England’s 5-1 win was marred by allegations of racist chanting
Montenegro boss Ljubisa Tumbakovic has insisted that he didn’t hear any racist chanting being directed at England players on Monday night.
England won their Euro 2020 qualifier 5-1 in Podgorica, but the result was overshadowed by claims that supporters in the stadium had directed abuse at some of their players.
Gareth Southgate confirmed after full-time that he had heard Danny Rose being racially abused after receiving a booking late in the second half, while Callum Hudson-Odoi also indicated that he heard monkey chants from some of the Montenegrin supporters.
Also speaking after the game, Raheem Sterling, scorer of England’s final goal of the game, called for football’s authorities to issue stronger punishments against those responsible for racist abuse.
Despite this, Tumbakovic said he felt no need to comment on the matter as he had not heard any of the chants.
“I have not noticed nor heard any chanting. The first time I have heard this is now,” he said.
“First of all, I don’t see the reason why I should comment on that.
“Second, I haven’t heard anything. Third, I was thinking about the game, so I had to concentrate on the game.”
The FA are set to report the matter to Uefa, who are awaiting reports from the match referee and match delegate before deciding on whether or not to charge Montenegro.
