Harry Kane declared that England are ready to leave the pitch during Belgrade’s World Cup qualifiers against Serbia if his teammates are facing racist abuse. Serbian capital Rajko Mitic Stadium is operating under limited capacity following racist conduct by Serbian supporters during its fixture with Andorra in June, leading to sanctions.
England has shown a willingness to take a firm stance against discrimination, as evidenced by his 2019 encounter with Bulgaria. Processes were suspended twice during the opening season after home supporters racially abused three lion players during that match at Sofia. Former manager Gareth Southgate revealed that England is considering abandoning fixtures following the racist incident, but his team decided to continue making a statement and ultimately secure a 6-0 victory.
As speculation in England could encounter similar hostility, Captain Kane questioned whether he would again lead such actions and confirmed his preparations.
The Bayern Munich forward said, “Yes, there was a similar situation in Bulgaria. UEFA has a protocol that we should follow. We know the procedures. We know the situation.”
“We’re talking about things that haven’t happened yet. We’re going around everything and taking everything so that it comes. We’ll make it clear what we want to do. Let’s see what happens tomorrow night. We’re more focused on Serbia as a team and how to hurt them.”
England aims to maintain their perfect record during this international break after beating Andorra over the weekend, with manager Thomas Touchel admitting that while he hasn’t broached the subject with his team, FA officials are working on the issue.
He revealed: “I didn’t talk about it, but the people in the FA spoke to us about it. Yes, we always believe in good things.
“We know the protocol, but I don’t want to put a big focus on it because we believe in the beauty of sports and the beauty of games. We can have a respectful and emotional match tomorrow.”
