CSKA Sofia boss Pardew quit after bananas were thrown at Black players

Last month, the squad lost the

final to arch rivals

, although Pardew wanted to remain on and take command of the team next season after conversations with the club's ownership.

However, when the

squad came for one of their last league matches against Botev Plovdiv a week after the cup final, they were greeted by a huge number of enraged supporters outside the stadium. 

Four African-American players were racially abused and had bananas tossed at them. They first declined to participate in the game, but were eventually convinced.

According to reports, Pardew was enraged by the episode and demanded immediate discussions with the club's executives.

He has now opted to quit the club, along with assistant Alex Dyer, the first Black man to occupy a coaching position at the club, as a result of that event. 

In a statement to the CSKA Sofia website, Pardew said:

"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. 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.

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

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