“What a fumble by the Ukrainian league to permit a participant to purchase his video games again after a vulgar and unacceptable motion,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Pathetic mishandle by who ever is in cost. Clearly they tolerate this sort of behaviour, it is a disgrace.”
“I need to publicly apologize to the participant of the hockey membership Donbass Jalen Smereck,” he wrote. “In the course of the match Kremenchuk – Donbass, I, being in destructive feelings, confirmed a gesture that somebody could take into account as an insult in race.
“I respect all individuals no matter their race or nationality. Feelings in hockey, sadly, may be completely different.”
“I made this destructive gesture on emotion after the battle, however at that second I didn’t have any racist intentions,” he added.
“Solely afterwards I noticed that I may have made Jalen look dangerous with my ill-considered motion. So, as soon as once more, I need to categorical my apologies to him. I respect all individuals no matter their racial or nationwide origin.
“I’m very sorry to what has occurred as a result of I deal with all individuals equally.”
CNN reached out to Deniskin by way of Kremenchuk, however is but to listen to again.
“[The] Donetsk membership rejects any racist manifestations — racism has no place neither on the sports activities fields, nor exterior them,” it wrote.
“We are going to do every thing attainable to assist our hockey participant, whereas on the similar time we name the Disciplinary Committee for the strictest attainable punishment for the Kremenchuk participant.”
“It is best to see in what situation he got here as we speak,” he advised the Donbass web site. “He couldn’t begin the coaching course of. I feel he obtained 1000’s of calls and texts of assist. He is in a depressed state.
“We imagine that racism has no place anyplace.”
CNN reached out to Smereck by way of HC Donbass, however is but to listen to again.
In an interview with WXYZ Detroit, Smereck mentioned: “As soon as I seen the video, I used to be like wow he actually went for a full on act. That is the farthest I’ve ever seen it go.”
“As of proper now, I’ve determined that I can be taking a private go away of absence from HC Donbass and I cannot play one other sport within the UHL till Andrei Deniskin is suspended and faraway from the league.”
CNN requested Kremenchuk for touch upon Smereck’s determination to not play once more till Deniskin is faraway from the league, however has but to obtain a response.
Akim Aliu, a Nigerian born Canadian-Ukrainian hockey participant and chair of the Hockey Variety Alliance (HDA), additionally criticized the UHL’s punishment.
“The hockey neighborhood rallies round him and that is simply one other instance showcasing how hockey is NOT for everybody,” it wrote on Twitter. “The upper-ups should arise and make the precise determination. They set an instance for everybody.”
