International Football

UEFA is in the process of investigating "potential discriminatory incidents" that took place over the weekend during Hungary's Euro 2020 matches.

According to the European football governing body, there were banners stating "Anti-LMBTQ"—the Hungarian abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer—at matches against Portugal and France. 

The incident comes in the wake of a controversial parliament ruling last week in Hungary. New legislation "bans the dissemination of content in schools deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change," according to Reuters. 

Per Reuters, a statement from UEFA said "an ethics and disciplinary inspector" will manage the investigation.

Budapest's Puskas Stadium was the only stadium to host a full capacity crowd during the Euros. 

In the interim, Germany—the team that will host Hungary in the final stage of group play Wednesday—has joined those publicly opposing the new legislation.

The mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, said Sunday he plans to write to UEFA and request that Germany's stadium be lit with rainbow colors during the game in "an important sign of tolerance and equality." Munich's city council already made a similar request. 

"It is important for the state capital Munich to set a visible sign of solidarity with the LGBTI community in Hungary, which is suffering from the current stricter homophobic and transphobic legislation of the Hungarian government," the council wrote. 

Roberto Mancini has said Italy can still win the UEFA European Championship, even if it postponed from this summer to 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

An emergency UEFA meeting will take place on Tuesday, and one of the discussion points will be whether to postpone Euro 2020, per Dan Roan of BBC Sport.

The Europe-wide tournament is set to take place between June 12 and July 12. Italy are scheduled to kick off proceedings with the opening Group A game against Turkey at Rome's Stadio Olimpico.

Mancini said he had all but picked his squad for the tournament, but he believes Italy can still go all the way in 2021 if it is postponed, per Rai Sport (h/t Goal's Stephen Creek):

"I don't know how it will end. But there are more important things than Euro 2020, without a doubt.

"If they postpone the tournament, we can win even in a year. The important thing is the health of everyone and that we can all return to the stadium and enjoy ourselves. Seeing people die in these last few days is hurting us too much.

"I had a fairly safe list of players called. It was ready with only a few doubts to decide at the last minute. However, if the tournament is suspended for a year, there will be a few changes. We have to wait to Tuesday to understand if UEFA will decide to postpone Euro 2020. The problems we have had in Italy in the last 15 days will now be seen in other countries."

Italy has been one of the worst affected countries in the coronavirus outbreak, which had infected more than 152,000 people worldwide as of Sunday, per CNN.

As with many of Europe's other top leagues, there was no Serie A action over the weekend:

Per Caesars Palace, Belgium and England are the current favourites for Euro 2020. 

Italy are among the front-runners, though, after easing though their qualifying group with 10 wins out of 10. Belgium were the only other side with a perfect record.

The Azzurri's last match in November ended in a 9-1 victory over Armenia in Palermo.

Their friendlies against England and Germany later this month have been cancelled. UEFA's meeting on Tuesday could then have an impact on further warm-up games against San Marino and Czech Republic.

Italy have been on an upward trajectory since Mancini took charge in 2018 in the wake of the Azzurri's failure to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

They are unbeaten since September 2018, a run of 14 matches, and will likely be well backed for the Euros, no matter when it takes place. 

Turkey and Galatasaray legend Hakan Sukur has revealed he is now an Uber driver in the United States and sells books for a living after being exiled from his home country by president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sukur retired from football in 2008 and joined Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2011. He served as an MP in Istanbul for four years, but in 2013 he left the AKP to serve as an independent.

The former striker told Welt am Sonntag's Matthias Marburg (h/t Goal's Sam France):

"Then the hostility started. Stones were thrown at my wife's boutique, my children were harassed on the street.

"I received threats after every statement I made. When I had left, they locked up my father—and everything I owned was confiscated.

"I have nothing left anywhere in the world. Erdogan took everything from me. My right to freedom, the right to explain myself, to express myself, the right to work."

Turkish authorities issued a warrant for Sukur's arrest in August 2016, a month after the government fended off a failed coup attempt.

Sukur had previously expressed support for cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Turkish government accused of leading the coup.

The 48-year-old had moved to the U.S., where he ran a cafe in California, shortly before the coup attempt, which he condemned on Twitter after the arrest warrant was issued.

Sukur explained to Welt am Sonntag he decided to leave the AKP was because "Erdogan's politics led to bad times," but he denied any wrongdoing: "I only did things that are legal." 

