Hulk: ‘I’m sure racism doesn’t exist in Russia anymore’

Two years on from saying he encountered abuse in “almost every game,” former Zenit St. Petersburg striker Hulk says racism is no longer a problem in Russian football.

“I’m sure it doesn’t exist anymore,” the Brazilian told CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies. “It didn’t happen at any stage during the Confederations Cup; I’m sure it won’t happen at the World Cup.”

Asked whether the issue has been solved in Russia, Hulk responded: “Yes – I believe so.”

The 30-year-old, who joined Chinese Super League club Shanghai SIPG for $61 million in July 2016, has previously accused opposition fans of racial abuse during high profile clashes against Spartak Moscow and FC Torpedo Moscow in 2014/15.

Now though, he contends, “there’s nothing to be worried about.”

“Unfortunately, I experienced a few cases (of racism) in Russia, especially when I arrived in my first year,” said Hulk. “With time, it began improving.

“I was getting used to Russian football. Russian people were embracing me more. So, I guess, one year before I left Zenit this wasn’t happening anymore.”

‘I blew kisses to them’

André Villas-Boas, then-manager of Zenit St. Petersburg, said the monkey chants Hulk was subjected to that season were a “disaster” for the perception of Russian football around the world.

The offending clubs were sanctioned by the Russian Football Union disciplinary committee, with Torpedo fined 300,000 roubles ($5050) and ordered to play two home matches behind closed doors.

Even so, the player himself doesn’t believe fans were setting out to be vindictive.

“I don’t think of it as malice,” says Hulk. “I think it’s also slightly cultural.”

Instead the Russian Premier League’s top scorer in 2014/15 puts the incidents down to supporters trying to “distract” opponents, and particularly star players.

“I paid a lot of attention to it and I got distracted from the game,” he says. “That made me sad inside.”

READ: Sulley Muntari would support player boycott

A year on from his four seasons in St. Petersburg, the Brazilian is also quick to forgive.

“I’m a person who doesn’t hold any grudges,” says Hulk. “With time, when it happened several more times, I began to relax.

“When the supporters tried to commit acts of racism or making monkey noises, I blew kisses to the supporters. That’s how I responded to them.”

‘Racially abused for the game I love’

In 2012, a group of Zenit supporters released a manifesto calling for non-white and gay players to be excluded from their team. The club was quick to distance itself from the notice, but the incident arguably highlighted a wider malaise.

Brazil great Roberto Carlos, who joined Anzhi Makhachkala in 2011, twice had bananas brandished at him that year.

In 2013, Manchester City’s Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure was subjected to racist chants from the stands at CSKA Moscow, and voiced his disgust after the match, saying “I’m not just disappointed, I’m furious.”

Alexei Smertin once denied the existence of racism in Russia but now the former national team captain and Chelsea midfielder is in charge of tackling the problem as the World Cup looms.

Related article There will be no racism at 2018 World Cup matches, says Russia's anti-racism chief

In November 2014, Hulk himself alleged he was racially abused by Russian referee Alexei Matyunin during a 1-0 defeat to Mordovia Saransk.

After Hulk’s allegations against Matyunin, it was ruled that “a serious personal conflict took place,” but that there was no “direct proof” of racial abuse and the referee, who reportedly had denied the accusation, was cleared of abusing the Brazilian.

More recently, Ghanaian Emmanuel Frimpong tweeted he had been “racially abused for the game that I love” following the first match of the 2015/16 Russian season, FC Ufa vs. Spartak Moscow.

The Ufa midfielder, who now plays for Sweden’s AFC Eskilstuna, was sent off for making an offensive gesture to the crowd and subsequently slapped with a two-match ban, describing the Russian Football Union’s verdict that there was no evidence of racial abuse as “beyond a joke.”

“I’m going to serve a sentence for being abused,” Frimpong seethed, “and yet we are going to hold a World Cup in this country.”

Russian Premier League’s security director, Alexander Meytin, said in Frimpong’s case: “The video cameras did not pick up any evidence of gestures. There were no gestures aimed at the footballer.”

