Today’s back pages: Lions led by donkeys - ‘bottlers’ Uefa fail to condemn racists

A round-up of the sport headlines from UK newspapers on 16 October

England boss Gareth Southgate speaks with the match officials during the 6-0 win against Bulgaria
England boss Gareth Southgate speaks with the match officials during the 6-0 win against Bulgaria 
(Image credit: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

The racial abuse of England players in Bulgaria continues to make front and back page news in the United Kingdom.

European football’s governing body Uefa has handed the Bulgarian Football Union four charges for incidents during Monday’s Euro 2020 qualifier. One of the charges is for “racist behaviour”, which includes chants and Nazi salutes.

The English Football Association (FA) has also been charged with disrupting the national anthem and insufficient number of travelling stewards.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Uefa charges against Bulgarian Football Union:

  • Racist behaviour (chants, Nazi salutes)
  • Throwing of objects
  • Disruption of national anthem
  • Replays on giant screen

Charges against English FA:

  • Disruption of national anthem
  • Insufficient number of travelling stewards

The Daily Mirror reports that England boss Gareth Southgate has urged Uefa to prove that they mean business and to hit Bulgaria hard with proper punishment following the night of shame in Sofia.

The Daily Star adds that Southgate is furious with “bottlers” Uefa for failing to condemn the racists. It’s “lions led by donkeys” says the Daily Express.

Southgate wants others to step up in the fight against racism, he said: “I really think other people have got to deal with that. With respect, the amount I’ve had to deal with is remarkable. And other people are in positions to be able to affect that. I think clearly it has got to be dealt with differently.”