayo Pantalean, as well as the Swedes Markus Berg and Christoffer Olsson.

But five Russians, Belarusian Alexander Martynovich and Ecuadorian Christian Ramirez did not join them.

This incident immediately attracted increased attention from the British fans, who saw in the actions of Krasnodar players a manifestation of racism and disrespect for blacks.

So, the user under the nickname Touchy Gooners wished the southerners "to be smeared" for not kneeling down, and a fan named Mark Gentner was surprised at such "open racism."

“Wow.

Watching the Champions League match between Krasnodar and Chelsea in Russia.

They knelt as part of a campaign to combat racism, but more than half of Krasnodar's players remained on their feet.

It's amazing how open racism remains in many countries, ”wrote Gentner.

Wow.

Watching the UEFA champions league game between Chelsea and Krasnodar in Russia and they took a knee for the end racism campaign and more than half of Krasnodar team stood.

Just crazy how open racism still is in so many parts of the world.

- Mark Genthner (@MarkGenthner) October 28, 2020

User Edge Orumen admitted that although he does not like Chelsea, in the match with Krasnodar he only wished the Londoners to win.

“Krasnodar fans booed Chelsea and 15% of their players who decided to kneel.

Every week I wish Chelsea defeat, but now I really want them to smash these racists, ”said Orumen.

Krasnodar fans really booed Chelsea & the 15% of their players who decided to take the knee.

I want Chelsea to lose every week but I beg they pam these racists.

- Aj Orumen (@thfc_Aj) October 28, 2020

As a result, the match ended with a crushing victory for the Londoners with a score of 4: 0, but some fans remembered the game not by the result, but by the refusal of the southerners to kneel before the start.

Such British publications as The Sun and The Daily Mail wrote about the violent reaction to what happened.

The former world boxing champion and now the State Duma deputy Nikolai Valuev stood up for the Krasnodar players who did not support the action.

He noted that such a gesture is not associated with Russian history and therefore cannot be imposed on the players.

“I don’t understand what kind of fright they get on their knees?

This means that the psychology of the crowd somehow attracts them.

And we must conclude that the psychology of the crowd does not affect those who did not kneel.

It is commendable!

A person has an opinion.

Or he does not associate himself with this story.

And to support or not to support ... This is the story of the problem of a certain state, which decided to project it onto the whole world.

Russia is not a participant in the process here.

This story does not concern us, we are a multinational state that did not sin with such problems.

Those colonial countries that have gone through the problems of racism, let them decide for themselves: get on their knees or not.

It has nothing to do with Russia, ”Valuev told Sport24.

It is important to note that the Champions League regulations do not say anything about the need for football players to participate in Black Lives Matter promotions before the start of the match.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) confirmed to RT that they do not insist on this.

“The players and the refereeing panel are allowed to kneel, but this is not at all obligatory,” the UEFA replied to the request.

Alexei Smertin, an officer of the Russian Football Union for Combating Discrimination, noted in a conversation with RT that everyone can choose gestures symbolizing the fight against racism at their discretion.

In his opinion, the Krasnodar players did not give any reason to doubt their decency. 

“We saw something similar on the eve of the World Cup in Russia - both headlines and accusations.

The world championship has put everything in its place - no cases of FIFA racism have been recorded.

Black Lives Matter and the very gesture of getting up on one knee is one of the forms of personal opposition to racism in the world.

They are different - a couple of years ago, in the same Krasnodar, before the match, together with the players of CSKA and Krasnodar, we brought out a banner against discrimination, which the entire stadium greeted with standing and applause.

All the players who were on the field yesterday, undoubtedly, oppose all types of discrimination, and it is everyone's personal business, to get down on one knee or, like the Marseille players the day before, hug each other as a sign of solidarity, "Smertin said. 

Interestingly, on the eve of the meeting between Krasnodar and Chelsea in the Champions League, a similar scandal occurred when users of social networks rushed to accuse the players who did not join the action of racism.

Before the match between Marseille and Manchester City, the English team made this national gesture, while their rivals stood together along the perimeter of the central circle.

Thus, they wanted to honor the memory of the teacher Samuel Pati, who was killed in the suburbs of Paris.

Marseille wrote in their official Twitter that the club opposes racism and supports the position of Manchester City.

However, this did not save him from angry and even offensive comments that poured in due to the fact that the players did not kneel, although in France this tradition is not widespread and is not carried out before the matches of the national championship.