Yaya Toure: Black players may boycott 2018 Russia World Cup

Black players might boycott the 2018 World Cup in Russia unless the country tackles racism in football, Manchester City's Yaya Toure has suggested.

"If we aren't confident at the World Cup, coming to Russia, we don't come," the Ivorian midfielder was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

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“If all the players said they are not going, there wouldn't be a World Cup, or if there was it would be meaningless”

Piara Powar Anti-racism campaigner

Uefa is investigating Toure's complaint that he was racially abused by some CSKA fans during Wednesday's Champions League game in Moscow.

CSKA deny racist chanting took place.
The Russian club, which said it was "surprised and disappointed" by Toure's allegation, will face a disciplinary hearing on 30 October.
If found guilty, Uefa could force CSKA to close part of its stadium for a future game.
A club statement read: "Having carefully studied the video of the game, we found no racist insults from fans of CSKA."
Spokesman Michael Sanadnze told BBC Radio 5 live: "We have nothing to hide, of course, and we have confirmation from the match delegate and the venue director that they themselves didn't hear anything special."
The Russian side's own Ivory Coast player, striker Seydou Doumbia, added: "I didn't hear anything like that from the CSKA fans.
"Yes, they're always noisy in supporting the team and try to put as much pressure as possible on our opponents, but they wouldn't ever allow themselves to come out with racist chants.
"So my Ivory Coast colleague is clearly exaggerating."
But Piara Powar, executive director of European anti-discrimination body Football Against Racism in Europe (Fare) and a member of Fifa's anti-discrimination taskforce, backed Toure's stance.

Uefa's sanctions against clubs for racist behaviour this season

• Full stadium closures: Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia, Legia Warsaw of Poland and Honved of Hungary
• Partial stadium closures: Lazio (originally given a full stadium closure that was reduced on appeal), Polish clubs Lech Poznan and Piast Gliwice, APOEL Nicosia of Cyprus and Croatian outfit HNK Rijeka

He said: "Yaya Toure is absolutely right in raising the spectre of African players or players of African heritage not going to the 2018 World Cup - and without them there will not be a World Cup in Russia.

"I wouldn't blame them - in this era players are the most powerful force and if all the players said they are not going there wouldn't be a World Cup, or if there was it would be meaningless."
While saying he did not envisage racism at a World Cup in Russia, Powar claimed the situation in the country's domestic football is "dire" and fuelled by far-right extremists.
Fare has identified banners supporting the Greek far-right political party Golden Dawn - which has a swastika-like symbol - being displayed in several stadiums in eastern Europe including Russia in the last month.
"In terms of the number of black players being abused, that is happening in club football in Russia and in that regard the situation is dire," Powar said.