Ukrainian League hockey player Andri Denyskin passed a racist gesture toward a Black-American opponent during a league game on September 26.
Andri Denyskin is a Ukrainian hockey league player and plays for HC Kremenchuk.
The hockey player is receiving a lot of heat from fans all over the world for his racist gesture during a league game on Sunday.
A video capturing his gesture has gone viral on social media and naturally, netizens are absolutely furious by his action.
Andri Denyskin Racist Gesture Video Explained
Andri Denyskin made a disturbing racist gesture towards a fellow opponent, Jalen Smereck, of the Black-American community on Sunday’s league game.
Denyskin mimed the peeling of a banana and eating it towards Smereck, according to Yahoo! Finance. For those unversed, any action with banana has been regarded as a racial slur since the past.
During the 1980s, hurling or throwing a banana at a black soccer player was common and has been recognized as racism across Europe for decades.
Fortunately, the trend has long been eradicated for games.
Thus, Denyskin’s gesture is regarded as a high-level offense and has angered a lot of the viewers.
Reddit: Is The Ukrainian League Player Suspended?
No, the Ukrainian league player is not suspended. But Andri Denyskin was ejected from the remainder of Sunday’s game.
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) strongly disapproved of the player’s action and publically condemned him in their statement.
The IIHF said they do not tolerate any form of racial discrimination and regarded Denyskin’s action as a direct assault on their ideals and values of the game.
They also stated they will take strict disciplinary action but nothing has been made official yet.
Kevin Weekers, an NHL analyst, also came in support of Jalen Smereck and hoped Andri will receive at least one year of suspension without pay in all leagues.
Andri Denyskin Age & Wiki Explored
Andri Denyskin, aged 24, is a Detroit native. He briefly played with the NAHL as a junior but has spent the majority of his career in Ukraine.
Denyskin previously played his junior career in the OHL. he was a part of the Arizona Coyotes organization.