Ex-Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew leaves CSKA Sofia after allegations supporters racially abused players

Alan Pardew has left his role at CSKA Sofia.
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Pardew, 60, had only been appointed CSKA Sofia manager in April, however, he has walked away from the club after allegations a section of supporters targeted their own players with racist abuse following their Bulgaria cup final defeat.

CSKA were defeated by city-rivals Levski Sofia in the cup final and ahead of their next league games, four CSKA players were subject to racist abuse from fans, including having bananas thrown at them, report Sky Sports.

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Following this incident, Pardew walked away from the club, blaming a ‘small group of organised racist fans’ for his departure:

Former Newcastle United head coach Alan Pardew (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)Former Newcastle United head coach Alan Pardew (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Former Newcastle United head coach Alan Pardew (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

"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.” The former Newcastle United head coach said. “Our players decided to play out of loyalty towards the club.

"This small group of organised racist fans, who tried to sabotage the game, are not the fans I want to coach the team in front of. That's definitely not the right way for CSKA because such club deserves a lot more."

"I would want to express my gratitude towards all true CSKA fans for their support and passion. I also want to thank Grisha and Dani Ganchev [the club owners] for their efforts to bring the club forward despite all the challenges and circumstances.

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"It's been a privilege and honour to serve this great club. Unfortunately, my time here has come to an end."

Pardew had held a variety of roles at the Bulgarian club since joining as their technical director in November 2020.

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