Bulgaria teen indicted over England match racist abuse

SOFIA: A Bulgarian teenager was indicted for “grave hooliganism” while four others were fined and received stadium bans over racist abuse at a Euro 2020 qualifier against England, officials said on Thursday.

Monkey chants and apparent Nazi salutes during Monday´s match in Sofia sparked a storm of protest that overshadowed England´s 6-0 win and led to the resignation of Bulgaria´s football chief.

Thanks to CCTV footage from the national stadium, Sofia police have so far identified nine suspects in the stands, part of a group of black-clad fans, who directed the abuse at England´s players. Six of them were detained on Wednesday.

“One 18-year-old was indicted late Wednesday for grave hooliganism and ordered detained in custody for 72 more hours,” Sofia regional prosecution spokeswoman Nevena Zartova told AFP. According to the indictment, the man used obscene hand gestures and Nazi salutes and turned his back to the field and pulled down his trousers twice. If found guilty, he could face up to five years in jail.

“Out of the other five, four were handed 1,000-leva (511 euro, $568) fines and two-year bans from sports events. Procedures against the fifth, who is underage, are still ongoing,” Sofia police directorate spokeswoman Svetoslava Kostadinova said.