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Local football pundit Isack Hamata says an unfolding drama at the Russia World Cup, in which Croatia sent a player home, allegedly because he refused to play against Nigeria, should not automatically be considered a racist saga. The atmosphere at the World Cup has taken a somewhat sour turn, after Croatia striker Nikola Kalinic was sent home for refusing to play against Nigeria, while citing back pain.However, some international media claimed he had faked an injury to avoid playing against a black team.Hamata said it was difficult to put the incident down to racism, as Kalinic may just be a moody and difficult player.“The official reason was that Kalinic was suffering from a back problem. It was also noted that he refused to play against Brazil in a pre-World Cup friendly match. My view is that he is just a difficult player who sulked because he was on the bench.”Another local football lover Olsen Kahiriri, who is also the secretary-general of the Namibia Football Players' Union (Nafpu), said reporting on the incident may not be factual and it cannot be ruled as racism.“In this regard, a conclusion has not been made about the incident and we cannot create perceptions around it. Yes, racism is not allowed in football or by Fifa,” he said.Croatia sent Kalinic home earlier this week following his antics in the World Cup.Until the incident, the 2018 Russia World Cup atmosphere had been completely festive.However, there has been no direct evidence made public that Kalinic acted in a racist manner.Croatia opened their Group D campaign with an impressive win over the Super Eagles, but faced an unsettling scenario with the AC Milan forward.Kalinic, 30, was on the bench and reportedly refused to come on as a late second-half substitute after being told to warm up by manager Zlatko Dalic.It's claimed that Kalinic complained of a back problem and refused to enter the match - something which did not convince his manager, as he had pulled a similar stunt when the team played Brazil in a friendly match, as well as during the practice session on Sunday.“I have calmly accepted that, and since I need my players fit and ready to play, I have made this decision,” said Dalic. United standNigeria's game on Sunday was the first big test of Russia's resolve to stamp out racism during the World Cup.In line with this, there was not much rowdiness from the crowd.Towards the build up to the World Cup, Fifa president Gianni Infantino reportedly promised unspecified consequences if incidents of racism occur during the tournament.“I wouldn't say that I'm concerned about discrimination, human rights or security, but obviously we take this very, very seriously and we've taken appropriate measures,” Infantino said.“In terms of discrimination, we will have clear procedures in place, including a three-step process for referees who can stop, suspend or even abandon a match in case of discrimination. We have a monitoring system and then immediate sanctions if something happens. “We obviously wish that doesn't happen and everyone has been warned that if it happens there will be serious consequences.” Past transgressionsRacism has plagued Russian football since clubs began purchasing foreign players. In addition, Russia's football federation was last month slapped with a 25 000 euro fine after racist chants from supporters during a friendly match against France. Fifa has instituted a three-strike policy against any racist abuse by fans during the tournament, threatening to abandon matches if supporters ignore a stadium speaker announcement and a pause in play, in order for them to calm down. -Additional info by BBCLIMBA MUPETAMI

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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