Sports

No racism in Sochi, mayor insists after racism row at parade

No racism in Sochi, mayor insists after racism row at parade

By Sandeep Sen

People carrying a Cameroon flag, take part in a parade in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, on Saturday, May 27, 2017. Photo: AP

SOCHI:  The mayor of the Russian city of Sochi's has promised football fans there is no racism in the 2018 World Cup host city after FIFA denounced a parade featuring people in blackface. The procession in the Black Sea resort featured costumes of the Confederations Cup participants ahead of the eight-team World Cup warm-up event. One person was pictured wearing an afro-style wig and bananas on a string, while the other was wearing a Cameroon jersey and a headdress while holding a drum. Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov accepts 'we need to inform the residents of the city about what is unpleasant for different ethnicities.' But speaking through a translator, Pakhomov maintained that 'there is no racism in Sochi because this is a city where many ethnicities live.'