Lokomotiv Kaliningrad commented on the scandal surrounding their trainer on Friday
Russian women’s volleyball team Lokomotiv Kaliningrad have insisted that head coach Andrey Voronkov meant no offense when he appeared to insult a black player on a rival team during a decisive championship match.
Voronkov is facing a ban of up to two years after he was overheard by TV cameras asking one of his players “why are you catching this monkey again” during the final game of Lokomotiv’s Russian Women’s Super League series against Uralochka-NTMK earlier this month.
The comments were taken as a reference to Cuban Uralochka star Ailama Cese Montalvo.
On Thursday, the disciplinary commission of the Russian Volleyball Federation ruled that Voronkov would face a sanction of up to 24 months for the comments.
The coach – a former trainer of the Russian men’s national team – has thus far refused to apologize publicly for the remarks, although Lokomotiv did…
