Approaching the European Championship qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, England national team striker Tammy Abraham stated that in case of a racist attack, he would immediately leave the field with his teammates.
The matches will take place in countries where racist incidents have occurred multiple times in the past. The Bulgarians were already punished for fan behavior in June, so their match against England on October 14 in Sofia will be held in a partially closed stadium.
"If this (racist attack) happens to at least one of us, it happens to all of us," T. Abraham said in an interview with the BBC. "Captain Harry Kane said if it hurts us, we will all leave the field together."
The issue was also discussed at the team meeting by England national team coach Gareth Southgate.
"We talked about what could happen. We must be prepared for any situation and know what to do in such cases. However, we primarily just want to play football," explained T. Abraham, who plays for London's Chelsea.
The UEFA regulations also provide for the possibility of the match referee suspending the game if racist abuse from spectators does not stop.
In Group A of the European Championship qualifiers, England is comfortably in the lead, having won all 4 matches. Therefore, it is likely that after the matches in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, G. Southgate's team will secure a place in the EURO 2020 tournament.
