By Patrick Akoto

Haminu Draman says entrenched racism can in Russian football can deny the Eastern European rights to hold the Fifa 2018 World Cup

Ghana international Haminu Draman has doubts over Russia’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup finals because of major concerns about racism.

Fifa committee members are due to decide on Thursday which nation will be granted the tournament, with Russian vying with England, Spain/Portugal and Holland/Belgium to get the nod.

But after the verbal racial abuse he is suffered over the past three years with club side Lokomotive Moscow, Draman is concerned about Fifa letting Russia host the World Cup.

“Some people will not like it because of the racism in Russia and I hope everyone knows about it,” Draman said.

“I think if the other countries like Africa qualify for the World Cup when it’s hosted by Russia, I think it’s going to be hard for them too, unless these kind of things change here.

“If you play against some clubs that don’t have blacks in their team, especially in Saint Petersburg, it’s crazy. If you are black certain things happen. I’m ok, I just play my game. I am not listening to these people.”

Lokomotive was in the headlines for the wrong reason in August when fans put up a banner with a picture of a banana on it, ‘thanking’ the English club West Bromwich Albion for buying the Nigerian player Peter Odemwingie’.

Russia, which have not hosted the tournament before, are viewed as a leading contender for 2018 rights.