A former English Premier League player is under fire and could face a 10-match ban for suggesting it is "laughable" to have black players in the Russian national team. Pogrebnyak, a former Russian international who played in England for Fulham and Reading, made the remark in an interview with Russian tabloid newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. "It is laughable when a black player represents the Russian national side. "I do not have anything against black players," he said. The Russian website sports.ru said Pogrebnyak – who still plays in the Russian premier league for Ural Yekaterinburg – could face a 10-match ban.

Source: Stuff March 19, 2019 20:09 UTC