As Antonio Geder, captain of Saturn Ramenskoye, approached the flagpole with Zenit captain Vladislav Radimov to take part in the ceremony, Zenit fans seated nearby made menacing monkey calls in an unmistakable reference to Geder's skin color.
The player was subject to further racist taunts throughout the match, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
FIFA, world football's governing body, recently issued a statement asking coaches to contribute in the battle against racism.
But after the game, Saturn coach Vladimir Weiss expressed a sanguine view of the heckling.
"I can understand the Zenit supporters. They want to support their players," he said.
However, Zenit coach Vlastimil Petrzela took a stronger line.
"I don't like this at all," he said, and pointed out that European leagues with this kind of fan behavior might deter African football players if such abuse were not stopped.
Zenit communications director Fyodor Pogorelov reiterated Monday that Zenit would not tolerate racism in the stands.
"Zenit's official attitude concerning racism is that it's definitely wrong, unacceptable and impossible," Pogorelov said.
Last Tuesday, FIFA issued plans to penalize clubs over acts of racism, including deductions of points and disqualification from competitions. The plan also mentioned banning fans from stadiums if they display racist behavior.
"You must do everything you can to ban these people from stadiums," France and Juventus defender Lilian Thuram told French sports daily L'Equipe.
"I strongly believe in education, but there are some people who can't be educated any more. It's too late."
The FIFA proposals were agreed on in Zurich on Thursday in a meeting at which Thuram gave testimony about racism in football, describing it as a "plague."
Confederations and national associations will be compelled to incorporate the measures, and infringements could lead to a two-year exclusion from international football, FIFA said.
"Financial sanctions have no effect. Stripping a club of points can be more discouraging. If you miss a title or if you are relegated because of the behavior of your fans, it can be pretty effective," Thuram said.
Zenit spokesman Pogorelov said the St. Petersburg club supported tough anti-racism measures against fans.
"We think that a good idea is to identify certain misbehavers and ban them from the stadium," he said.
Harsh penalties were discussed after Spanish Premier League team Zaragoza's fans racially abused Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o at a league game last month. The Cameroonian player threatened to leave the pitch in protest but teammates persuaded him to continue playing.
Zenit's Petrzela said he did not need to talk to his players about promoting tolerance.
"Our players don't support racism at all. I do not have to tell them anything special about [racism]," he said.
Cameroonian defender Jerry Christian Tschuisse, who has played for Russian sides Spartak Moscow and Chernomorets, has told the BBC that he had seen the ugly face of Russian football.
"I've had bananas thrown at me on the pitch," he said. "People shouting at me: 'Oi, black guy, what are you doing here?' And there have been fights, too."
Pogorelov said Zenit planned to promote racial awareness among its fans.
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