"Can they show me a crime that I have committed?" he added. "No. They just say 'traitor' and 'terrorist.'"

His father, Sermet Sukur, was also issued an arrest warrant in 2016. He was taken into custody in Hakan's hometown of Adapazari and imprisoned.

According to Goal, both of his parents have been diagnosed with cancer. Following the diagnosis, his father, who served as Hakan's agent during his playing career, was released and placed under house arrest.

Sukur said it is a "very difficult time for them" and that everybody he associated with in Turkey now has "financial difficulties."

Sukur also said a Turkish student was jailed for 14 months after taking a selfie with him during a visit to the United States.

Sukur is Turkey's all-time top scorer, having bagged 51 goals in 112 matches. He has more than double the goals of their next-highest scorer, Burak Yilmaz, who has 24.

He was also part of the Turkey side that finished third at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where he scored once.

The striker spent the bulk of his career with Galatasaray, scoring 284 goals in 518 appearances, according to Transfermarkt. His efforts helped the club win eight Super Lig titles, five Turkish Cups and the UEFA Cup.

Sukur was banned from Galatasaray in 2017, a decision he says came from Erdogan rather than the club.

In his native Turkey, he also played for Bursaspor and Sakaryaspor, with whom he won another Turkish Cup.

Abroad, he had spells with Torino, Inter Milan, Parma—with whom he won the Coppa Italia—and Blackburn Rovers.

Italy national team manager Roberto Mancini said his team aren't favourites in Group A after the draw for UEFA Euro 2020 on Saturday, calling it a "balanced" group.

The Azzurri came out of Pot 1 and drew Switzerland, Turkey and Wales. They'll open the tournament on home soil against the Turks, in Rome on June 12.

Per Football Italia, Mancini reserved special praise for Wales, who came out of Pot 4 and are the weakest team in Group A on paper:

"While it's always good to see a draw, every team in the final phase is competitive. We could've got France, but at the end of the day, it is a very balanced group. ...

"All games are to be played. We are not the favourites, as all these teams play good football. The fact we are playing in Rome is a small advantage, but every match will still be difficult.

"I want to single out Wales, because they play excellent football and have many of their players in the Premier League. They are solid and not easy to beat. ...

"Nothing is to be taken for granted. Maybe some of the favourites will go out early, but if you want to go all the way to Wembley, you need to beat everyone in front of you.

"We're doing well, but there's a lot more work to do and we need to improve a great deal from here to the Euros. Now I face a big problem whittling down my squad to just 23 players."

Italy and Belgium were the only teams to qualify for the tournament with a perfect record. The Azzurri finished their qualifying campaign in style, demolishing Armenia 9-1:

The Azzurri missed out on a spot at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but that opened the door for a new generation of stars to get their chance.

Nicolo Barella, Nicolo Zaniolo and Sandro Tonali have become building blocks in midfield, and Federico Chiesa is one of the team's most dynamic forwards.

Caesars (h/t Italian Football TV) gave the young Azzurri the seventh-best odds to win the tournament:

Their odds were better than those of Switzerland, who are ahead of Italy in the latest FIFA rankings. On paper, Switzerland (12th) and Italy (13th), should battle for first place in Group A while Wales (22th) and Turkey (29th) fight for third place.

The Turks impressed in qualifying, however, conceding just three goals in 10 matches and finishing just two points behind world champions France. Led by Merih Demiral and Caglar Soyuncu, they have a talented, young defence that should cause serious problems at Euro 2020.

Wales have plenty of individual talent as well, with Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey capable of deciding matches on their own. Youngsters Harry Wilson, Ethan Ampadu, Tyler Roberts and Rabbi Matondo have star potential and enough talent to make a giant leap forward between now and the start of the tournament.

Switzerland stand out for their all-round depth and are led by Nico Elvedi and Manuel Akanji. In Cedric Itten, Albian Ajeti, Breel Embolo and Noah Okafor, they have four forwards with tons of upside and versatility.

Saturday saw the unnecessarily complex and mildly confusing Euro 2020 draw take place, informing all 20 qualified teams who they'll be up against at next summer's finals.

Well, sort of.

