Uefa president Ceferin pleads with ‘football family and governments’ to ‘wage war on racists’ after Bulgaria vs England – The Sun

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has called on football to escalate the “war on the racists” after the shameful scenes that blighted England’s Euro 2020 qualifier in Bulgaria.

Ceferin and Uefa have come under sustained fire for their “weak” response to incidents of racism throughout Europe.

But after England’s match in Sofia was twice stopped by the referee after racist chants directed towards Gareth Southgate’s black players, Ceferin insisted Uefa is determined to fight the racist scourge.

Bulgaria Football Association boss Borislav Mikhailov has now resigned after his country's night of shame against the Three Lions.

Ceferin said: “Believe me, Uefa is committed to doing everything it can to eliminate this disease from football.

“We cannot afford to be content with this. We must always strive to strengthen our resolve.

“The football family – that’s everyone from administrators to players, coaches and fans – needs to work to wage war on the racists and marginalise their abhorrent views to the fringes of society.”

Uefa has imposed tougher penalties for racism over the past two years with more ground closures.

Many, though, feel the European governing body is only paying lip-service to anti-racism and is reluctant to actually impose penalties that have teeth.

PM Boris Johnson demanded action in the wake of the appalling incidents in Sofia that FA chairman Greg Clarke revealed had “emotionally” affected members of Southgate’s team and coaching staff.

Source: Read Full Article