Five Bulgarian football fans have been arrested today for racially abusing England players during their Euro 2020 qualifying match.
Police tracked down supporters accused of targeting Three Lions players during the match in Sofia on Monday night.
England won 6-0 but the game was stopped twice during the first half as black players endured racist chanting from the home fans.
After stadium announcements were broadcast during the game telling fans to stop abusing England players, Bulgarian supporters wearing masks held up T-shirts saying ‘No respect’ and made Nazi salutes.
Bulgarian football fans (above) being arrested over racist abuse of England on Monday night
Bulgaria have been charged by UEFA after their fans racially abused England players in Sofia. One-handed salutes could be seen being performed by the home fans in response to the refereeing stopping the game in the first half
England’s Tyrone Mings after speaking to referee Ivan Bebek as the match temporarily is stopped during the first half following racist abuse from the home crowd
A group of around 50 of the home crowd were ushered out of the Vassil Levski stadium and the second half was completed without any stoppages, despite some of the monkey chants still being repeated in sections of the ground.
UEFA’s three-step anti-racism protocol was instigated during the first half when debutant Tyrone Mings informed the match officials of the abuse coming from the crowd.
A statement was read out over the PA system requesting supporters stop their behaviour.
There was later another stoppage moments before half-time when Raheem Sterling heard jeering and monkey chants.
However, England players, manager Gareth Southgate and the backroom staff opted to complete the game.
Yesterday UEFA announced it has opened disciplinary proceedings against Bulgaria for ‘racist behaviour, throwing of objects, disruption of national anthem and replays on giant screen’.
There were two breaks in play in Sofia after racist chanting was reported to the match officials. Some fans could be seen appearing to make monkey chants at England’s black players
England player’s were subjected to horrific racist abuse by Bulgaria fans during their 6-0 win in Sofia on Monday evening
A Bulgaria fan holds up a ‘No Respect’ jumper, in an attack on UEFA’s Respect campaign for equality, during the ugly scenes in Sofia on Monday night
But the governing body also decided to charge England as well, citing the Three Lions for ‘disruption of national anthem’ and ‘insufficient number of travelling stewards’.
Just hours later the president of the Bulgarian Football Association, Borislav Mihaylov, resigned from his position after the government said it would freeze all relations and gut funding to the body.
The Bulgarian FA’s offices were raided by 30 uniformed officers from the country’s State Security Council in what sources suggest was a search for documents relating to referees.
Despite the audible chants coming from the crowd, images of one-handed salutes and monkey gesturing, Bulgarian manager, Krasimir Balakov, claimed not to have heard any chanting.
In his post-match press conference: ‘The unacceptable behaviour was by England fans.’
However today, Balakov apologised to the England team, saying: ‘I strongly condemn and reject racism as a norm of conduct that contradicts modern human relations.
Hordes of Bulgarian fans in black hoodies and shirts which said ‘hooligans from Sofia’. Around 50 home fans were ejected from the stadium
Fans in black wore clothes which had ‘ultras’ and ‘hooligans’ printed on them at the stadium
‘This is a prejudice that comes from the past that must be eradicated forever.
‘I want to say something very clear: given that there have been insults on such a basis, I, as a coach of the national team, apologise to the English footballers and all those who feel hurt.’
Southgate said he felt his players and staff made a ‘bigger statement than any team ever has done within international football’ with their actions in Sofia.
Boris Johnson also condemned the racism as ‘vile’ and called on UEFA to conduct a swift investigation with tough penalties to follow.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has demanded ‘new, stronger and more effective ways to eradicate racism in football’ in the wake of the abuse suffered by England players.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin urged the ‘football family’ to ‘wage war on the racists’.
He blamed a ‘rise in nationalism’ across Europe for fuelling racism at matches and said football had become ‘complacent’ in tackling the problem.
England have also been charged by UEFA though for failing to take enough stewards with them as well as chanting and booing during Bulgaria’s national anthem
England’s Raheem Sterling, who scored twice on Monday, was a target for much of the abuse
Infantino, who during his time at UEFA introduced that protocol, added: ‘So many times we say there is no place for racism in football, but nonetheless we still face challenges to tackle this problem in our sport, as we do in society.
‘We will need the support of public authorities to help us identify and punish the culprits but we probably also need to think more broadly on what we can do to fix this.
‘When we proposed the three-step procedure in 2009 when I was at UEFA, and then made the regulations even tougher a few years later, we could not have imagined that so shortly thereafter we would again be having to think of how to combat this obnoxious disease that seems to be getting even worse in some parts of the world.’
Ex-Bulgarian FA president, Mihaylov, previously defended Bulgarian football from accusations of racism and criticised England for what he saw as a ‘fixation’ on potential incidents that could raise tension in the build up to Monday’s match.
The case will now be given to UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body with the date of their meeting yet to be confirmed.
It remains to be seen how severe the punishment will be but, in September 2011, the Bulgarian Football Union was fined just £34,250 by UEFA after home supporters berated Ashley Young, Ashley Cole and Theo Walcott with monkey chants.