Comments by Gareth Southgate and England players such as Tammy Abraham about possible racist abuse in Sofia have been described as “offensive” and “derogatory” by the president of the Bulgarian Football Union.
Borislav Mihaylov, a former national team goalkeeper, has written to Uefa to express frustration at comments made in advance of Monday’s Euro 2020 qualifier and called on European football’s governing body to sanction England if they go against Uefa’s three-step protocol by immediately walking off if there is racist abuse from the stands.
The Bulgarian federation was hit by a two-match partial stadium closure for racist abuse during June’s home qualifiers against the Czechs and Kosovo. The second of those games will be against England.
Mihaylov’s letter to Uefa’s general secretary, Theodore Theodoridis, began: “It is with a great feeling of regret that I find myself obligated to address you regarding a matter that I assumed to have been peacefully resolved at the end of last month.
“I first raised awareness about the issue at hand following England manager Gareth Southgate’s comments on potential racial abuse in England’s visit to Sofia on October 14; comments that the Bulgarian Football Union, the Bulgarian general public and I personally find offensive due to unjust branding of the local spectators as people inclined to discriminatory behaviour.
“Following the communication with English FA president Mr Greg Clarke I was informed that Mr Southgate’s concerns were mainly due to the fact that Bulgaria received a Uefa sanction for racist chants in 2011 – and even though I view these comments as disregarding of all the work that the BFU has done over these eight years, I truly believed that our federation’s immediate reaction would result in a more constructive handling of public and media matters in the eve of the game in Sofia.”
Mihaylov added: “Please find attached references to articles in worldwide media platforms in which various players from the England national team openly discuss the possibilities of breaking the Uefa three-step procedure and all Uefa protocols and walking off the pitch in the case of discriminatory behaviour in the team’s upcoming European qualifiers against the Czech Republic and particularly against Bulgaria – an idea which, if executed, should be punishable according to the Uefa disciplinary regulations.”
Abraham said this week that England’s players had discussed how they would respond to racist abuse and that “Harry Kane even said that if it happens and we’re not happy with it, we all come off the pitch together”.
Uefa’s three-step protocol begins with an announcement over the stadium’s public address system ordering the abuse to stop. If it persists the referee will take the teams off for a reasonable period of time. If the abuse continues after that break, then the game is abandoned.
England walking off before the protocol has been observed could result in them forfeiting the match, which under Uefa disciplinary regulations could see the match awarded as a 3-0 victory to Bulgaria.
Mihaylov said he was “shocked” by the remarks from the England camp and said the accusations were “not only unjust but are continuous attempts to disrupt the atmosphere before a very much anticipated game of football”.
He continued: “I, as president of the Bulgarian Football Union, cannot allow for such derogatory claims to continue being spread in the mass media and I strongly suggest that the Uefa administration take measures against the buildup of unnecessary tension in the weeks devoted to equality and to the celebration of football.”
