Carl Recine/Action Images, via Reuters
LONDON — The president of Bulgaria’s soccer union stepped down on Tuesday after the prime minister called on him to resign in the wake of racist abuse that Bulgarian fans hurled at England’s players during a game the night before.
Bulgarian supporters made Nazi salutes and shouted monkey chants at England during a European Championship 2020 qualifier match with Bulgaria’s national team on Monday night in Sofia, the capital. The local team lost 6-0.
Fans’ racial abuse toward players has been a stain on the game for years. And the episode comes as the sport and its governing bodies — including FIFA and UEFA, which oversees European soccer — have struggled to clamp down on the racist abuse of players of color.