Andrey Voronkov, the head coach of the defending women’s club champions of Russia, Lokomotiv, clearly insulted a black athlete playing for the rivals Uralochka-NTMK in the championship playoff final encounter last night.
The head coach of Lokomotiv, Andrey Voronkov, was accused of racism by Uralochka officials, as well as volleyball fans all over Russia, for insulting their player, Cuban Ailama Cesé. The incident occurred in the decisive match of the 2021/22 Women’s Superliga Paribet (Суперлига Парибет Женщины), last night. During the timeout, Voronkov was giving instructions to his player Valeriya Zaytseva, saying a sentence that was broadcast live: “Why are you suffering from that monkey again?” It was then shared on social media, and fans of Uralochka took these words as an insult to the dark-skinned volleyball player of their team.
The Ekaterinburg side, who lost the finals, requested a public apology from Voronkov, the European champion in 2013 as the head coach of the Russia Men’s National Team. The Uralochka general director, Valentina Ogienko, said to the media in the country that this was an international scandal.
