Former Fulham forward Pavel Pogrebnyak made headlines with a scandalous interview.
Currently representing Ekaterinburg's Ural, the player insisted to the local press that he is against playing alongside athletes of a different color in the national team.
"I don't see the point. I don't understand why Brazilian Ari received Russian citizenship.
It's ridiculous when a black person represents the Russian national team. Although Mario Fernandes is a top-level footballer, we have Igor Smolnikov who can play in the same position.
We could manage without the help of foreigners," the Russian clarified.
The striker's comments caught the attention of President Vladimir Putin's adviser Mikhail Fedotov, who stated that "there should be no doubt that people of any race have the right to represent Russian teams."
