The general manager of the Ukrainian Hockey League (UHL) claims he was fired for speaking out against racism, after one star escaped with a three-game ban and a fine despite making a ‘banana-eating’ gesture to a black player.
In a tweet posted on Thursday, Evgeny Kolychev claimed that the Ukrainian Hockey Federation had dismissed him after he voiced his anger
Kolychev’s post read: “I have spoken openly about #racism in Ukrainian hockey and the Ukrainian Hockey Federation FIRED me as General Manager of the #UHL today. Will it solve the problem? No. Will it silence me? NO!”
I have spoken openly about #racism in Ukrainian hockey and the Ukrainian Hockey Federation FIRED me as General Manager of the #UHL today.
Will it solve the problem? No. Will it silence me? NO!
The post comes on the back of the punishment handed out to Kremenchuk forward Andrei Deniskin following a racist gesture he made towards US hockey player Jalen Smereck, where Deniskin pretended to peel and eat a banana in front of Smereck.
Хоккейный клуб «Донбасс» резко отрицает все формы дискриминации и возмущен поведением Андрея Денискина. Донецкий клуб отвергает любые расистские проявления – расизму не место ни на спортивных площадках, ни за их пределами pic.twitter.com/FhfXgw45Cu
Deniskin was handed a three-match ban but the Ukrainian has the right to pay off a further 10-game suspension, something which angered many people who though the punishment handed out was too soft.
In the same post he also called for the International Ice Hockey Federation to launch their own investigation.
Donbass Donetsk star Smereck reacted to the news of Kolychev’s removal on Instagram with a post on his stories saying: “This makes me sick to my stomach I really can’t believe this!!!”
The popular hockey Twitter account World Hockey Report also responded to Kolychev’s post saying: “Until the @IIHFHockey gets some guts and stands up against the @UHLua nothing will change… but will the IIHF look out for their player’s best interests? Or what’s best for their wallet? This will be very telling.”
Liverpool-born coach Paul Riley has been fired as the head coach of NWSL team the North Carolina Courage amid allegations of sexual misconduct as two of his former players spoke out about the alleged abuse they suffered.
Riley was let go from his position in the United States’ top women’s league after his ex-players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim detailed shocking allegations against him in an expose published by sports outlet The Athletic.
Amongst the various complaints against Riley – who has spent his entire professional career coaching in the United States – are allegations that he compelled Farrelly and others to have sex with him, ‘forced’ players to join him on extended drinking sessions, sent some players sexually explicit photographs of himself as well as other mental and emotional abuse centered around issues like playing time and status in the starting XI.
Riley had previously answered some of The Athletic’s charges by saying the majority of the allegations against him are “completely untrue” but did admit to socializing with players on some occasions.
The National Women’s Soccer League Players Association (NWSLPA) have asked league chiefs to open a wide-ranging investigation to the claims against Riley, while the duo of Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan – both of whom are stars of women’s football in the United States – have claimed that previous complaints against Riley were ignored and said that the league had failed in its duty of protecting female players.
Addressing the matter, NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird said that she was “shocked and disgusted” by the nature of the allegations against Riley and said that they have been referred to the US Center for SafeSport for further investigation.
“We are implementing a new anonymous reporting process, whereby players, teams and league staff may text concerns to the league, which will be promptly investigated,” Baird added.
“We ask our players and all associated with the league to raise their concerns to us, as we continue to make our league a safe, positive and respectful environment for our players, clubs, staff and fans.”
“I support Sinead and Mara,” wrote United States international Sam Mewis in support of her colleagues Farrelly and Shim.
“I am horrified to read the details of what happened to them. The league needs to do whatever is necessary to make them (and other victims like Kaiya) feel heard, believed and protected.
“The physical and psychological safety of the players in the NWSL is of the utmost importance. I’m still processing and reflecting on how I can be part of making a safer environment for players.”
Another of Riley’s former teams, the Portland Thorns, where he coached for two years wrote in response to the Athletic article that there was “much that we are just hearing about now” but admitted that they had been made aware of complaints against their former coach in the past.
“We take all complaints about harassment extremely seriously. Immediately upon receiving a complaint from a player in 2015, we conducted a thorough investigation advised by an outside law firm and placed Riley on administrative leave,” they wrote on social media.
“While the findings did not show unlawful activity, they did uncover clear violations of our company policies. Based on this, we chose to sever ties with Riley. The findings of the investigation were fully shared with the NWSL league office.
“Throughout the club’s existence, we have always encouraged players and staff to freely express themselves on and off the field on any issue and in any context they choose. We are proud of our incredible body of community work and the impact it’s had, our long-standing ethos of social justice and inclusion, and of player and employee advocacy.
“The article is a difficult read and there are some horrifying revelations. We have grown since 2015 as an organization and will continue to seek to improve and get better. We will fully cooperate with any additional inquiries into this matter and, more importantly, re-examine our own processes and protocol that are intended to ensure a safe space.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer laughed off claims that Cristiano Ronaldo has asked for the Manchester United team to change its playing style to better suit him, after reports the Portuguese icon wanted more urgency in attack.
At his press conference before the Red Devils clash with Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, Solskjaer was asked about a report from ESPN which claimed Ronaldo wanted United to play at a quicker tempo so he in turn could receive the ball faster.
Ronaldo has made a great start to his second spell at the club, scoring five goals in five game so far – including a dramatic late winner against Villarreal in the Champions League on Wednesday.
But the 36-year-old supposedly believes he could offer even more if the ball finds him quicker than he is currently receiving it.
When asked about the report, Solskjaer laughed before putting his head down on the desk and then saying: “That is another one. Wow, what can you answer to that? What we speak about us that is between us, but we haven’t had that discussion, put it that way.”
