Harry Kane reports racism to referee during Bulgaria vs England match

'They're not doing nearly enough to combat racism' - Wright blasts UEFA as Bulgaria vs England suspended twice

The racist abuse directed at England players during Monday's game against Bulgaria proves UEFA's attempts to tackle the issue have had little effect, Ian Wright says.

The Euro 2020 qualifying match in Sofia was stopped twice during the first half after captain Harry Kane reported the abuse from the crowd to the referee.

An announcement was soon made over the tannoy warning that the game could be abandoned if the discrimination continued.

While some Three Lions players were targeted, many supporters were spotted performing fascist salutes towards the pitch.

And former England striker Wright praised the squad for their reaction, but urged European football's governing body to step up its fight against racism.

"The fact is there are a set of people there who have got no respect, they have no respect," he said on ITV. "UEFA are not doing nearly enough. 

"I am so proud at what we are doing at the moment."

"You can feel physically sick, but you have to continue playing through that and what we are seeing now is you don't have to do that.

"It is a terrible day for Bulgarian people but it is a great day for tackling racism.

"What we are seeing is a set of fans who do not care and need educating.

"We have heard it for many years about walking off and it is something you do not want to do. You need your white players to do it together, when you see it happening it is powerful."

Ex-Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane also hit out at the bigotry on display, saying: "You feel sick to your stomach when you witness it. It is horrible. I feel physically sick listening to that."

England were 2-0 up when the game was stopped, with Marcus Rashford and Ross Barkley finding the net. Barkley added a third for Gareth Southgate's side after 32 minutes, before Raheem Sterling scored twice.

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