Kiev sports official suggests separate seating for black fans ‘to avoid racist incidents’

Vladimir Spilchenko, the executive director of the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex in Kiev, is in hot water today, after suggesting that the stadium create a separate seating area for dark-skinned fans, in order to "avoid racist incidents."

Spilchenko's proposal comes after skirmishes during a soccer match between Kiev's team and London's Chelsea Football Club.

“The idea of separating black fans in a separate sector is a good one,” Spilchenko noted. “We could give them a separate zone, in order to avoid [further] racist incidents.”

TASS

• Not long after a soccer match on October 20 at the Olimpiyskiy Complex, videos appeared on the Internet showing white fans of the Kiev team beating dark-skinned fans (who appeared to be fans of the same team).
• In connection with the incident, the Union of European Football Associations has opened an official disciplinary case against Kiev's team.