A star-studded line-up including Francesco Totti, Ricardo Carvalho, Marcel Desailly and more operated under strict instruction from the UEFA draw master on stage, splitting up host nations, keeping Russia and Ukraine apart and, eventually, confirming the bulk of the draw for next year's tournament, which kicks off on June 12.

We're still waiting on the identities of the final four teams to qualify and complete the set—March's playoffs will decide those—but those still in contention know exactly what victory in spring will lead to:

There are a couple of eye-catching groups and a few sensational-looking opening fixtures; if France taking on Germany and England facing Croatia again after losing to them in the 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-finals first up doesn't whet your appetite, nothing will.

With the lie of the land set, we've taken an early stab at ranking every confirmed Euro 2020 contestant in order of how likely they are to win the trophy.

Naturally, with more than six months to go, it's a general measure of how strong these sides are—though the way the groups fell has certainly increased or decreased some chances.

20. Finland

Finland will make their UEFA European Championship bow in 2020, qualifying for the first time in their history.

Those expecting another gritty, defensive Scandinavian outfit in the mould of Iceland will be in for a shock, as the Fins are nowhere near as solid at the back and are in fact a bit slicker in their attacking play.

In Teemu Pukki and Lukas Hradecky respectively, they have a goalscorer and a brilliant goalkeeper, and this combination—in addition to the momentum and belief a first-time qualifier often holds—gives them wild-card potential in Group B.

Making an argument for them clambering out of a group with three sides who made the World Cup knockout stage is difficult, though.

19. Czech Republic

Czech Republic have fallen foul of the draw.

They're a decent side, particularly good in midfield thanks to Tomas Soucek and Alex Kral, but aren't a match for England (despite beating them once in qualifying on a very off-day for the Three Lions) or Croatia and have a potential date with another tough team in Serbia via the play-offs.

18. Sweden

It might seem odd to be discounting a 2018 World Cup quarter-finalist this easily, but Sweden's draw was arguably as bad as Czech Republic's.

Spain and Poland will both likely be too much for them, and then there's the fact that they drew the strongest set of potential play-off winners, with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovakia in that mix.

17. Wales

It feels like things could either go very right or very wrong for Wales.

Ryan Giggs has an exciting, young group that boast quality up front but lack it at the other end. They've been given a set of very challenging and cagey games and probably stand as the weakest team in Group A, but if it all clicks into place like it did in 2016, they have clear upset potential.

16. Austria

Austria were handed two qualifying-group winners in the Netherlands and Ukraine, ensuring their route to the knockout stages looks pretty rocky. 

They can point to plenty of quality in the form of David Alaba, Marcel Sabitzer and Marko Arnautovic, but they face a real fight to make an impact on the tournament.

15. Switzerland

Like Wales, they'll be looking at Group A and the fixtures against Italy and Turkey that now loom and mutter quiet curses about the draw process. They've been given a tough lot.

It's tough to know what to expect from Switzerland as they move through a transitional phase in personnel, so we'll leave them low for now, but they're contenders to shoot upward if the pieces come together.

14. Denmark

Denmark showed over the course of qualification that they're quite solid defensively but often lack a spark in attack. Christian Eriksen's contract standoff at Tottenham Hotspur, which has seen his playing time reduced, has heavily affected them in a negative way.

They're a host nation, so many will give them a chance, but they've been drawn with world No. 1 Belgium and fellow host nation Russia, who actually look a touch stronger. That could see Denmark settle for a best-third-place route out of the group—or perhaps not qualify at all.

13. Russia

Russia don't look too different an animal to the one that impressed at the 2018 World Cup on home turf. The difference is they won't be so thoroughly underestimated this time around.

That they have group games at home levels the playing field somewhat in a group with fellow hosts Denmark and No. 1-ranked Belgium.

12. Germany

Germany are a very exciting, unpredictable team. Fun as that may be, it's not often such a team actually wins a tournament.

They're a far cry from the Germany side that won the 2014 World Cup and hit the semi-finals of both Euros either side of it. That can be viewed as a positive (better to watch) or a negative (the results don't follow).

Landing in the same group as France and Portugal is the steepest mountain to climb and massively reduces their chances of success in this tournament.

11. Poland

Poland are a strong side who can call on a glut of good players, but the draw hasn't set them up very well. 

