Bulgaria head coach Krasimir Balakov claimed not to have heard racist chanting during his team’s 6-0 loss to England in Sofia and accused the traveling supporters of ‘unacceptable’ behaviour.
“I personally did not hear the chanting that you are most probably referring to. I saw that the referee stopped the game,” he stated.
Ross Barkley and Raheem Sterling each hit braces as Gareth Southgate’s men bounced back from defeat to the Czech Republic in style, bringing qualification for Euro 2020 within touching distance.
But the contest was sullied by abuse directed towards some of the traveling players, which was reported to the match officials and resulted in two delays to the action before half-time.
Before the match, Balakov accused England of having a bigger problem with racism in football than his own country, and he once again sought to share the blame after the widely condemned scenes that stained Monday’s match.
“But I also have to say that the unacceptable behaviour was not only on behalf of the Bulgaria fans but also the English fans, who were whistling and shouting during the Bulgarian national anthem. During the second half, they used words against our fans, which I find unacceptable.
BY: Theresah Mensah
