Expressions of members of the English national team regarding potential racism ahead of Monday's EURO 2020 qualifying match in Sofia have upset representatives of the Bulgarian national team.
The Bulgarian Football Federation (BFU) has been punished in the past for racist outbursts by their fans. As a result, by UEFA's directive, during the match between Bulgaria and England at the Sofia national stadium, a section of stands will be closed off. 5,000 seats out of the 46,000 capacity will not be accessible to spectators.
Aware of this, players from the English national team stated last week that if racist incidents occur during the match, they will immediately leave the field. This news reverberated around the world.
The Bulgarian response to this was sour. BFU President Borislav Mikhailov complained to UEFA about provocative statements and escalation of the issue. Bulgarian national team coach Krasimir Balakov also spoke sharply at a press conference held before the match.
"It's not worth talking about it as a problem. Many players of various nationalities and skin colors play in the Bulgarian league. I don't think we have more problems than in England. There have been incidents related to racism in various English leagues. I consider it a normal phenomenon, as it is a large country with very different populations. But I can assure you that we do not have such problems in Bulgaria," said Balakov.
English national team coach Gareth Southgate also acknowledged that the English should first deal with this issue in their own country and address all issues, as such incidents still occur in lower divisions. At a press conference, he said he would prefer to talk about football and the upcoming matches.
In a similar vein, Balakov concluded his conference: "I would like to focus only on football, as we are all civilized Europeans. I would advise everyone to think and talk about football as we gathered here for that. There is no need to speak facetiously about what did not happen."
UEFA regulations state that in the event of racist chanting or other forms of insult, the referee can pause the match for a few minutes and demand that the spectators in the stadium be addressed. If they do not stop, the match can be halted altogether.
