The question of whether or not Russia should host the 2018 World Cup still remains in the air after recent stories of corruption from Sepp Blatter and FIFA have risen. Should plans for the next World Cup stay the same, more issues besides corruption will come to light during the summer tournament.
Zenit St. Petersburg forward Hulk warned the world of racial issues he faces every match and why they will be broadcasted on a global stage. “If racism happens in the World Cup, it will be really gross and really ugly. Usually it happens when Russian clubs play and it doesn’t come out to the world and the world doesn’t know about this.”
Hulk and his family have lived in Russia for three years. Photo: @FOXSoccer | Twitter
“I see this happening. I used to get angry, but now I see this doesn’t help, so I just send a kiss to our fans and try not to get angry,” Hulk said.
Supporters of the St. Petersburg based club chant racist calls to their own players. Even when they put all of their effort into the success of the club. Hulk isn’t the only player to receive this abusive treatment either. It is a reoccurring issue that happens every season in the Russian league, creating an awful image worldwide.
How the Russian government and FIFA will deal with this issue in 2018 is a major concern to the public. The most preferred punishment is a stadium ban, but with matches a big as the World Cup, the use of stadium bans could be controversial.
