The Ukrainian Hockey League has promised disciplinary action after a player was sent off for making a shocking gesture during a game that appeared to imagine a black opponent peeling a banana and eating it.
Kremenchuk forward Andrei Deniskin was caught on camera making the bizarre taunt towards new Donbass Donetsk signing Jalen Smereck, clearly mimicking the act while looking at the American in the 36th minute of a league game.
The 23-year-old was sent off and the league has warned that extra sanctions are planned for the Ukraine international following the troubling incident.
Despite the disgraceful footage, Deniskin insisted afterwards that he does not discriminate against people.
A disgusting gesture in the UHL was made towards American Jalen Smereck… This is embarrassing and pathetic for hockey. @IIHFHockey needs to step up here. pic.twitter.com/cSqxBKVC4k
“During the match, I, being of negative emotions, displayed a gesture that could be considered as an insult [relating to] race,” he said (via translation), offering a public apology to Smereck.
“I respect all people regardless of their race or nationality. Emotions in hockey, unfortunately, are different.”
In a statement, Donbass condemned “all forms of discrimination” and said they were “outraged by the behavior” of Deniskin.
Would say an appropriate response would be a five year ban from hockey, plus 500 hours of community service which must be done as a league volunteer. Either that or lifetime ban. Would be nice to see @uhlua and @IIHFHockey make a real statement that this will not be tolerated.
“[We reject] any racist manifestations – racism has no place either in sports grounds or outside of them,” they added.
“We will do our best to support our hockey player. At the same time, we call on the Disciplinary Committee to [apply] the strictest possible punishment to the Kremenchuk player.”
The league’s website said: “Such behavior of hockey players on the court is unacceptable within the framework of a civilized society.
I believe he's peeling a banana towards an african-american player.
“It should be noted that disciplinary proceedings will be opened against the player of Kremenchuk.”
The shameful episode is the second racist provocation to be filmed in a professional hockey match in little more than a month.
In August, forward Stas Petrosyan was fined by his club, Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk, when he was seen using his hand to make a slant-eyed gesture at Chinese player Hu Yan during a match in the President’s Cup of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Russian former UFC champion Petr Yan has petitioned the promotion to offer him a new opponent for the upcoming fight card in Abu Dhabi after title holder Aljamain Sterling withdrew from their scheduled rematch citing an injury.
The UFC’s return to the United Arab Emirates suffered a blow when it was revealed late on Saturday that Sterling had pulled out of the anticipated fight opposite Yan, scheduled for October 30.
The American fighter blamed “lingering” issues with his neck after having surgery to repair an injury in April, with no timetable as to when ‘The Funk Master’ might be medically cleared to return to action.
Reacting to the news, Yan has fired another salvo at his foe in what is fast becoming one of the UFC’s most contentious rivalries.
“Greetings, all,” said Yan on an Instagram Live video. “You know what’s just happened to my fight.
“You all know that Aljo just ran away like a sneaky coward. Here is what I would like to say.
“I am not going to sit and wait for him. I am going to fight on October 30 in Abu Dhabi, and I would like to address the UFC.
“UFC! Give me any fighter. Top five, top seven, top ten. Anyone who deserves to fight for the belt, and I will get the job done.
“I will show you who is the real champ.”
The tense relationship between the two fighters dates back to their controversial first meeting in March, when Yan, who entered the fight as the champion, was disqualified after he landed an illegal knee on Sterling in the fourth round when he appeared to be winning.
Sterling determined that he was unable to continue after being given time to recover by the referee, with officials announcing the 32-year-old as the winner by disqualification in what is the first and only time in UFC history that a world title has changed hands in that way.
But despite what Yan asserts is Sterling’s “cowardice“, he says that he wishes to remain on the forthcoming October 30 card to make another statement as to his own title credentials.
Since news of Sterling’s withdrawal broke there has been speculation that the UFC may opt to create an interim bantamweight title, with Yan heavily linked to a fight with the impressive American fighter Cory Sandhagen.
Sandhagen was recently defeated by the returning TJ Dillashaw, who is currently unavailable through injury.
A 21-year-old American footballer has been killed in a shooting which took place during a house party in the Salt Lake City late on Saturday night – just hours after his team, Utah, beat Washington State.
Salt Lake Police announced on Sunday that highly-rated defensive player Lowe was one of two people shot at around midnight local time while he was celebrating his team’s 24-13 against the Cougars on Saturday.
Lowe was pronounced dead soon afterwards while the other victim, an adult female, is understood to be in critical condition.
No arrests have yet been made yet over the incident, which took place in the Sugar House area.
Abby and I mourn with our @UUtah family and friends at the tragic passing of Aaron Lowe this morning. Our prayers are with his family at this terribly difficult time.
“These investigations are complex. Our detectives have been hard at work trying to identify the suspect or suspects in this case,” said Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown of the investigation.
The Mesquite, Texas native was a prominent defensive back for the Utah Utes after he was recruited to the famous college football program as one of the top-rated safety prospects in the United States before he converted to cornerback.
He had appeared in each of the Utes’ first four games of the season – and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said that Lowe’s absence will be sorely felt.
“We are devastated to hear about the passing of Aaron Lowe. Our thoughts and prayers are with Aaron’s family and friends, along with the other individual who was harmed in this tragic incident,” said Whittingham in a statement.
“Aaron was a great teammate, friend, brother and son and was loved by anyone who crossed paths with him. He will be deeply missed.”
