KARL Robinson hopes the events in England’s qualifier this week can provide an impetus to deal with racism across football.

The 6-0 win against Bulgaria in Sofia was twice stopped in the first half after racist chanting from a section of the home support.

There have since been six arrests, while the boss of the country’s football association, Borislav Mikhailov, has resigned.

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Uefa are investigating, with some calling for Bulgaria to serve a ban.

While Robinson acknowledged English football has its own problems, the Oxford United head coach believes some good can come out of the depressing events.

He said: “We have to make sure we keep our house in order and use that as an example of somewhere we never want to get to.

“We have to use it as an opportunity for us to stamp it out even more so in our game.

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“I like the fact the players had that opportunity to either say we don’t want to play, or we do want to play.”

Robinson feels the problem goes well beyond football, but believes the sport can be a force for good.

He said: “I think racism is not just in football, it’s in society. But football has a pioneering way of tackling so many different social issues.

“We know there’s a problem, but we know through football we can help support it.

“Every day we should strive to be better people and support everyone, not just because of the colour of your skin, but everything.

“We should be able to walk free and be comfortable with who we are.

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“It goes even deeper than that within mental health issues, how people can become withdrawn, frightened and pushed to one side.

“That’s not the world we want our kids to grow up in.”