Bulgarian Football Union risks suspension from world football if it is established that Borislav Mihaylov's departure was a result of government interference
Wednesday 16 October 2019 12:31, UK
FIFA has confirmed it is "closely monitoring" the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) after the resignation of its president, following racist abuse during England's game on Monday night.
Borislav Mihaylov's resignation came hours after the country's sports minister said the Bulgarian prime minister ordered him to step down.
It was claimed the government would freeze all funding and relations with the BFU until Mihaylov departed his role.
FIFA laws ban any government interference from the running of football associations.
Article 19.1 of the FIFA Statutes states: "Each member association shall manage its affairs independently and without influence from a third party."
A FIFA spokesperson told Sky Sports News: "We are closely monitoring the situation".
FIFA has yet to launch a formal investigation into the BFU, which has not commented further following Mihaylov's resignation, but it risks suspension from world football if it is established they broke the game's laws.
In 2015, FIFA suspended the Indonesian Football Association following government interference and they have threatened several associations with the same sanction, including the Greece FA, Spanish Football Federation, Nigerian FA and Ghana FA.
The Cameroon Football Federation, Kuwait Football Association, Benin FA and Sierra Leone FA have also been banned from the game following interference.
Bulgaria's sports minister Krasen Kralev said on Tuesday: "The prime minister called me urgently a short time ago. You know that the government has done a lot for the development of Bulgarian football in the last four years.
"But after the recent events, having in mind the whole state of football and last night's incidents, the prime minister has ordered me from today to suspend any relations with the BFU, including financial ones, until the resignation of Borislav Mihaylov."
