The English side urged Uefa to act after Yaya Toure complained of chanting from the crowd during their Champions League clash, but the Russian club are refuting the accusations
CSKA Moscow have denied claims from Yaya Toure that Manchester City players were the subject of racist abuse from the home crowd during Wednesday’s Champions League encounter at the Arena Khimki.
The midfielder said after his side’s 2-1 win he was target of offensive chanting from sections of the Russian support, having also raised the issue with the referee during the match.
However, CSKA’s deputy media manager, Michael Sanadze, denied the allegations in an interview with Sky Sports News, insisting: “There is no subject to discuss. Nothing special happened.
“There was a lot of noise in the stadium. Nobody else, other than Yaya Toure, heard anything. The only trouble that has come about was because Yaya Toure heard something.”
Both Toure and manager Manuel Pellegrini have urged Uefa to take disciplinary action against the Russian club, while City officials spoke to the match delegates after the game and are preparing a written statement on the matter.
Uefa responded on Thursday morning, stating: “We are awaiting the reports from the match which should land at some point today or tomorrow.
“Once received, the contents will determine whether a disciplinary case be opened. Should this be the case, we will communicate accordingly.”
Meanwhile, anti-racism campaigners Kick It Out backed Toure in their own statement: “First and foremost the support of Kick It Out is with Yaya and everyone associated with the club.
“He has been brave and proactive not only by speaking out after the game, but by reporting it to the referee too. It was the referee’s role to then stop the game which would have dealt with the problem instantly. This was a key failing of last night.
“When abuse is officially logged like this, the offending club should be charged and an automatic partial stadium closure by Uefa can be explored. A second offence could mean a full stadium closure.
“Things are not perfect in this country. But this type of abuse is a depressing throwback and raises questions around the suitability of Russia as World Cup hosts.”