Sofia (Bulgaria), Oct 15 (IANS) England players were subjected to racial slurs during their 6-0 victory over Bulgaria in the ongoing Euro 2020 qualifiers.
The match, played at Bulgaria’s national stadium on Monday night, was stopped twice because of the interruptions from the crowd and officials even threatened to boycott the game.
The first incident of racism took place in first half when chants were aimed in the direction of England debutant Tyrone Mings. After this, Raheem Sterling became a target for further abuse in the 28th minute leading referee Ivan Bebek to stop the game.
After lengthy discussions, and in accordance with European football governing body UEFA’s protocol for dealing with racism, the crowd were warned of the consequences if there were further problems. There was another stoppage just before half-time, reports BBC Sport.
UEFA had earlier ordered the partial closure of Vasil Levski Stadium following racist behaviour by their fans in games against the Czech Republic and Kosovo in June.
Earlier, England striker Tammy Abraham had stated that the team was prepared to walk off the field if they are subjected to racist abuse during the ongoing tournament.
–IANS
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