CSKA Sofia could find themselves in hot water with UEFA after angry home fans pelted the match officials with missiles and hurled racist abuse at Andy Cole during last night's stormy first round second leg at the Bulgarska Armia Stadium.

Israeli referee Alon Yefet and his two assistants, Eyal Hatuka and Shabtai Nachmias, needed to be escorted from the pitch by riot police after coming under attack from a hail of bottles as disgruntled CSKA supporters vented their angry at what they perceived to be a bad offside decision in the build-up to Rovers' second goal.

But it was the racist chants aimed at Cole during the match which particularly sickened Rovers, leading manager Graeme Souness to brand the perpetrators as brainless idiots.

"That was bad but you get dopes everywhere and obviously they had their fair share of dopes there last night. They are no-brainers as far as I'm concerned," said the Rovers chief.

CSKA supporters - who have a notorious Nazi hooligan following - had promised to create a hostile atmosphere but their high jinx boiled over in the closing stages as both the officials and the 500-or-so Rovers fans who had made the trip were pelted with an assortment of objects, including bottles and coins, prompting riot police to intervene.

One visiting fan later required treatment from the club doctor after being hit on the head by an object as the situation threatened to get out of hand.

And on the pitch, the behaviour of several home players wasn't much better as several squared up to a linesman after a couple of contentious decisions had gone against the hosts.

"Their football is very different to ours so it's up to you what interpretation you put on that," said Souness.

"They try to influence referees in a different way to how our players do, let's put it that way."

Now CSKA must await the referee's report.

Rovers will sit down and conduct a full debriefing session of their own before deciding whether or not to make an official complaint to the relevant authorities.