Racist chants and insults marred the England team's large victory (4-0) in their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Hungary.
The English had to deal with the hostility of the public at the Puskas Arena, where the match took place.
British media, such as the BBC and Sky News, notably reported monkey cries, targeting midfielder Jude Bellingham and striker Raheem Sterling during the meeting.
These excesses during the meeting come after similar incidents in other matches of the "Three Lions", and in a context of growing anger in the world of British football over the racism regularly observed in stadiums or on social networks.
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"It is totally unacceptable that English players were subjected to racist slurs in Hungary last night," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter.
It is completely unacceptable that @England players were racially abused in Hungary last night.
I urge @FIFAcom to take strong action against those responsible to ensure that this kind of disgraceful behavior is eradicated from the game for good.
- Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) September 3, 2021
He urged Fifa to "take strong action against those responsible to ensure that this kind of shameful behavior is eradicated for good."
The governing body of world football responded by promising to take "adequate measures", recalling that it firmly rejected "any form of racism and violence".
This is not the first time that Hungary has been pinned
Just before the kick-off, the English players were also booed by the majority of the 60,000 Hungarian supporters present in the stadium for having kneeled on the ground in a symbolic gesture to denounce racism.
"I didn't hear that" (the racist chants), England captain Harry Kane told ITV.
“I'm going to talk to the guys and see if they heard anything,” he added.
Coach Gareth Southgate, who said he did not hear the insults from the bench, said they were "unacceptable".
“Everyone knows what we stand for as a team”.
At the post-match press conference, however, he felt that many Hungarian supporters had behaved "without fault", stressing that the English anthem had been respected, unlike foreign anthems during the matches of the 'Euro at Wembley.
Also asking Fifa to investigate, the English Football Federation (FA) found "extremely disappointing to learn that discriminatory acts" have been committed.
This is not the first time that Hungary has been in the sights of the football authorities.
In July, the Hungarian federation was sanctioned with three games behind closed doors (including one suspended) for the “discriminatory behavior of its supporters” during the three matches played by its selection for the Euro.
However, this sanction does not apply to matches organized by Fifa.
A recurring phenomenon in football
Racist cries against black players of the France team had in particular been launched from the platform where the Hungarian ultras were in Budapest, on June 19.
These incidents are reminiscent of those observed in 2019, during a qualifying match for Euro 2020 won by England against Bulgaria, which was marked by racist outbursts, triggering outrage in the United Kingdom and in the United Kingdom. European football bodies.
Or more recently in qualifying matches for the Euro in Montenegro and Bulgaria.
England itself is not immune to the phenomenon.
For years, English players have been victims of racism during matches, or on social networks after a defeat or disappointing performances.
The knee pose on the ground, extensively commented on and sometimes criticized, is quite frequently hissed, whether it is performed in a national team or in a club.
Boris Johnson himself has been accused of hypocrisy, having called in June, during Euro 2020, on supporters to support the England team and to be "respectful", without explicitly condemning the boos at the kneeling players. .
After the final lost to Italy in July, the government said it wanted to ban fans who have used racist slurs online from the stadium, after such attacks targeting three black players in the England team.
