Player who made racial gesture in Ukrainian league finds new home in Poland
Last September in a Ukrainian Hockey League game, Andrei Deniskin, a forward for HC Kremenchuk, made a racial gesture towards HC Donbass forward Jalen Smereck. Deniskin pretended to peel and eat a banana following a scrum with Smereck, who is black.
Хоккейный клуб «Донбасс» резко отрицает все формы дискриминации и возмущен поведением Андрея Денискина. Донецкий клуб отвергает любые расистские проявления - расизму не место ни на спортивных площадках, ни за их пределами 😠 pic.twitter.com/FhfXgw45Cu HC Donbass (@hcdonbass) September 26, 2021
The Ukrainian Hockey League ultimately suspended Deniskin for thirteen games and fined him. The IIHF also handed down a suspension to the 23-year-old, banning him from representing Ukraine for one year.
As for Smereck, he left the Ukrainian Hockey League and signed in Germany's top division, the DEL, with Bietigheim Steelers.
On Saturday, Polish club Unia Oswiecim announced that they've signed Deniskin to a one-year contract for the 2022-23 season.
It's a little shocking to see someone sign Deniskin given what happened last season. A lot of people were outraged that he got only a thirteen game suspension from the UHL, even Smereck believed that he should have been banned for one year.
Source: Hokej.net.
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