Bulgarian police make six arrests over racist abuse

Bulgarian authorities have identified 15 people and made six arrests so far in relation to the racist abuse of England players on Monday night.

England’s black players were targeted throughout the match in Sofia, and the Bulgarian Football Union has been charged by Uefa over the racist behaviour of its fans.

Commissioner of the Bulgarian ministry of the interior Georgi Hadzhiev confirmed the operation was still ongoing, but that action was being taken against those found to have been involved.

In a statement yesterday afternoon, the ministry confirmed “15 participants were identified in the unlawful event”, with some of the evidence collected using facial recognition software.

Hadzhiev added his condemnation of the culprits, saying: “We do not tolerate such behaviour. All violators of the public order will be summoned (by the authorities).”

Earlier, a spokeswoman for the ministry said four males had been detained following the initial investigations.

The spokeswoman also confirmed that special forces from the ministry’s general directorate for combating organised crime had raided the BFU offices on Tuesday.

The BFU’s president, former national team goalkeeper Borislav Mihaylov, announced his resignation in the wake of Monday night’s racist chanting.

Under the Uefa regulations, the BFU could face a full ground closure for their next competitive home match and a fine of €50,000.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino also suggested any penalties imposed would be extended worldwide. He said football needed “new, stronger and more effective ways to eradicate racism in football” and called for life bans from stadiums for any individuals found guilty of racist behaviour.

● England Women’s friendly clash with Germany at Wembley on November 9 has sold out. The record attendance for a Lionesses home fixture is 45,619 at the previous meeting between the sides in 2014.