Visit cnn.com/football for more news and videos

Russia 2018

St. Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg —

Designed by late Japanese architect Kisho Kurosawa to look like a spaceship, the brand new St. Petersburg Stadium was built on Krestovsky Island where the 110,000-capacity Kirov Stadium used to stand.

St. Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg —

Opened in April 2017, the stadium is equipped with a retractable roof and sliding pitch. Inside, the temperature can be regulated to a mild 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 C) all year round.

St. Petersburg Stadium World Cup schedule: Group stage, last 16, semifinal, third-place playoff
Legacy: The 67,000-seater will regain its former name -- Krestovsky Stadium -- and be home to 2007-08 UEFA Cup winners Zenit St. Petersburg.

Ekaterinburg Stadium, Yekaterinburg —

Located 1,000 miles east of Moscow on the site of the old Central Stadium -- once a prominent speed skating venue -- the Ekaterinburg Stadium has retained its original Soviet neo-Classical pillars while adding modern refurbishments and temporary stands.

Ekaterinburg Stadium, Yekaterinburg —

The additional seats, constructed outside of the original stadium, loom dramatically at either end of the pitch in order to fulfill FIFA's minimum World Cup capacity of 35,000. Recent inspection reports have shown the temporary stands "fully comply with all safety and security requirements," according to a FIFA spokesperson.

Ekaterinburg Stadium World Cup schedule: Group stage
Legacy: FC Ural, one of Russia's oldest clubs newly promoted to the country's top tier, will continue to use the stadium for its home games. After the World Cup, the capacity will be reduced and it will once again be known as Central Stadium.

Fisht Stadium, Sochi —

The Fisht Stadium held the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics and is already well-equipped for the demands of a major international football tournament.

Fisht Stadium, Sochi —

Named after Mount Fisht, a peak in the nearby Caucasus mountain range, the arena's roof was designed to resemble a snow-capped summit.

Fisht Stadium World Cup schedule: Group stage, last 16, quarterfinals
Legacy: The 47,700-capacity venue will stage training camps and competitive matches for the Russian national team.

Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow —

It was home to the 1980 Summer Olympics, 2008 Champions League final, 2013 Athletics World Championships and no shortage of musical tours, from Michael Jackson to the Rolling Stones...

Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow —

Now the Luzhniki Stadium has been refurbished -- with the athletics track removed and two extra tiers added -- while preserving its historical facade.

Luzhniki Stadium World Cup schedule: Group stage, last 16, semifinal, final
Legacy: The 81,006-seater will retain its status as the country's leading football stadium, hosting competitive international matches and friendlies.

Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad —

Built in the heart of Kaliningrad on Oktyabrsky Island -- a section of land sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania left largely untouched until its selection as a World Cup venue -- the Kaliningrad stadium is loosely based on the design of Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena.

Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad —

Kaliningrad Stadium World Cup schedule: Group stage
Legacy: The 35,000-seater stadium will have its capacity reduced by 10,000 and be home to second-tier side FC Baltika Kaliningrad. A new residential development will be built around it featuring parks, quays and embankments alongside the Pregola river.

Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don —

Located about 20 miles from the Sea of Azov in south eastern Russia, the brand new Rostov Arena is 51m tall -- as high as the Niagra Falls.

Rostov Arena World Cup schedule: Group stage, last 16
Legacy: As one of the first major projects built on the southern bank of the Don River, architects hope the 45,000-seater stadium will attract a flow of people and investment from the north. It will also host Russian Premier League side FC Rostov's home fixtures.

Volgograd Arena, Volgograd —

Built at the foot of the towering Mamayev Kurgan World War II memorial "The Motherland Calls" (pictured), the Volgograd Stadium will replace the demolished Central Stadium and feature an open lattice exterior structure.

Volgograd Arena World Cup schedule: Group stage
Legacy: The 45,000-seater will become the home ground of second-tier side FC Rotor Vologograd.

