FARE: Bulgaria should be expelled

UEFA's decision to impose a two-match home stadium ban on Bulgaria for the racist behaviour of supporters during a match against England has underwhelmed anti-discrimination campaigners Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE).

England crushed Bulgaria 6-0 in Sofia on October 14, but the match was marred by the actions of a group of home fans, who targeted Tyrone Mings, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling with racist abuse. Nazi salutes in home sections of the ground were also seen and the match was twice brought to a halt by officials. UEFA confirmed the punishment on Tuesday, with Bulgaria set to play against the Czech Republic behind closed doors in November, with the second game of the ban suspended for two years.

Many had called on UEFA to make an example of Bulgaria after the governing body's president Aleksander Ceferin vowed to "wage war on the racists", but FARE is dissatisfied with the sanction handed down. FARE executive director Piara Powar said: "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.

"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. We will be in touch with UEFA to explore options and maintain that Bulgaria and others in the same situation fundamentally reappraise how they deal with racism."

The Football Association (FA) also addressed UEFA's ruling and reiterated a call to stamp out racism, though there was no indication as to whether it was content with the punishment.

"We sincerely hope the disgraceful scenes in Sofia are never repeated," an FA statement read. "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, a huge challenge still exists around racism and discrimination in society. Football has its part to play, and must do so, but it is for all to recognise the seriousness of the problem.

"While those responsible for such deplorable behaviour at home or abroad need to be held to account, we should not lose sight of the importance of education programmes in finding a long-term solution. That has to be the way forward to help address the root cause of such disgusting behaviour. We are ready to build on our work with UEFA, Kick It Out and the FARE network in any positive way we can."