Alan Pardew leaves CSKA Sofia after fans allegedly racially abuse players

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN

Updated 1342 GMT (2142 HKT) June 2, 2022

Alan Pardew is leaving CSKA Sofia after racist abuse was allegedly leveled at players by a small group of fans.

(CNN)Former Premier League manager Alan Pardew has left CSKA Sofia after he claims fans racially abused the team's players, he announced Wednesday.

Pardew, who was appointed manager in April, announced he is leaving the Bulgarian club after the actions of a «small group of organized racist fans» at a game against Botev Plovdiv.«The events before and after the match against Botev Plovdiv were unacceptable not only for me but also for my assistant Alex Dyer and for my players,» Pardew, who first joined the club as technical director in 2020, said in a statement posted to the team's website.CSKA lost the Bulgaria Cup final to rival Levski Sofia last month. A week after the match, as the CSKA team arrived to play a league game against Botev Plovdiv, large numbers of angry fans gathered outside the stadium, according to reports.Jude Bellingham questions whether authorities 'care' about racist abuse directed at Black footballersFour Black players were allegedly subjected to racist abuse and had bananas thrown at them, Sky Sports reported. The players initially refused to play in the game following the abuse leveled at them, but were later persuaded to, according to the report.Read MoreCNN has contacted CSKA Sofia in regards to Pardew's departure and the alleged racial abuse suffered by squad members but has yet to receive a reply.«Our players decided to play out of loyalty towards the club, and to protect it,» Pardew wrote in the statement.«This small group of organized racist fans, who tried to sabotage the game, are not what I want to coach the team in