Wage war on racism, UEFA president tells football family

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has urged the “football family” to “wage war on the racists” following the abuse suffered by England’s players in Bulgaria.

Ceferin blamed a rise in nationalism across Europe for fuelling racism at matches and said the governing body was committed to eradicating the “disease” from football.

“Believe me, UEFA is committed to doing everything it can to eliminate this disease from football,” said Ceferin in a statement.

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“We cannot afford to be content with this, we must always strive to strengthen our resolve.

“More broadly, the football family – everyone from administrators to players, coaches and fans – needs to work with governments and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to wage war on the racists and to marginalise their abhorrent views to the fringes of society.

“Football associations themselves cannot solve this problem. Governments too need to do more in this area.”