Controversy over sexist Argentine manual put to rest: World Cup organisers

Madrid, May 19 (IANS) The CEO of the Local Organising Committee for the 2018 World Cup in Russia said that the Argentine football federation (AFA) had apologised for a sexist chapter included in a manual given out to players, staff and journalists and that the controversy had been put to rest.

Alexei Sorokin made the remarks when asked during an interview with EFE about a chapter in the manual that gave advice on picking up Russian women.

"They've apologised and removed the chapter," Sorokin said on Friday in Madrid, where he attended a 2018 World Cup presentation ceremony at the Russian Embassy.

The manual containing the chapter "What to do to have a chance with a Russian girl" was handed out on May 16 during a course for players journalists and AFA staff who will travel to the World Cup.

Among other things, the chapter said Russian women wanted men to be clean and smell nice and did not like to be viewed as objects or to be asked "stupid questions about sex."

The AFA said in a statement a day later that the chapter had been written as a joke and erroneously included in the manual.

It expressed its "most sincere apologies to those affected by the publication, which in no way reflects the thoughts of the Argentine soccer association, nor those of its president, Claudio Tapia, nor any of its executives."

The World Cup will run from June 14 to July 15.

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