Ex-Portsmouth and Birmingham winger Viv Solomon-Otabor reveals 'heartbreaking' racist abuse during Bulgaria playing spell

The 24-year-old spent a season with CSKA Sofia after last summer rejecting the chance of a permanent Fratton Park stay.

He has now returned to England seeking a fresh start, with the Bulgarian club forced to remove tehir high earners following the financial ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic.

Solomon-Otabor made 10 appearances and scored once for the Blues during a loan spell from Birmingham City in 2018-19.

And he has lifted the lid on life in the country which was fined £65,000 by Uefa following monkey chants during England’s visit to Sofia for a Euro 2020 qualifier in October.

Solomon-Otabor told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s heartbreaking. You think, ‘Why?’ You can’t comprehend why someone wants to tear you down because of the colour of your skin.

‘My family told me to stop reading those (online) comments. ‘Block, delete and move on’. It’s easy saying that though, isn’t it? You keep looking. Why did they say that?

‘They’d always find something to abuse you over. It’s wrong. I trained myself to stop reading them. I was clicking on the same message three or four times. The more you look, the more it upsets you.

‘The club were supportive. The president called me into his office and said ‘They’re stupid people, don’t worry, we’ve got it under control’.

‘My team-mates were the same. There was action taken, fines. It’s not enough but at least they showed there was care.’

Solomon-Otabor made 17 appearances and scored once for CSKA Sofia.