Saint Petersburg "Zenit" club star Brazil's Hulk had already received the attention of Russian football officials when he spoke out about racism. At that time, the footballer was excluded from the list of the draw ceremony for the 2018 World Cup qualification. However, the 29-year-old player expressed his anger again. Hulk claimed that he was insulted because of his race during the match against Moscow's "Spartak." In those matches, Hulk scored a goal and when he was substituted, he blew kisses towards the stands. Later he stated that he did it on purpose because he was insulted by racists again. "Unfortunately, the situation is repeating itself," Hulk told Zenit's page. Last season, "Spartak" and Moscow's "Torpedo" clubs received penalties for the behavior of their fans. Fans of both teams insulted Hulk. In July, Hulk claimed that racism is rampant in almost every game in Russia, where he has been playing since 2012. The footballer then expressed his fear that racism would overshadow the 2018 World Cup. Later, the Russian authorities assured that they actively fight against racists, and cases of racism in the stands are very rare. Russia has previously stated that there is no racism in the country at all.
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