News24
15 Oct 2019, 02:42 GMT+10
Sofia - England's Euro 2020 qualifier in Bulgaria was twice halted in the first-half due to racist chanting in Sofia.
The Three Lions led 2-0 through early goals from Marcus Rashford and Ross Barkley when play was first stopped and an announcement made to supporters that the game could be suspended if offensive chanting continued.
Once restarted, England quickly made it 3-0 through Barkley. Then play was interrupted a second time as Croatian referee Ivan Bebek held discussions with players and coaching staff from both sides.
In total, played was halted for six minutes.
Raheem Sterling added a fourth England goal before half-time.
A section of 5,000 seats at the Vasil Levski National Stadium was already closed for the game after racism during games against Kosovo and the Czech Republic in June.
Sterling was also the subject of racist abuse from a Bulgarian fan when the sides met last month in England's 4-0 win at Wembley.
On the eve of the match, Bulgaria manager Krasimir Balakov claimed that there is a bigger problem with racism in English football than in his country.
"In the Bulgarian championship, we have a lot of players of different ethnicities and skin colour," said Balakov.
"I don't think that we have this big problem like, for example, England do."
After several England players suffered racist abuse in a qualifier away to Montenegro in March, Gareth Southgate had prepared his side to follow UEFA's three-step protocol for reporting racist incidents that can lead to matches being abandoned.
Get a daily dose of Greek Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Greek Herald.
More InformationCHICAGO, Illinois: For the first time in history, U.S. officials are considering a coordinated plan to vaccinate poultry against bird...
SANTAREM, Brazil: As Brazil cements its position as the world's top soy exporter, a new wave of deforestation is spreading across the...
ZURICH, Switzerland: A wave of central banks across Europe surprised markets last week by lowering interest rates, responding to easing...
OTTAWA, Canada: Canada may boost its counter-tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from the U.S. if a comprehensive trade agreement...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. economy is performing reasonably well, but Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell faces a difficult decision...
SAO PAULO, Brazil: Brazil is taking confident steps to restore its dominance in global poultry exports after declaring its commercial...
New Delhi [India], June 25 (ANI): The Iranian Embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday expressed heartfelt gratitude to the people and institutions...
The US vice president joked that critics of Republican candidates use it to say we are number one in Washington US Vice President...
The event is expected to have a decreased focus on Ukraine support compared to previous years NATO leaders have convened for a two-day...
The event is expected to have a decreased focus on Ukraine support compared to previous years NATO leaders have convened for a two-day...
A majority of survey respondents have said the app spreads false content, according to Reuters TikTok has become the top source of...
GAZA, June 25 (Xinhua) -- In a trash-strewn alley in western Gaza City, 65-year-old Mohammed Abu Jabal sits outside a makeshift tent,...