England Victory Marred by Racist Chants

UEFA have launched an official investigation after England’s Euro 2020 qualifying match against Bulgaria on Monday night was overshadowed by scenes of racism.

Bulgarian police announced this morning that they have made four arrests in connection with the incident, adding that “[w]ork is still ongoing to identify other participants”.

England were rampant in footballing terms, hammering Bulgaria 6-0 to secure their place at the European Championship next year, although unfortunately none of the talk since has reflected this.

The game had to be halted by the referee twice before half time, after England players Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and debutant Tyrone Mings were subjected to monkey chants and Nazi salutes from Bulgarian fans.

Following UEFA protocol, the match was first brought to a halt so that an announcement could be made over the stadium speakers telling fans that if the abuse continued then the game would be suspended.

They then stopped the game for a second time just before half time, but England manager Gareth Southgate made the decision in conjunction with his players to play the last few minutes before the break.

This is not the first time Bulgaria has been guilty of racism towards football players.  The match against England was played in a half empty stadium owing to a previous indictment when the side met both Kosovo and the Czech Republic last month.

There is now mounting pressure on UEFA to take a tougher stance, with many calling for Bulgaria to be withdrawn from the tournament altogether, with football’s governing body not being seen to take the issue seriously enough in the past.