Russia wants monkey chant solution to end racism menace

Russian football’s anti-racism chief wants the World Cup hosts to start using fan ID cards at league matches to combat monkey chants.

Ape noises have turned into one of the most serious dilemmas facing Russia ahead of the World Cup next month.

The incidents have blighted some of the biggest games played in Russia and aired live on national TV.

The most recent case resulted in defending champions Spartak Moscow receiving a partial stadium ban last week over fan abuse hurled at an African player in a league cup semi-final.

The football federation simultaneously fined Zenit Saint Petersburg for “Nazi slogans” heard during a league match against the north Caucasus side Anzhi.

And world governing body Fifa launched disciplinary proceedings against Russia over monkey chants heard during a friendly against France in March.

Anti-discrimination inspector Alexei Smertin said on Monday the same fan ID cards being used at World Cup matches should be applied to domestic Russian games.

Russia first tried out the system with Fifa's approval at last year’s Confederations Cup.

“I am in favour of the Russian championship using the Fan ID system, just as we did at the Confederations Cup,” Smertin said.

“There were no incidents during that tournament.

“Every fan understood that if something happened, that person would have been easily identified.”

Each fan getting World Cup tickets must also apply for a special ID card with the Russian authorities.

The security services then conduct background checks with the help of their foreign counterparts.

Supporters’ identities are matched up against CCTV screen grabs taken when they first enter the stadium