Spencer Cox, the Republican governor of Utah, has also spoken of his sorrow at Lowe’s passing. “[We] mourn with our [University of Utah] family and friends at the tragic passing of Aaron Lowe this morning,” he said. “Our prayers are with his family at this terribly difficult time.”
Lowe’s passing comes just months after he was named as the recipient of Utah’s Ty Jordan Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to a player who embodies a spirit of “work ethic, positivity and perseverance through adversity“.
The scholarship was named after former Utah running back Jordan, who was killed on Christmas Day 2020 at the age of 19 in what police called an accidental shooting.
Both Lowe and Jordan attended West Mesquite High School in Texas and Lowe had changed his shirt number to ’22’ this season in honor of his former teammate.
Extinction Rebellion organizers have claimed that “history will vindicate” a Paralympic hero after he was sentenced to a year in jail for holding up a flight in a climate protest stunt in the UK.
Northern Ireland-born James Brown glued his hand to an Amsterdam-bound British Airways aircraft in October 2019 as part of the group’s takeover of London City Airport, explaining at the time that he felt “compelled” to bring about “radical change”.
The champion for Britain in the B3 800 metres and 1500m at the 1984 Games spent an hour on the aircraft before being removed.
Visually-impaired Brown, 56, was estimated by prosecutors to have cost the airline around $55,000 and will reportedly serve at least six months in prison.
“I was compelled to do what I did because of my concerns for the future of my children. We all know the catastrophe that awaits them… We also know that nonviolent civil disobedience have proved itself… to bring radical change”, Paralympian, Rebel and hero James Brown. pic.twitter.com/5hPcf7kTlO
“To put a partially blind man in jail, while the [UK] prime minister [Boris Johnson] quotes Kermit the Frog to the UN and recruits the [cartoon litter-pickers] Wombles as the [climate change conference] COP26 mascots, shows what a mockery our leaders are making of this moment,” responded the group, which invited people to protest outside London’s HMP Wandsworth, where Brown is incarcerated, on Sunday.
“History will vindicate him just as it vindicated past activists who went to prison after non-violently fighting for a just cause.
“If enough people do something like what James Brown did, then there will be a future.”
Brown represented himself at his trial in July, when he denied one count of causing a public nuisance and admitted he felt he had wanted “to do something spectacular” to highlight the climate crisis.
A jury deliberated for less than an hour before delivering a guilty verdict on the former GB cyclist and athletics star, who also competed in cross-country skiing for Ireland.
“The right to protest does not entitle you to cause major widespread disruption to a major airport… simply because you think it is the right thing to do,” the BBC reported Judge Gregory Perrins to have told Brown.
Tonight at 8pm, outside HMP Wandsworth where James Brown is serving time for his action, and across the UK in Bath, Malvern, Birmingham, Leicester, St Ives, Barnstable, Norwich we are coming together to say #FreeJamesBrown. If you can't join in person, please tweet in support. pic.twitter.com/zv9hJSgR8i
“This is a case in which you acted together with at least 10 other activists to plan and execute a major act of disruption.
“You intended to cause the maximum amount of disruption possible at the airport, if not shut it down completely.”
Representing Brown at his sentencing hearing, Tim Maloney QC said the former athlete “has expressed an intention not to become involved in unlawful protest again.”
Brown is said to be the first UK protester from the group to receive a custodial sentence. He has also reportedly been fined around $4,785.
A politician has voiced his surprise that Ukrainians keen to watch arguably the greatest moment of their country’s sporting year had to do so on Russian TV.
While newly-crowned heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk shut out three-belt king Anthony Joshua in London, TV channels in his homeland dealt a low blow to boxing fans by failing to broadcast the thrilling scrap.
That meant that Usyk’s compatriots could not join the huge crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – and the vast audience around the world – in seeing their latest boxing great score a huge win that was shown on pay-per-view TV in the UK.
“Almost the entire population of Russia was worried and rooted for Usyk,” said Dmitry Svishchev, a member of the Federal Assembly of Russia, speaking to Sport Express.
“[Everyone in] Simferopol… was rooting for him, since he is from there. I am surprised that Usyk went out to battle with the banner of Ukraine and songs in the Ukrainian language.
“It is all the more surprising that the fight was not shown on Ukrainian television. All Ukrainians who wanted to see the fight watched on the Russian channel.”
The outlet suggested that, alongside the national football team’s advancement to the quarterfinals of Euro 2020 in June and July, the fight had been the “main sporting event for Ukraine this year”.
Former cruiserweight Usyk produced an immensely accomplished performance to comprehensively beat British superstar Joshua on the scorecards, earning high praise from prominent figures in Ukraine who may have watched the bout on Russian channel Ren, which showed it for free.
Eddie: “Can’t wait to announce Joshua vs Fury. I wonder how many PPV buys it does?”
“We all did not sleep, we all did not doubt, we all did not hold back our emotions,” responded Volodymyr Zelensky, the country’s president. “A difficult but therefore even more valuable victory. Bravo, champion.”
Manchester City and Ukraine wideman Oleksandr Zinchenko added that “there are no words” to do justice to the sensational victory. “Simply the best,” he concluded on Instagram.
Usyk extended his perfect professional career record to 19 wins with the triumph in front of well over 60,000 people.
The 34-year-old had not been considered as magnetic a ticket-seller as established poster boy Joshua, only to prove that he deserves more blockbuster nights among the elite after collecting the WBA Super, WBO, IBF and IBO titles.
Top Ukrainian tennis star Elina Monfils let her fans know that she was watching the fight on US channel DAZN, adding an animation of the national flag she shares with Usyk as she saw him prevail.
