Naturalized Brazilian striker “Krasnodar” Ari commented on the words of striker Yekaterinburg “Ural” Pavel Pogrebnyak on foreign players in Russian national team.
- RIA Novosti
“I wouldn’t have anything to say about it, because he does not deserve attention. I am sad to think that these people are still there. My goal is to continue to defend the colors of Russian national team”, — quotes the words of the Ari ESPN.
He noted that several years ago he and other black players were subjected to racism, but now the phenomenon is gone, and he feels at home in Russia.
“I’ve lived here for ten years, I have a daughter, many friends, and in the future I want to continue to live here. Teammates always treated me very well, without exception. The players really respect me for my experience in Russia, so I’m not even worried about this situation. Everybody knows I give everything to the club and the national team, and I appreciate that,” added the striker.
In November 2018 Ari for the first time after receiving Russian citizenship was called into the team after Marinato Guilherme, Fernandes, Mario, Roman Neustadter and Konstantin Rausch became the fifth naturalized player in the national team.
Earlier, UEFA has reacted to the scandalous statement of Pogrebnyak.