Levski Sofia Fined After Masked Fans Mock UEFA's Anti-Racism Campaign

Levski Sofia have been fined by the Bulgarian FA after some of the club's fans mocked one of UEFA's anti-racism campaigns in September, according to Reuters (via Eurosport).   

The fans held up a banner with the words "Say Yes To Racism," a nod to UEFA's popular commercial with several star players conveying the message "Say No To Racism" in their native tongues. Terrace Life shared an image of the banner:

The Bulgarian club will have to pay 19,000 levs (some £7,750), according to Reuters, and the small fine immediately caused a lot of outrage among local anti-racism groups.

The club's supporters have a long history of racist behaviour, as explained by Reuters:

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The BFU fined the club 37,500 levs after their supporters displayed a banner showing a swastika and another one marking what would have been Adolf Hitler's birthday during their game at Litex Lovech in April 2013.

In 2012, Levski were fined 30,000 euros by UEFA for racist behaviour by fans during a Europa League match against Bosnia & Herzegovina's Sarajevo.

Their notorious hooligans also made headlines last year when they attacked and stripped coach Ivaylo Petev in his first press conference, forcing him to resign days after joining from rivals Ludogorets Razgrad.

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The UEFA has cracked down on racist incidents in the past few months, forcing CSKA Moscow to play their Champions League match against Bayern Munich behind closed doors and opening an investigation into a similar banner displayed by fans of Partizan Belgrade, per the Press Association, via The Guardian.

This latest incident occurred during a match in Bulgaria's top division, however, and as a result, the matter becomes the responsibility of the Bulgarian Football Union. And as reported by The Guardian, the BFU has a history of levying soft sanctions:

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Unfortunately, those kind of tough sanctions are yet to become a part of Bulgarian football. Part of the problem lies in the poor football infrastructure in the country. Although cameras are required by the regulations of the Bulgarian federation, some of the stadiums are still without them – making it impossible to identify the fans upon whom the sanctions should be imposed.

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While this banner only came about as the result of a handful of fans, it's clear Bulgarian football has a problem with racism. A £7,750 fine is essentially a slap on the wrist for a serial offender, and sends entirely the wrong signal to both the supporters and society in general.

The BFU has the power to force clubs to play matches behind closed doors, and given the severity of the incident and Levski's history of similar problems, such a tough sanction would have been a far more just punishment.

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