England has beaten Bulgaria 6-0 in their Euro 2020 football qualifier in Sofia — but what happened in the stands may have bigger repercussions than the scoreline.

Key points: Tyrone Mings and Raheem Sterling were among several black English footballers targeted with racist chants in an international against Bulgaria in Sofia

Tyrone Mings and Raheem Sterling were among several black English footballers targeted with racist chants in an international against Bulgaria in Sofia The English FA has called for an urgent investigation after the chants and Nazi salutes marred the game, which England won 6-0

The English FA has called for an urgent investigation after the chants and Nazi salutes marred the game, which England won 6-0 The stadium was already partly closed after Bulgaria was sanctioned for racist chanting in previous internationals

Bulgarian supporters directed a series of racist chants towards England's black players, forcing the match to be halted twice in the first half under UEFA's anti-racism protocol.

The match was stopped in the 28th minute and again in the 43rd, but the English players opted against leaving the pitch and the game was quickly resumed after both breaks.

But the matter may not end there, with English officials calling for urgent action from UEFA.

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Bulgaria supporters in the crowd were seen directing monkey chants at England players, doing Nazi salutes and holding up shirts with the UEFA logo and the text "No Respect" — a reference to the European governing body's "Respect" campaign aimed at curbing racism in the sport.

During the first break, the public announcer warned that the match could be called off completely unless the racist abuse stopped — the first step in UEFA's anti-racism protocol for games.

A group of black-clad Bulgarian fans, some of whom were making right-wing salutes, were moved from an area behind the dugout, with home team captain Ivelin Popov trying to appeal to the supporters in a heated discussion at half-time.

Popov did not even go to the dressing room, attempting to explain to fans that their behaviour was unacceptable.

Some Bulgarian fans wore clothing mocking UEFA's anti-racism slogan, "Respect". ( Reuters: Carl Racine )

English FA calls for 'very stringent review'

"I would like to see a very stringent review by UEFA because I know they take racism very seriously," English FA chairman Greg Clarke said after the game.

"We should join a movement to drive racism out of our game and have zero tolerance for it."

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The FA also issued a statement saying the England players "were subjected to abhorrent racist chanting," which seemed to be aimed mainly at black players like Raheem Sterling and Tyrone Mings.

"As we are sadly aware, this is not the first time our players have been subjected to this level of abuse and there is no place for this kind of behaviour in society, let alone in football. We will be asking UEFA to investigate as a matter of urgency," the FA said.

Mings initially asked one of the assistant referees if he had heard the chants and England coach Gareth Southgate then held a discussion with the fourth official before the game was halted for the first time.

"It was quite clear to hear on the pitch, but we showed a great response, we showed a good togetherness and ultimately we let the football do the talking," Mings told ITV.

"We made a decision at half-time to come out and play the game which we thought was the right decision and if anything else had happened we would have taken appropriate action."

In addition to the chanting, some Bulgarian fans' use of Nazi salutes also raised serious concerns during the match. ( Reuters: Carl Recine )

The delays led to six minutes of added time, during which Sterling tapped in England's fourth goal.

The second half passed without interruption, with Sterling scoring his second goal with a precise finish in the 69th, and Kane completing the rout in the 85th, shortly after he was denied by the post.

The Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia was already subject to a partial closure for the match after Bulgaria was sanctioned for racist chanting during qualifiers against Kosovo and the Czech Republic.

Bulgaria had no answer to England on the field, as the visitors scored six times, including this goal by Raheem Sterling. ( AP: Vadim Ghirda )

"We have made two statements by winning the game but also we have raised the awareness of everyone of the situation," Southgate said.

"The game was stopped twice. I know for some people that won't be enough."

Social media reacts to Sofia scenes

In addition to the statement from the FA, the displays by some of the Bulgarian fans were castigated by many on social media — including current and former England players and London mayor, Sadiq Khan.

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Sterling also clapped back at a statement in the leadup to the match from Bulgarian coach Krasimir Balakov, accusing England of having a worse racism problem than Bulgaria.

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Wires/ABC