British man dies in Sofia ahead of England’s Euro 2020 qualifier with Bulgaria

32-year-old ‘suddenly began to act aggressively’, Bulgarian officials say

A man from the UK has died in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia ahead of the Euro 2020 qualifying match (PA)

A British citizen has died in Bulgaria, ahead of England’s Euro 2020 qualifier match.

A spokesperson for Bulgaria’s Ministry of Interior said that a 32-year-old man had died and that the police are investigating the incident.

The cause of death has yet to be identified. The spokesperson added that police officers had found a man in “a helpless condition” in Sofia’s city centre.

The unnamed man was said to be acting “aggressively, raging and threatening” at around 10am on Monday morning, ahead of the match in the Bulgarian capital. Police officers took him to hospital.

“He was a foreign national, from Britain, and he was taken to hospital but he sadly died,” the spokesperson added.

“Police are working to clarify all the circumstances in the incident. There is no further detail on any injuries. A forensic examination will find out what the cause of death was.”

England are preparing to play against Bulgaria in a match on Monday night.

British supporters were involved in violent clashes with police in Prague on Friday, before England’s 2-1 defeat to the Czech Republic.

“We are supporting the family of a British man who died following an incident in Sofia and our staff are in contact with the UK and Bulgarian authorities,” a Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson told The Independent.

Additional reporting by agencies