Anzhi´s Samba faces sanction

Anzhi Makhachkala defender Chris Samba could face disciplinary action for his response to alleged racial abuse on Sunday.

A banana was thrown towards a group of Anzhi players as they departed the pitch following the 1-0 defeat to Lokomotiv Moscow in the Russian Premier League, to which the former Blackburn man reacted angrily, throwing it back into the crowd.

It is now understood that Lokomotiv Moscow are considering requesting Anzhi punish their player for his actions.

A war of words has since ensued between the two clubs, with Lokomotiv claiming the object was thrown from the Anzhi supporters, and Anzhi threatening to take their opponents to court if they could not substantiate the claim.

Lokomotiv spokesman Denis Novoselov has since explained the club’s position: “We studied all the video from surveillance cameras, carefully reviewed the testimony of witnesses, and the results of this investigation found that the banana was thrown by a fan of the Dagestani team (Anzhi).”

Lokomotiv chief Olga Smorodskaya had initially claimed that the incident did not happen, before later saying she feared it was a ‘set-up’.

Yet Anzhi have refuted the claims, with consultant German Tkachenko potentially sparking a sexism row in the process: “Of course, it would be proper to wait for the end of the official investigation.”

“Without wanting to offend anyone, I won’t say (Lokomotiv’s statement) is nonsense, but it is precisely a female response.”

Anzhi vice-president German Chistyakov added: “We are confident that this is nothing but an absolute nonsense and foolishness.”

“In the current situation we demand to provide us with the conclusive evidences or immediate and official refutation with an apology to our fans and the club.”

“Otherwise the case will be brought before the court and the law-enforcement bodies.”