Dembélé and Pogba Racially Abused in Russia

An ominous sign for the upcoming World Cup

France’s sport minister has called for an investigation into racist abuse directed at French players during France’s match against Russia. The two main subjects of the abuse seem to have been Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembélé. Reports say the Russian fans made “monkey noises” when the players were taking corners or had the ball.

“Racism has no place on the football pitch,” said French Minister for Sport Laura Flessel via Twitter. “We have to act in unison at a European and international level to put an end to these inadmissible actions.”

It remains to be seen how FIFA or UEFA will react to the complaints. This is an ominous sign with the FIFA World Cup set to take place this summer in Russia.