The events in Sofia have been widely condemned at national and international level, but the hosts' shotstopper claims that there was no issue at all
Bulgaria goalkeeper Plamen Iliev has claimed that there was no racist abuse from home supporters during their Euro 2020 qualifier against England on Monday and has accused Gareth Southgate's players of overreacting.
The Three Lions cruised to a 6-0 victory in Sofia to take themselves to the brink of next year’s showpiece tournament, with Ross Barkley and Raheem Sterling both nabbing a brace.
But Sterling was one of the players targeted by racist chanting during the match, alongside debutant Tyrone Mings, which was stopped twice before half-time – initially for a stadium announcement calling for the abuse to cease before a group of Bulgaria fans were ejected from the Vasil Levski National Stadium.