Bulgaria Soccer Chief Resigns After Shocking Crowd Racism Against Black English Players

The president of Bulgarian soccer's ruling body has been forced to resign following multiple incidents of racist abuse directed at black England players by Bulgarian fans at a Monday night match. Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borissov had earlier called for the president of the Bulgaria Football Union, Borislav Mihailov, to quit following the shocking abuse by home fans in Sofia which caused the match to be paused twice. The racist taunts included Nazi salutes and monkey chants. The Bulgarian Football Union said Mihailov's resignation “is a consequence of the recent tensions” but did not mention racism in its statement, according to BBC News. Earlier Tuesday, Bulgaria goalkeeper Plamen Iliev insisted the home fans “behaved well” and the English players “overreacted a bit” to the racism. England won the European Championships qualifier by six goals to zero.