MOSCOW (Sputnik) — People who make accusations of racism against Russia, should first pay attention to xenophobia-related problems in their own countries, Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and a FIFA presidential candidate, said.
“Those who scream racism all the time should look at their own home countries first, before leveling all sorts of accusations at Russia,” the presidential hopeful told R-Sport in an interview.
According to the presidential candidate, covert racism in certain countries is often far worse than when a football fan shouts nasty things in a stadium.
"There are some countries where racism is institutionalized. So let us all be vigilant but not hypocritical!" Sheikh Salman stressed.
Last year, some UK anti-discrimination campaigners called on England to boycott the 2018 World Cup in Russia, citing a perceived threat of black players being verbally abused.
In May 2015, it was reported in the media that the English national football team may face some serious sanctions, including possible disqualification from the 2018 World Cup, if its fans continue to chant discriminatory slogans.
