Slaven Bilic has defended Russian football, saying that the nation does not have a problem with racism in the game.
There have been a number of high-profile incidents concerning racism in the sport over the past few months, most notably when a Zenit St Petersburg fan group called for the exclusion of gay and black players in the team.
However, Bilic, who is now in charge of Lokomotiv Moscow, has said that the problem is far more prevalent in other countries in Europe.
"I follow football of course, I love football and there were more racist incidents in Italy and Spain from after the Euros, but you can't say those countries have a problem with racism," Billic told the BBC.
"If you take out some idiots shouting at or booing the coloured guy in one or a couple of games, you can't then say the whole league or the whole country is like that.
"On the contrary, it isn't. I live in Russia, it is very peaceful."
Bilic managed his national side Croatia for six years prior to taking over at Lokomotiv.
Paul Gorst