“We have not had that discussion.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's reaction to reports that Cristiano Ronaldo has asked his Manchester United players to move the ball faster to get the best out of him. pic.twitter.com/Q3bKBF6DBc
Many onlookers would agree though that for United to be a serious title contender this season moving the ball quicker is a must.
Defeats against Young Boys, West Ham and Aston Villa have seen many question United’s style of play and despite having a squad containing Ronaldo along with Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, they still find it hard to break teams down.
During the press conference the Norwegian did talk about the positive impact that Ronaldo has had at Old Trafford since his summer move from Juventus.
“He has had a great impact on and off the pitch,” said the Norwegian.
“Five goals in five games at his age says everything. You’ve got to manage him, he’s a very good example for everyone. Long may it continue.”
Piero Ferrari, the vice chairman of Ferrari, has reminded everyone that Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher is very much alive, even though the seven-time World Champion ‘cannot communicate’.
Fervent interest in seven-time world champion Schumacher’s condition has re-emerged in recent weeks with the release of the Netflix documentary charting his remarkable rise to the top of the sport, as well as aspects of the 52-year-old’s family life.
Notably, Schumacher’s wife Corinna says in the film that she “misses” her husband every day.
“Michael is here. Different, but he’s here and that gives us strength, I find,” Corinna says.
“I think that he is simply very strong mentally. Extremely strong. He still shows me how strong he is every day.”
And whilst speaking at a recent award ceremony in Rome, Piero Ferrari shared some memories of the German prior to his skiing accident in 2013.
“I had the pleasure of having Schumacher as a guest at home and drinking a bottle of red wine together: he really enjoyed having these moments of intimacy and tranquility,”said Ferrari.
“He was a simple, clear, precise person, a very linear personality.”
On Schumacher’s current condition, Ferrari added: “I’m sorry we talk about him today as if he were dead: he’s not dead, he’s there but he can’t communicate.”
During the event in the Italian Capital, Ferrari also spoke about his team’s current drivers Charles Le Clerc and Carlos Sainz.
“Charles Leclerc? My father would certainly have liked him. The comparison between past and present riders is difficult,” he said.
“Gilles Villeneuve was pure instinct, Charles is very different: he is an intelligent driver, an extremely gifted boy from all points of view, with extraordinary reflexes, great concentration.
“Carlos Sainz is also proving to be a solid and fast young man. We have a good team, for the future everything will change, the cards will reshuffle and we must remember that there are many technical limits set by the regulation and that the next year will be all new.”
Sainz finished third in last Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix, with his teammate Le Clerc finishing 15th.
Ferrari also said that his team was helping fellow F1 competitors Haas to manage the development of Schumacher’s son, Mick, who is in his debut season in motor-racing’s elite championship.
“His team (Haas) has made the choice not to spend in 2021 so they are using a car that was already not good in 2020,” he said.
“But they are spending for 2022 and we at Ferrari are also helping Haas. For his second year, we hope to give Schumacher a car with which he can demonstrate his qualities.”
The Czech foreign minister has summoned British Ambassador Nick Archer following a critical tweet over a racism row that emerged from Glasgow Rangers’ Europa League match against Sparta Prague.
Czech Deputy Prime Minister Jan Hamacek made the demand of Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek, which has now been realized, to “immediately halt such attacks” while insisting that Czechs are neither racist nor “rotten fruit.”
Hamacek retweeted an outburst from the Equality And Diversity Advisor To The Scottish FA, Marvin Bartley, who wrote: “The worst thing about the scenes in Prague last night is that I’m not shocked in the slightest!”
Bartley was referring to what took place in Rangers’ 1-0 defeat to Sparta in the Czech capital, where Glen Kamara was booed throughout the match by home support that contained some 10,000 children after taking the knee, and was eventually sent off in the 74th minute for a second yellow card.
The worst thing about the scenes in Prague last night is that I’m not shocked in the slightest! In no way is this the fault of the CHILDREN because they’re behaving in a way they see adults do/encourage. What chance do they have when placed in a bowl with rotten fruit. UEFA pic.twitter.com/HL83FNv9EE
Indirectly agreeing with Bartley, Rangers manager Steven Gerrard remarked that he was “extremely disappointed but not surprised” at the behavior and added that “there needs to be more done” to curb such incidents.
“In no way is this the fault of the CHILDREN because they’re behaving in a way they see adults do/encourage,” went on Bartley.
“What chance do they have when placed in a bowl with rotten fruit?” he signed off, alongside a thumbs down emoji next to UEFA’s name and a picture of some strawberries well past their sell-by date.
It is these words that Hamacek has taken offense at, while at the same time the scorer of the winner in the 29th minute, David Hancko, claimed that the atmosphere inside the Letna Stadium was “excellent” and “positive” and believed that the children “will not forget that evening for a long time.”
Tweeting on the incident, Czech Foreign Minister Kulhanek wrote: “Enough! Intentionally spread, disgusting insults against Czech children in the media and on the internet do not belong to football and even less so to good relations between two countries.”
Rangers manager Gerrard confirmed that Rangers have already put the wheels in motion with an official complaint to UEFA, and says the only way that racism is going to be eradicated is if more is done to tackle the problem.
But just like Hamacek, Sparta have gone on the defensive by saying they “will proudly defend our children”.
Furthermore, they have asked Rangers to “do their part to stop the xenophobic atmosphere directed towards our children, our beautiful country and its inhabitants.”
It is the second time in just over six months that Kamara has received abuse from a team based in the Czech capital.
In April, Slavia Prague defender Ondrej Kudela received a 10-match ban for allegedly whispering “racist language” into the Finnish international’s ear, with Kamara punished with a three-match ban for attacking him in the tunnel.
Kudela denied the claims and was supported by officials and a number of his teammates.
