Raheem Sterling: England forward targeted with racist abuse during Bulgaria match

The 24-year-old was subjected to discriminatory language by a visiting fan during the first half of Saturday's match

Simon Peach
Wednesday 11 September 2019 17:13 BST
Comments
Gareth Southgate on England vs Kosovo

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Raheem Sterling was the target of racist abuse from a Bulgaria fan during England's Euro 2020 qualifier at Wembley.

The 24-year-old, a key figure in the fight against racism, is understood to have been subjected to discriminatory language during the first half of Saturday's match at the national stadium.

A steward heard the individual in the Bulgaria section of the ground and they were ejected from Wembley and handed to the police.

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that the male was arrested and taken to a north London police station on suspicion of an aggravated public order offence. Following enquiries, he was released with no further action.

An FA spokesperson said: "We can confirm that an individual, who was seated in the away section of the stadium, was ejected and subsequently arrested for discriminatory abuse during the England v Bulgaria match.

"Wembley Stadium operates a zero tolerance policy on anti-social and discriminatory behaviour and anyone found guilty will be ejected and reported to the police," the statement added.

It is understood that nothing was said to Sterling during the game, with the FA's security team speaking to the forward after the 4-0 win to make him aware of the process. Uefa was informed of the incident through its matchday delegate.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in