They've been given the toughest set of play-off contenders and Spain, meaning second is probably their limit, and that would hand them England or Croatia in the round of 16...and France or Portugal in the quarter-finals if they negotiate that.

10. Ukraine

Ukraine proved difficult to break down during qualifying, conceding just four goals (the joint-second-fewest) and actually topping a group containing Portugal.

They're also pretty well set through midfield and attack too, making them a more rounded team than most heading to the tournament.

The group draw gives them a good chance of making the knockout stages, and from there, who knows?

9. Turkey

Some have labelled this Turkish defence a golden generation. Centre-backs Caglar Soyuncu and Merih Demiral are rock-solid, and with Ozan Kabak in contention too, fans are confident in their nation's ability to absorb pressure.

Just three goals conceded in 10 games, despite being grouped with France, paints a vivid picture.

The concerns are up front. None of their strikers are in form, and when you're calling on last-gasp winners to beat Andorra and Albania to secure passage to the finals, the alarm bells should be ringing.

8. Croatia

You'd expect the World Cup runners-up to be right in the mix for a European title, but concerns over their consistency cloud any hopes of glory.

That said, Luka Modric is still in fine international fettle, and in Nikola Vlasic and Bruno Petkovic, they have new attackers to hang their hat on.

If only there was such confidence in the full-back positions. Qualifying often saw them use a centre-back at right-back because of Sime Vrsaljko's fitness issues, and left-back Borna Barisic plays club football for Rangers.

7. England

World Cup semi-finalists, bronze medalists at the UEFA Nations League and co-host of the competition, with latter-stage games at Wembley.

What's not to like?

Well, for a team who have actually achieved quite a lot on the international stage these past 18 months, they have an awful lot to figure out ahead of the Euros. It'd be easier to have confidence in the defence if Ben Chilwell and Trent Alexander-Arnold had been consistently playing for the last year, or if the centre-backs hadn't imploded during the Nations League.

The midfield, too, has big question marks over how it sets up and who plays in it. Even if Gareth Southgate thinks he's figured that out for now, the return to fitness of Ruben Loftus-Cheek will throw a fresh spanner in the works soon.

There's an argument home advantage will power England to the top of Group D, but that would lead to a bout with France, Portugal or perhaps Germany. That might be too much to ask.

6. Italy

All aboard the Italy hype train!

The Azzurri rounded off a perfect 10-win qualification campaign with a 9-1 battering of Armenia, finishing up on a goal difference of plus-33.

After failing to get to the 2018 World Cup, they've rebounded in style, with Roberto Mancini leading a talented, technical team that wows in attack.

In truth, they present a real head-scratcher when it comes to projecting ahead of Euro 2020. While they did win 10 games to qualify, they were 10 games against poor opponents. There's no getting away from that.

So unlike every other side in this top 10, we have no recent evidence of Italy playing strong opponents—no World Cup, no Nations League finals—making them very hard to gauge. That means a leap of faith must be taken, one way or the other, and we're projecting positively: The talent, confidence and tactical coordination of this team should be something others fear.

5. Spain

The collection of names Spain can call upon is still exquisite. The bulk of their squad has won so many trophies that it's tough to keep count. And with Luis Enrique back in charge following a leave of absence, the feeling that this Spain machine can roll onto great things is strong.

If there's an on-pitch concern, it's that they're stacked with quality in every position bar one: striker. Diego Costa looks past his best, while you can never be sure which version of Alvaro Morata or Rodrigo will turn up—they're so inconsistent.

Spai are a good case study in how to manage that problem, winning several tournaments while juggling No. 9 issues, but this team aren't as good as those from 2010 and 2012. Not having a reliable goalscorer up front could easily hurt them this time.

4. The Netherlands

There are still a couple of questions to answer in the attacking areas for the Netherlands, but both the tactical plan and the spine of the team is firmly in place.

Manager Ronald Koeman can be a little negative in his outlook at times, leading to cagier, closer games than necessary, but few can blame him for leaning on the strengths of Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs De Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Georginio Wijnaldum.

With that foundation to build on, the Dutch can win any game and beat anyone.

And they'll probably have the luxury of figuring out their best attacking force on the fly during the group stage, as they've been handed a really, really nice set of opponents.

3. Belgium 

Belgium look incredibly strong. Like, scary strong if you consider yourself a front-runner to win this competition.

