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England’s Tyrone Mings stands tall with composure off and on the pitch
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Subscribe for more videos. • Defender’s international debut in Bulgaria came in the worst possible environment and his decision to call out racist chanting may have lasting impact “Did you hear that?” With those four words, Tyrone Mings set in motion a process that could have led to England walking off the pitch and abandoning their match against Bulgaria. • In the end they did not, with action against the persistent racist abuse from the stands of Sofia’s Vasil Levski Stadium stopping short of the ultimate step in Uefa’s three‑point protocol. But the way Mings dealt with his experience, and the way his England teammates and coaches did too, may perhaps have a longer-term effect in the struggle against racism. Did you hear that Uefa? Did you hear that people at home? • It was certainly not the kind of environment in which anyone should have to make their international debut. Mings, the Aston Villa centre-half, said he and his teammates had heard racist chanting from sections of the Bulgaria support before Monday’s Euro 2020 qualifier had started. Then, halfway through the first half, and amid a hail of monkey noises, not to mention Nazi salutes and a general sense that parts of the crowd were there for the abuse and not the football, the game came to a halt. Warning messages were read to the crowd over the PA system before play restarted but the game stopped again just before half-time. At the interval as many as 50 of the most abusive supporters left the ground.“I didn’t hear anything in the second half,” Mings said. “I can’t speak for everybody but I can speak for myself. So I think fans were removed and if that was the case then I think the protocol has definitely worked. We didn’t want to be having these conversations but it was important we made a collective decision. We represent a lot of people and we have to not just make a stance for ourselves, but make it clear these things won’t be accepted. Having not anticipated a place in the starting side, Mings had to take last-minute measures to get his family to the match when Gareth Southgate told him he would be earning his first cap. He paid for his family’s trip to Sofia and, despite the circumstances, Mings was in no doubt about what the moment meant to him. • “It is the pinnacle of English football; everybody dreams of representing their country, everybody knows my journey. I was extremely proud and had my friends and family in the crowd, so I don’t think they will let it overshadow this. • “I was absolutely happy they were here and it will be a memory we will talk about for a long, long time – a good memory.” source: https://www.theguardian.com/football/...
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