Zenit St Petersburg 'May Sell' Malcom After Apparent Racial Abuse on His Debut
Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg 'may' consider selling former Barcelona player Malcom already after he was racially targeted by a section of their fans on his debut, according to one report.
Malcom only completed his move to Zenit on Friday for a reported £36m, signing a five-year deal with the club.
However, the big-money arrival's debut was marked by unsavoury scenes in the crowd during Saturday's game against Krasnodar.
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Malcom came on as a second-half substitute and was greeted by a banner from supporters reading: "thank you to the leaders for their loyalty to traditions", an apparently sarcastic reference to Zenit's historical lack of black players.
Zenit's fans have previously published a manifesto denying that their views are racist but have also criticised the signings of Hulk and Axel Witsel in the past.
The statement said: "for us the absence of black players is only a tradition, we are not racist".
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Having witnessed the actions of their fans on the weekend, Zenit's team management are said to be reviewing their options just three days after signing the winger. Russian outlet Sport RU claims that Zenit may even be willing to sell Malcom as early as January to avoid conflict with their supporters.
However, Zenit have appeared to hit back at the controversy surrounding the new player's debut on their English language Twitter page, posting two videos, both showing an appreciative reception for Malcom from the home crowd.
The first tweet was captioned: "54,078 people cheering together for our new man Malcom. See for yourself, not through the words of others."
The second tweet shows the Brazilian applaud and receive applause from the crowd following the final whistle and features the caption: "Only [blue heart emoji] for Malcom and the team."
The 22-year-old signed for Barcelona last summer after impressing in Ligue 1 with Bordeaux, but struggled to make an impact for the Spanish champions, scoring just four goals in 24 games across all competitions, leading to him being sold after a solitary season at the club.