They achieved third place at the 2018 World Cup, playing out an incredibly tight, equal game with eventual champions France in the knockout stages, and since then all they've done is get better. Thorgan Hazard has strengthened the team on the left flank and is dovetailing beautifully with his brother Eden.

In Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, they have two players capable of deciding any game.

This golden generation won't get a better chance to secure a legacy, and there's no doubt they have what it takes to win the tournament.

2. Portugal

You know the drill by now. Portugal aren't a great watch, but they know how to get results.

The entirety of Fernando Santos' reign has been like this and so far it's led to a Euro 2016 crown and a UEFA Nations League win.

They play somewhat cautiously, outmuscle you in midfield and then look to one of their creative talents, such as Bernardo Silva or Bruno Fernandes, to create an opening for Cristiano Ronaldo in the box.

Uncomplicated, a tad unfashionable, but you can't say it isn't effective. They're a contender to win the tournament.

1. France

Reigning world champions. A core of players who won in Russia and are still in their primes now. When projecting so far ahead, it's sometimes best not to get too cute.

Admittedly, qualifying has been a bit squeaky at times, and the list of injuries they've accrued will likely concern Didier Deschamps. But presuming they clear up ahead of next June, there's a lot for others to fear and very little to dislike about France.

They turned it on when it mattered in 2018, peaking at the right time, and you'd trust them to do it again.

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All statistics via WhoScored.com.

Italy maintained their perfect record in UEFA 2020 European Championship qualifying with a 3-0 victory away against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday at the Bilino Polje Stadium.

The Italians took control after Francesco Acerbi's 21st-minute opener and Lorenzo Insigne's effort eight minutes before half-time.

Bosnia plugged away as they searched for a route back into the contest, but Andrea Belotti finished in style to make it 3-0 after 52 minutes.

The victory gave the Italians nine wins from nine games in Group J, with the Azzurri storming towards the finals.

Despite a concerted effort to hold possession and draw their opponents into mistakes, the Italians were never in trouble on Friday.

Italy No. 1 Gianluigi Donnarumma was busy during the opening exchanges, and the stopper denied Ermin Bicakcic from scoring the opener after eight minutes.

The visitors slowly composed their game and began to open up Bosnia before scoring the first of the night.

Federico Bernardeschi danced passed his marker as he snuck in behind the defence, allowing Acerbi to finish with a neat side-footed effort.

The defender was as clinical as any striker could be, tucking his shot into the bottom corner inside the box.

Italy appeared controlled after the opener, and despite Bosnia remaining competitive, a second strike soon followed.

Insigne rolled his shot past goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic, giving the group winners the cushion they desired and deserved at the interval.

Roberto Mancini's men made it an easy second half after obtaining their third through the impressive Belotti.

The striker had been a menace throughout the night and the Torino captain provided a world-class finish to beat Sehic.

Understandably, Italy relaxed for the remainder of the game, and errors crept into their football. However, Bosnia lacked the interplay to take advantage.

The contest petered out, allowing the away side to canter to an eighth win during qualification. Bosnia remain fifth, but are guaranteed a play-off opportunity after their UEFA Nations League endeavours.

What's Next

Both nations are back in Group J action on Monday. Italy will welcome Armenia, with Bosnia travelling to Liechtenstein in the last qualifier. The Italians have already secured qualification for Euro 2020, and Bosnia are guaranteed a play-off spot after winning their UEFA Nations League group.

Liverpool's Andy Robertson and Manchester United's Scott McTominay have both withdrawn from Scotland's squad for their UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Cyprus and Kazakhstan. 

Per BBC Sport, Scotland captain Robertson, who played 90 minutes for Liverpool in their 3-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday, will not travel to Cyprus for Saturday's Group I match, but he will stay with the squad in the build-up.

McTominay, meanwhile, has looked a doubt for Scotland's double-header since injuring himself at Old Trafford late in United's 3-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday:

Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer explained after the victory what had happened to the in-form midfielder, per Charlotte Duncker of the Manchester Evening News:

"He went over on his ankle, it's a painful one sometimes that's. ... I've had one, I was out for eight weeks, but then again sometimes you have one and you're back in two weeks. I don't know, he's in for a scan tomorrow and then we'll have to see, with the ice there. But it looked painful, Scotty's not one for rolling around."

Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser has also pulled out of the squad.

Steve Clarke's Scotland side cannot qualify for Euro 2020 even if they win both their matches in the coming week.

A perfect return of six points against Cyprus and Kazakhstan would only move them onto 15 points in Group I, and Belgium and Russia already have 24 and 21 points, respectively.

Clarke will want two good performances, though, to finish off the campaign, which has largely been a disappointment.

Scotland have lost four of their last five matches in qualifying, with their only win of that run coming against San Marino in October.

The absence of Robertson, McTominay and Fraser will impact Scotland's chances of beating Cyprus and Kazakhstan given their importance to the team.

But it will potentially give Clarke a chance to experiment with his squad ahead of Scotland's play-off semi-final in March, which they have qualified for after topping their group in the 2018-19 UEFA Nations League. 

Italy boss Roberto Mancini said on Monday that if he calls up Mario Balotelli to the national side, it will be because his form warrants it rather than using his selection as an anti-racism message.

Mancini discussed Balotelli, who was racially abused by some Hellas Verona supporters on November 3, after Italian football federation president Gabriele Gravina suggested calling him up to send a message to fans.

Per the Associated Press (via ESPN), Manicini said:

"Football and sport should unite, not destroy. We're in 2020 and we're still talking about skin colour. I wish Mario nothing but well, he's still of an age to do a lot. But if he should be recalled, it will be because he is doing well and can help the national team.

"You can think like the president said, but you need to understand that if Balotelli gets another chance, it will be because he deserves it from a technical point of view. I think it's more important to call him if he deserves it."

Eurosport's Siavoush Fallahi similarly felt it would not be productive to call up Balotelli as a means of combating racism:

The striker was subjected to monkey chants at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi in Verona's 2-1 win over his Brescia side.

After kicking the ball into the crowd in response, Balotelli began to leave the pitch. He was eventually persuaded to continue playing by his team-mates, while the referee halted the match so an announcement could be read out over the public address system.

The 29-year-old spoke out against the abuse after the match:

Serie A sanctioned Verona with a partial stadium closure, per ESPN FC's Andrew Cesare:

The club also banned Lucas Castellini, their head ultra, until 2030. He told Radio Cafe (h/t the Guardian) that Balotelli "can never be completely Italian" and said he only heard the abuse "in his own head." He added that Verona "also have a negro in our team who scored yesterday, and all of the Verona fans applauded him."

Rather than defend their player, Brescia's ultras sided with their Verona counterparts against Balotelli:

Inter Milan's ultras did the same when Romelu Lukaku was racially abused by Cagliari fans earlier in the season.

Football writer Kaustubh Pandey called out the Brescia supporters for their actions:

After three years out of the national side, Balotelli made three appearances for Italy under Mancini—who coached him at Inter Milan and Manchester City—in 2018, scoring once.

He earned his call-up having scored 43 goals in 66 appearances for OGC Nice across the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

Balotelli joined Marseille in January after failing to score in 10 matches for Nice in the first half of last season.

The forward then moved to Brescia in the summer after his six-month spell with Marseille, where he scored eight goals in 15 appearances. He's scored twice in seven games for Brescia this season.

On that form, it would be hard to justify his selection ahead of Ciro Immobile or Andrea Belotti. The former has 16 goals and five assists in 16 games for Lazio this season, while the latter has 13 and two in 18 outings for Torino.

Krasimir Balakov has resigned from his position as Bulgaria manager four days on from his team's 6-0 hammering against England in Sofia, a match that was tarnished by racist behaviour from home supporters. 

Bakalov's side have only picked up three points from their UEFA 2020 European Championship qualifying campaign and they were comprehensively beaten by the Three Lions in Monday's encounter.

Per BBC Sport, Balakov said he didn't have it in him to galvanise the players:

"I wish success to the next coach, the situation is not rosy at the moment. I have never been a coach in such an atmosphere.

"I tried to pick up the players in the locker room. There was no rebellion. The players were so mentally stressed by what was happening on the pitch that they lacked the energy to rebel."

A statement from the Bulgarian Football Union said "the performance of Bulgaria's men's national team in recent months has been described as unsatisfactory, which is why Balakov resigned." 

BBC Sport noted reports from Bulgaria indicate the entire Bulgarian Football Union board have stepped down from their roles, including president Borislav Mikhailov.

