This archive report was first published on 28 October 2019.
Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has expressed his disappointment with FIFA's inaction on racism in football, citing the recent racist chants and Nazi salutes during England's Euro 2020 qualifier in Bulgaria.
Published on October 28, 2019, Toure made these comments after Qingdao Huanghai clinched promotion to the Chinese Super League at the weekend.
England's 6-0 victory in Sofia was marred by racist chants and Nazi salutes from a section of Bulgarian fans, with the game being halted twice during the first half. However, England players opted to complete the match instead of walking off the pitch.
Toure, who has been outspoken on football's racism problem, questioned the decision, saying, "This is a shame, why are you playing for England?"
He also criticized FIFA, stating, "People from FIFA don't care anyway because we've been talking about this, but it's still continuing."
Toure believes that players need to take more decisive action against racism, saying, "They have to be serious about it, players need to make serious moves about it otherwise they (the racists) will continue to do that."
He also praised Raheem Sterling, the England and Manchester City forward, for playing a prominent role in calling out the racists at home and abroad, but said that was "not good enough".
Toure has enjoyed his spell in Chinese football and stressed that he has never experienced any form of discrimination in the country, saying, "It's been a nice experience because I've seen people with a different mentality from Europe -- the way to play football, the way they feel and their behaviour on the field."
