Bulgaria national team head coach Krasimir Balakov claimed not to have heard racist chanting during his team’s 6-0 loss to England in Sofia and rather accused the England fans of whistling and shouting during the Bulgarian national anthem.
“I personally did not hear the chanting that you are most probably referring to. I saw that the referee stopped the game,” Balakov told ITV as quoted by Goal.
“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,” he said, adding, “During the second half they used words against our fans, which I find unacceptable.”
Notably, racist chants from supporters forced the match officials twice to stop the Euro 2020 qualifier tie between England and Bulgaria on Tuesday. The play was stopped for the first time in the 28th minute when the guests were leading 2-0.
Once restarted, the match was halted again with just two minutes to go in the first half. However, Croatian referee Ivan Bebek held words with coaching staff and players from both the sides and restarted the game.
Riding on braces from Ross Barkley and Raheem Sterling, England thrashed Bulgaria 6-0 at the Vasil Levski National Stadium.
Apart from the two, Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane scored a goal each to lead England to a one-sided victory.