Bulgaria to play game behind closed doors, fined after racism

PARIS: Bulgaria must play their next home game behind closed doors and have been handed a fine

€75,000 of (RM349,000) after racist chanting by supporters marred their Euro 2020 qualifier against England earlier this month, UEFA said.

The disciplinary arm of European football’s governing body also ordered Bulgaria to play a second match behind closed doors, but that punishment is suspended for a “probationary period” of two years.

The punishment means Bulgaria will play their final European Championship qualifier at home to the Czech Republic, on Nov 17, in an empty stadium.

UEFA also ordered Bulgaria to display a banner with the slogan “No To Racism” at their next two home games.

The Bulgarian FA were additionally

€10,000 fined a further (RM46,500) for “causing a disturbance during a national anthem” prior to kickoff of the game in Sofia on Oct 14, which England won 6-0.

€5,000 The English FA were fined (RM23,000) for the same offence.

The match at the Vasil Levski Stadium was halted twice in the first half due to abuse from sections of the home support, including monkey chants and apparent Nazi salutes.

Despite the abuse, the England team opted to complete the match instead of walking off the pitch.

“We sincerely hope the disgraceful scenes in Sofia are never repeated,” said England’s Football Association.

“Our priority remains our players, support team and fans and we will do all we can to ensure they never have to endure such circumstances again.

“While we acknowledge UEFA’s ruling today, a huge challenge still exists around racism and discrimination in society.”

The game was played in a stadium already partially closed after racist incidents during matches against Kosovo and the Czech Republic in June.

“We sincerely hope that the Bulgarian football fans will prove with their behaviour that they have become targets of unwarranted accusations for lack of tolerance and respect to the opposition team,” the Bulgarian Football Union said in a statement.

Piara Powar, the executive director of the Fare network which works to combat racism and discrimination in football across Europe, said the punishment was not harsh enough and felt Bulgaria should have been disqualified from the competition.

“We welcome the speed of this decision, but we are disappointed that Bulgaria will not be expelled from the Euro 2020 qualifying competition given their previous record, and obvious inability to deal with the problems they face,” he said.

“We think that the evidence and circumstances of this match would have justified European football being given a stronger signal on the need to tackle racism.

“Obtaining justice for racist acts is not easy in any setting, it is clear that football is no exception.”