Stoichkov calls for the exclusion of Bulgaria

Hristo Stoichkov punched the table. The biggest Bulgarian player of all time was ashamed of the behavior of his compatriots on Monday during the qualifying match for the Euro against England. The racist attitude of the supporters in the Sofia stadium disgusted him, and he did not fail to emphasize this publicly. Screams of monkeys and Nazi greetings polluted the atmosphere and disrupted the course of the match.

Guest of a show on the American channel TUDN, the Ballon d'Or 1994 called for the most extreme sanctions in order to stop this plague and encourage those who go to the stadium to stay at home. "You have to close the stadium, play behind closed doors. Or even harder. As with England in the past, it takes exclusion from international competitions for years. Five years without participating, it will calm them! For the selection, as for the Bulgarian clubs, he let go in a firm tone, before lowering his head and falling in tears.

Stoichkov's remarks contrast with those of his former team-mate Krassimir Balakov, who was on the bench in the match against the Three Lions. The latter claimed that he heard absolutely nothing embarrassing descending from the stands, and proclaimed loud and clear that there is no "Problem of racism in Bulgaria".

As a reminder, on Tuesday, UEFA opened a disciplinary procedure against Bulgaria. Large sanctions could be imposed against the federation concerned, especially since it was suspended since the last match against Kosovo. Note that Borislav Mihaylov, the president of the federation, has already submitted his resignation under the pressure of politicians.