Smertin says his new role as the Russian Football Union's anti-racism and discrimination inspector means he will 'put every effort into keeping racism and discrimination out of the story of football in my country.' It's a high-profile role ahead of next year's World Cup, which is under scrutiny over violence involving Russian fans at last year's European Championship and a rise in the number of racist incidents at domestic games. ...read
Alexei Smertin lands role as head of racism investigations ahead of the 2018 World Cup... two years after declaring 'no racism exists in Russia'
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