The seemingly inevitable sweeping changes in Bulgarian football come after shameful scenes in the capital on Monday, when a number of England players were subjected to racist abuse. The match had to be stopped twice in the first half.

As ITV Football relayed, monkey chanting could be heard throughout the match, while some supporters made Nazi salutes during the qualifying game:

After the contest, Balakov said he was not aware of any discriminatory actions in the stands. "I didn't actually hear anything but I just talked to the English press downstairs and I told them that if this is proven to be true, then we have to be ashamed and we have to apologise for it," he said.

Miguel Delaney of The Independent was critical of the post-match remarks made by the former Bulgarian manager:

Three Lions star Raheem Sterling referenced pre-match comments made by Balakov on social media on Monday night, in which the coach said England had a bigger issue with racism than Bulgaria:

It's been previously reported by BBC that Bulgarian police have identified 16 fans who took part in racist behaviour at the game, with 12 arrests made. Four of those have already received two-year bans and fines.

UEFA have opened disciplinary proceedings against Bulgaria, charging them with "racist behaviour" in regards to the chanting and Nazi salutes.

Italy cruised to a 5-0 win over Liechtenstein on Tuesday to maintain their 100 per cent record in Euro 2020 qualifying.

Roberto Mancini's side had already sealed top spot in Group J and picked up their eighth win thanks to goals from Federico Bernardeschi, Andrea Belotti, Alessio Romagnoli and Stephan El Shaarawy.

The visitors opened the scoring with less than two minutes on the clock when Bernardeschi hammered home the opening goal from a Cristiano Biraghi cross.

Italy had to wait until the 70th minute to double their lead. Belotti directed a powerful header past goalkeeper Benjamin Buchel from a Vincenzo Grifo corner.

Romagnoli nodded home the third from substitute El Shaarawy's free-kick, and the Shanghai Shenhua forward then prodded home the fourth after being teed up by Bryan Cristante.

Belotti grabbed his second of the night in stoppage time with another header to wrap up a comfortable win for the visitors.

Italy manager Roberto Mancini opted to rotate his side and made 10 changes with qualification for next year's tournament already assured.

Midfielder Marco Verratti was the only man to keep his place in the starting XI and captained an inexperienced team including Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Grifo, Cristante and Nicolo Zaniolo:

A lively start to the match saw Liechtenstein carve out a chance in the opening minute. Dennis Salanovic got in behind Di Lorenzo and went for goal but his effort was blocked by goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.

Italy then went straight down the other end and opened the scoring. Biraghi was played in by Belotti, who was fouled but play was allowed to continue, and the left-back squared for an unmarked Bernardeschi to smash a powerful effort past the goalkeeper from inside the penalty area:

The early goal suggested it could be a tough night for the hosts, but Italy failed to extend their lead in the first half and Liechtenstein had chances to level. Salanovic was the brightest player on the pitch in the opening 45 minutes and twice forced Sirigu into good saves.

The Italy goalkeeper was almost embarrassed just before half-time after rushing off his line and misjudging a tackle. However, a poor touch from Robin Gubser allowed Sirigu to grab the ball and prevent the midfielder equalising.

The Azzurri appeared more determined after the break and went close early on through Belotti. The Torino striker was picked out in the box but fired a good chance wide and then put another effort into the side-netting minutes later.

Yet Liechtenstein continued to provide a threat on the counter-attack. The lively Salanovic raced forward and curled a shot that tested Sirigu.

Italy's superior quality began to show in the closing stages as they added some gloss to the scoreline and ran out comfortable winners with four goals in the final 20 minutes.

Belotti powered a header across goal and into the net from Grifo's corner from the right, before El Shaarawy picked out Romagnoli to head home the third seven minutes later.

El Shaarawy forced Buchel into another fine save with a fizzing shot that the goalkeeper managed to tip over the crossbar, but did manage to get on the scoresheet after being played in by Cristante.

Belotti wrapped up the win by heading home the fifth from Di Lorenzo's cross, as Italy equalled their record of nine straight wins in all competitions, per Opta.

What's Next?

Both teams wrap up their Euro 2020 campaigns during the next international break in November. Italy will play Bosnia and Herzegovina and Armenia, while Liechtenstein are scheduled to face Finland and Bosnia and Herzegovina.