London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 10, 2025

England's players allegedly racially abused by Hungary fans during World Cup qualifier, according to FA

England's players allegedly racially abused by Hungary fans during World Cup qualifier, according to FA

Some of England's players were reportedly racially abused by Hungary fans during the team's 4-0 World Cup qualifying win over Hungary.

ITV reporter Gabriel Clarke, who was at the stadium, says he heard monkey chants directed at Raheem Sterling, as well as at substitute Jude Bellingham as he was preparing to come on.

England's players had earlier been loudly booed as they took a knee before kick off, an ongoing gesture to protest racism.

Hungary had been ordered by UEFA, European football's governing body, to play its next three home games behind closed doors after fans' discriminatory behavior at Euro 2020, but this ban wasn't yet implemented as World Cup qualifiers fall under FIFA's jurisdiction.

"Following analysis of the match reports, FIFA has opened disciplinary proceedings concerning the incidents last night at the game Hungary-England," FIFA said in a statement to CNN on Friday.

"Once again, FIFA would like to state that our position remains firm and resolute in rejecting any form of racism and violence as well as any other form of discrimination or abuse.

"We have a very clear zero tolerance stance against such abhorrent behaviours in football."

Declan Rice pretends to drink from a cup that was thrown at England's players.


In a statement, the English Football Association (FA) said it was "extremely disappointing" to hear reports of "discriminatory actions" directed towards some of its players.

"We will be asking FIFA to investigate the matter," the statement read. "We continue to support the players and staff in our collective determination to highlight and tackle discrimination in all its forms."

England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire wrote on Instagram: "Since last night's match I've spoken to my team mates and seen some of the footage.

"Any discrimination is totally unacceptable and the authorities must look into it. Racism has no place in our game or society."

Jack Grealish copied the celebration of teammate Declan Rice.


The Hungarian Football Federation said in a statement to CNN: "The vast majority of the 60,000 fans present in the Puskás Aréna supported the teams in a sporting manner, cheering on the Hungarian national team even when the team was already losing. It is in their defense that the minority of disruptive ticket-holders need to be identified and severely punished.

"Fans entering the field of play, throwing flares and plastic cups are in the process of being identified. The MLSZ has already filed or will file police reports against them and will pass on any financial penalties to the perpetrators through civil litigation. Furthermore, at the end of proceedings, those found guilty can expect a two-year ban from all sporting events.

"The Hungarian Federation and the players, head coach all made an extremely strong communication campaign before the game to call supporters to avoid all kind of racist, xenophobic behaviors during all matches of the national team."

In a later statement to CNN, it added that its "approach to racism on the stands is pretty clear -- it has no room in a football stadium.

"HFF is also consistent on this in club competitions in Hungary. We clearly stated ahead of the game that racism is unacceptable. There are investigations but at this stage we can say anybody who behaved as mentioned will be sanctioned."

England's players also had cups and bottles thrown at them during each of the goal celebrations -- with Declan Rice and Jack Grealish amusingly pretending to drink out of them -- while a flare was thrown onto the pitch as the team celebrated Harry Maguire's goal.

After the game, England forward Marcus Rashford, who is currently out following shoulder surgery, took to social media in support of his teammates.

"My brothers. Every single one of them. Proud of you boys," he tweeted.


UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who previously failed to condemn fans who booed England's players while they took the knee, tweeted: "It is completely unacceptable that England players were racially abused in Hungary last night.


"I urge FIFA to take strong action against those responsible to ensure that this kind of disgraceful behavior is eradicated from the game for good."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Street justice isn’t pretty but how else do you deal with this kind of insanity? Sometimes someone needs to standup and say something
Armenia and Azerbaijan sign U.S.-brokered accord at White House outlining transit link via southern Armenia
Barcelona Resolves Captaincy Issue with Marc-André ter Stegen
US Justice Department Seeks Release of Epstein and Maxwell Grand Jury Exhibits Amid Legal and Victim Challenges
Trump Urges Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to Resign Over Alleged Chinese Business Ties
Scotland’s First Minister Meets Trump Amid Visit Highlighting Whisky Tariffs, Gaza Crisis and Heritage Links
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
×