If Russia doesn't get a handle on its soccer fans, the 2018 World Cup could be devoid of one prominent color: black. Yaya Touré — the Manchester City, England, midfielder from the Ivory Coast who claims he had to endure monkey chants from Russian fans this past week during a match against CSKA Moscow — has put Russia on warning.
"It is a real problem here, something that happens all the time, and of course they need to sort it out before the World Cup," he said. "Otherwise, if we are not confident coming to the World Cup in Russia, we don't come," the Daily Mail reported.
So far CSKA officials have vehemently denied Touré's claims of racism, stating that they reviewed the tape and saw nothing but booing fans trying to put pressure on the home team's opponents.
CSKA officials weren't the only ones who said they didn't hear any distinct monkey noises. Touré's fellow Ivory Coast player and CSKA striker Seydou Doumbia defended the crowd.
According to the Daily Mail, he said, "I didn't hear anything like that from the CSKA fans."
Read more at the Daily Mail.