Monkey chants, Nazi salutes mar England’s Euro qualifier win over Bulgaria

England’s dominant Euro 2020 qualifier win over Bulgaria marred by racist abuse from fans.

England defender Tyrone Mings was subjected to monkey chants during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against Bulgaria in Sofia. Picture: Getty Images

Monkey chants and Nazi salutes. This is not what players dream about when they are in line to make their international debut. This is what greeted Tyrone Mings when he stepped out on Bulgarian soil for his first cap. The Aston Villa defender, 26, could have ignored it. He could have been forgiven for ignoring it. Many before him have chosen to take the approach that it is better to plough on, prove the haters wrong by performing well.

Times have changed, though. Mings was empowered by a long, soul searching narrative that preceded this qualification match. The England team were reassured that to publicly acknowledge racism was not to be rebuked. It felt, at times, as if more attention had been paid to the detail of the UEFA protocol for dealing with racism than the threat posed by Bulgaria’s defensive strategy.

Indeed, Krasimir Balakov, the Bulgaria coach, had said that too much talk about potential racism only served to heighten tension. Presumably, he foresaw that to let a section of the Bulgaria fans know the level of revulsion they could provoke, then the troublemakers would rise to what they see as bait rather than regarding it as a warning.

England manager Gareth Southgate consults Tyrone Mings. Picture: Getty Images

As Bulgaria were ripped apart, as it became clear that only one team could win, the nasty section decided they had nothing to celebrate, nothing to lose, and so they unleashed their bigotry. It is in part, attention seeking, in part a lack of education. It was certainly defiant. Reams could be written about the socio-economic factors in Bulgaria but Mings was playing football. He looked at the assistant referee and asked him if he had heard the racist abuse. This was in the full glare of a terrestrial television audience. This was brave.

Just as white players and managers cannot know how it feels to suffer such abuse, they cannot know how if feels to call it out so publicly. It is to the England staff’s credit that they created an atmosphere in which a player making his debut could start a process that could have led to the match being abandoned. Mings was not under pressure over whether or not to walk off, he knew he had the freedom to express that he had heard the abuse and to check that the officials had heard it. Once he had spoken, his manager and Harry Kane, his captain, took over.

A group of black-clad Bulgarian fans were ejected from the Vasil Levksi national stadium after England players were subjected to racist taunts. Picture: AP

When Gareth Southgate said he made changes after the defeat against the Czech Republic in order to bring in leadership, little did he realise how vital it would be to have slightly older, more experienced personalities out there.

Mings should be applauded also because he risked the accusation of being overly sensitive. Black players have had bananas thrown at them and carried on, so why should he be different? Mings spent part of his childhood in a homeless shelter, spent part of his youth being rejected by clubs and even trained as a mortgage adviser believing he would not be more than a part-time professional. He is not spoilt, not entitled, not precious.

Bulgarian fans gesture offensively in the stands. Picture: AFP

What Mings represents is a new era, one in which the team take collective responsibility and support each other’s decisions. At half-time the game was effectively a fait accompli but Mark Pougatch, hosting ITV’s coverage, said that was “frankly irrelevant”. The replays showed us Mings as he made his response. It will become an iconic image in the fight against racism.

Also sobering, in a quite different way, for England had been the posting of their poorest pass completion statistics in qualifying so far in the game against the Czech Republic. The opposition was too inept for Southgate to feel he has ironed out his problems, the main one being a lack of creativity in midfield. However, he did learn that he has sufficient authority for the players to try their very best to produce the qualities he wants. Harry Winks was serious and stoic in his efforts to “connect the game” as Southgate had demanded and Ross Barkley showed how useful he can be from the start.

What we can conclude for certain is that the racist abuse did not create fractures in the England dressing room but confirmed that Southgate has made the team feel like a family.

THE TIMES