The Russian Embassy in Helsinki has condemned an incident in which offensive chants were shouted at ethnic Russian football players during a championship match in Finland.
The incident occurred during a match between two Finnish clubs in Turku on October 3, when local club TPS faced Jaro, a squad from the coastal city of Pietarsaari.
According to Yle TV, at one point, the spectators began chanting offensive slogans directed at Jaro players Sergey Lazarev and Sergey Eremenko. The game was stopped and seven people were removed from the stadium.
While St. Petersburg-born Lazarev is a Russian national, Eremenko was born in Finland to Russian parents and has dual citizenship.
TPS Executive Director Kim Ekroos has denounced the behavior of the fans. “We apologize to the entire football community, but especially to the Jaro team,” he said shortly after the game.
“We have a zero tolerance policy for racism, and people who behave in a racist or otherwise inappropriate manner are not welcome at TPS.”
The Russian Embassy released a statement on Sunday, condemning the “outrageous” incident.
“We must once again highlight the critical level of Russophobic sentiments in Finland, which, unfortunately, have long reached the field of sports,” the statement read, accusing the Finnish authorities of “inaction.”
The Ukraine conflict has prompted a wave of calls in the West to boycott Moscow and to cut ties with Russian nationals. Since 2022, Russia has been banned from a number of sporting events, including the Olympics.
Moscow has accused Finland and other European countries of deliberately cultivating Russophobia as a political weapon.