Krasmir Balakov resigns as Bulgaria coach amidst Euro 2020 qualifiers

Bulgaria Head Coach Krasmir Balakov resigned on Friday, days after the Euro 2020 qualifiers clash between England and Bulgaria which witnessed disastrous moments where England players suffered from racial abuse by Bulgaria fans. The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) confirmed that Balakov had stepped down from the position citing the "unsatisfactory" performance of the Bulgaria team in recent months. Along with the Balakov, BFU president Borislav Mihaylov and the entire Executive Committee also resigned earlier after Bulgarian Prime Minister  Boyko Borissov asked Mihaylov to resign from his post the racial abuse incident against England. 

READ | Boris Johnson Condemns Racism By Bulgarian Fans; Urges UEFA For Action

England thrashes Bulgaria 6-0

The match that saw England thump Bulgaria by 6-0 had to be halted twice on October 14. Due to the racial abuses hurled, the game had to be halted twice even before half time and an announcement was made urging the fans to not hurl any more racial abuses. The three-step UEFA protocol was followed with the step one of UEFA's anti-racism protocol being activated just before the half-hour mark and the referee also had a discussion with the team's respective captains.

After the match, Bulgaria's head coach Balakov had stated that he heard no monkey abuse during the game and denied any allegations of racial abuse during the match. He said, "I was concentrated on the game. I did not hear anything. However, I will apologise to the English National Team if UEFA proves these charges to be true. But, once again, first it has to be proven to be true."

Balakov later issued a statement in which he apologised to the England team and anyone else offended by the racist abuse. 

READ | UEFA: Bulgaria Vs England Racism Charges Set To Be Heard On October 28

READ | Euro 2020 Qualifiers, Bulgaria Vs England: Football Marred With Racism

Bulgaria Football Team nears standstill

After President Borislav Mihailov's resignation, subsequent Vice Presidents also declined to fill the post for the time being. Therefore, members of the Executive Committee were forced to instruct the former Vice President Mikhail Kasabov to temporarily head the headquarters and also organise an Extraordinary Congress for the election of a new governing body. Following the resignations, the Bulgarian football team is almost near a standstill amidst the EURO 2020 qualifiers as it stands without a manager, a President, and no executive committee. Meanwhile, UEFA  has decided to investigate racism charges levelled against Bulgaria on October 28, 2019. 

READ | Euro 2020 Qualifiers Between England And Bulgaria Halts Twice