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FOOTBALL

Football: Spain choose Krasnodar as World Cup base

Spain said Friday that they have chosen Krasnodar, not far from the Black Sea, as their base for the World Cup which starts on June 14th.

Football: Spain choose Krasnodar as World Cup base
Photo: AFP

“The national team has decided on the south of Russia and more precisely Krasnodar for their headquarters from which they will radiate to the main cities where the World will take place,” said a statement from the Spanish football federation.

The players will use the training facilities of Krasnodar Academy, the local Russian Premier League club, which have both grass and artificial surfaces.

Spain will kick off in Group B against Portugal on June 15th in Sochi, 270 kilometres south of Krasnodar. They then face Iran in Kazan, almost 1,700 kilometres to the north, on June 20th, and travel the same distance to play Morocco in Kaliningrad, on the Baltic coast, on June 25th.

READ ALSO: FIFA threatens to boot Spain out of World Cup

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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