Last night’s football celebration at Vasil Levski Stadium was overshadowed by yet another racist scandal. Our player Bernard Tekpetey was attacked by Levski fans, including children, with monkey noises and insults, calling him a “monkey.” Subsequently, Tekpetey received a death threat on his personal social media profile, as well as brutal threats that crossed every boundary. In connection with the death threat, the club has officially notified the police and the prosecutor’s office and will fully cooperate to clarify the case and seek accountability.
At Ludogorets, we will not stop fighting racism. We will initiate a discussion and a meeting between clubs, because this cannot and must not continue any longer. A Ludogorets player has once again become a victim of racism and xenophobia—following the attack against Antoine Baroan after a match with Lokomotiv (Sofia) last year.
We are категорical that such actions have no place in football or in our society. Racism is unacceptable in sport and is in complete contradiction with its values—respect, equality, and fair play. Bulgarian society must be sensitive, uncompromising, and actively oppose such grotesque phenomena that distance us from the civilized world.
We stand firmly behind Bernard Tekpetey and all footballers who become victims of discrimination, and we will not allow them to be left alone in the face of this aggression.