Spartak Stadium, Moscow —

Built to host Spartak Moscow -- the "people's team" which has made do without its own venue for almost a century -- the 43,298-seater Spartak Stadium will go on proving its worth long after the World Cup. The arena's facade features hundreds of red and white diamonds representing Spartak's logo, which change color when the Russian national side plays there.

Spartak Stadium World Cup schedule: Last 16
Legacy: As well as hosting Spartak Moscow and the national side, the stadium will provide the center piece for a new residential development.

Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod —

Situated at the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers, the new Nizhny Novgorod Stadium is designed to resemble the shimmering waters that surround it. The 45,331-capacity arena sits close to the Alexander Nevsky cathedral, and with views across to the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin.

Nizhny Novgorod Stadium World Cup schedule: Group stage, last 16, quarterfinals
Legacy: The stadium was intended to become the permanent home of Russian club FC Volga, replacing the Lokomotiv Stadium after the tournament. However, Volga dissolved because of financial troubles in June 2016. Instead, second tier Olympiets Nizhny Novgorod will call the new build home.

Samara Arena, Samara —

Constructed in a southeastern region renowned for its aerospace sector, the 44,807-seater Samara Arena is designed to resemble an otherworldly glass dome. By night, the whole structure will light up.

Samara Arena World Cup schedule: Group stage, last 16, quarterfinals
Legacy: The 44,918-capacity stadium will be known as Cosmos Arena, hosting Russian second-tier side FC Krylia Sovetov Samara.

Featuring a striking orange, red and white exterior, construction on the 44,442-seater Mordovia Arena began in 2010. Initially hoped to be completed two years later for the 1,000th anniversary of the Mordovian people's unification with Russia's other ethnic groups, it was eventually finished in April 2018.

Mordovia Arena World Cup schedule: Group stage
Legacy: With a population of just 300,000, Saransk is the smallest of the 2018 World Cup host cities. After the tournament, some of the stadium's temporary structures will be demolished, reducing the capacity to 25,000. It will become the home of third-tier side FC Mordovia.

Kazan Arena, Kazan —

Designed by the same firm of architects as Wembley and Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, Kazan Arena was constructed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape. Viewed from above, it is said to resemble a water-lily on the banks of the adjacent Kazanka river. The front of the stadium is dominated by a high definition screen with a total area of 3,700 meters -- the largest of its kind in the world.

Kazan Arena World Cup schedule: Group stage, last 16, quarterfinals
Legacy: Opened in 2013, it will continue to be home to Rubin Kazan, Russian Premier League champions in 2008 and 2009. Visit CNN.com/sport for more news and features

Take a tour of the 2018 Russia World Cup stadiums

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However, racist incidents continue to occur at football matches in the country, though marginal progress has been made, according to researchers at Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) and Russia-based SOVA.

A recent report details 89 reported instances of discriminatory displays logged between June 2016 and May 2017, compared to 101 in the 2015-16 campaign and 92 the season before.

Piara Powar, executive director of FARE, told CNN in June that “incidents could take place” at the World Cup, but he predicted the country would “come together, to be seen as a good host.”

READ: There will be no racism at the World Cup, Smertin claims

Muntari, who plays for Serie A side Pescara, told CNN Sport in May he was a victim of racist abuse in Italy “every game” and felt “like a criminal” for daring to speak out.

But he also insisted “it is a good thing that Russia is going to host the next World Cup,” suggesting it would “bring people together, and peace” – echoing the sentiment of a 2014 FIFA statement saying “history has shown that boycotting sport events … is not the most effective ways to solve problems.”

“FIFA has done well,” Muntari said, “because you can’t run from your problems. You have to tackle them.”

READ: Muntari says 2018 World Cup will bring peace

Meanwhile, Hulk says he would welcome the chance to return if selected by Brazil head coach Tite.

“It’ll be an amazing World Cup here,” he insists. “There are three Brazilians playing in China who are in the national team – two of whom are in the Starting XI.

“If I have the opportunity, I would welcome it with open arms to play here in Russia where I spent four very happy years. It will be very special.”