International football governing body FIFA  promised  ‘adequate actions’ once the racial abuse incidents during the Hungary vs England World Cup qualifier game were investigated. English players were jeered for taking a knee, pelted with plastic cups after goals and then targeted with alleged racist chants.

FIFA condemned the incident and Hungarian fans who allegedly engaged in monkey chanting, targeted at Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham, during the Thursday night’s World Cup qualifier at Puskas Arena in Budapest. England won 4-0.

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“FIFA strongly rejects any form of racism and violence and has a very clear zero tolerance stance for such behavior in football,” world governing body said. ”FIFA will take adequate actions as soon as it receives match reports concerning yesterday’s Hungary-England game.”

Hungary had been ordered to play two matches without fans but the sanction from UEFA didn’t take effect for the visit of England because the game was under FIFA’s jurisdiction.

England manager Gareth Southgate had called for FIFA to take strong action. 

“Our players can’t do anything more than they have done in the past two or three years in trying to get the right messages out, take the right stands, and it’s for other people to protect them,” Southgate said. 

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also criticised the racial abuse his countrymen had to face. 

“It is completely unacceptable that England players were racially abused in Hungary last night,” Johnson said on Twitter. “I urge (FIFA) to take strong action against those responsible to ensure that this kind of disgraceful behaviour is eradicated from the game for good.”

Pitch-side reporters for domestic broadcasters ITV and Sky Sports said they saw and heard individuals among the Hungary supporters behind one of the goals aim monkey chants at Raheem Sterling and unused substitute Jude Bellingham, who are Black. Sky Sports showed video footage of one spectator giving the abuse.

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The game was played in front of a crowd of 60,000 mostly Hungarian fans about two months after UEFA ordered the team to play three matches without fans — one of which was suspended for a probationary period of two years — as a punishment for what was termed “discriminatory” behavior by its supporters at all three of its Euro 2020 group games.

Those behind-closed-doors games have to be in UEFA competition, though. World Cup qualifiers are organized by FIFA.

With inputs from the Associated Press