Football and the wider sports community have come together to defend the England stars who were subjected to racial abuse after their final defeat to Euro 2020 on Sunday night.
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Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka each missed a penalty in England’s failed shootout, and as they so often do in an age of social media, anger and disappointment quickly boiled over into abuse.
You did not have to look far to find racist vitriol on the usual social media platforms, with Saka – a 19-year-old who played in his first major tournament – had to delete his Instagram account hours after the match.
The FA quickly condemned the reaction, and Gareth Southgate has labeled the hateful messages sent to his players “unforgivable”
“For some of them to be abused is unforgivable.”
England manager Gareth Southgate has condemned the racist abuse Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka have received after the team was defeated by Italy in the Euro 2020 final, adding: “It’s just not what we stand for.” pic.twitter.com/AyPvnldgjk
– Channel 4 News (@ Channel4News) July 12, 2021
A wave of solidarity from the trio’s teammates in England soon followed, with captain Harry Kane as a role model when he published his own strong message on Twitter.
“Three boys who were brilliant all summer had the courage to get up and take a penalty when the stakes were high,” he said.
“They deserve support and support, not the heinous racist abuse they have had since last night. If you abuse someone on social media, you are not an England fan and we do not want you.”
Three boys who were brilliant all summer had the courage to get up and take a pencil when the stakes were high. They deserve support and support, not the heinous racist abuse they have had since last night. If you’re abusing someone on social media, you’re not a fan of @England and we do not want you. pic.twitter.com/PgskPAXgxV
– Harry Kane (@HKane) July 12, 2021
However, Rashford also had a lot to say. The Manchester United star became the voice of a generation during the pandemic and used his significant platform to fight food poverty and influence real social change.
But as long as he is a man who can miss a punishment, it does not matter to some, who like to scapegoat his activism as a distraction rather than to praise his selflessness and generosity.
pic.twitter.com/bs9lksGM4q
– Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) July 12, 2021
We have heard Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel express their support for the players in question, but for many in England’s squad it was too little, too late from the Conservative ministers.
Tyrone Mings accused Patel of hypocrisy for his anti-immigration policy and previous comments about “gesture politics” in relation to England players who took the knee.
You must not set fire to the beginning of the tournament by marking our anti-racism message as “Gest Politics” and then pretending to be disgusted when exactly what we are fighting against happens. https://t.co/fdTKHsxTB2
– Tyrone Mings (@ OfficialTM_3) July 12, 2021
It was a similar feeling from Andy Murray, who used the situation to exclaim Piers Morgan. Morgan was sympathetic to the players in England, but that feeling was nowhere to be seen just a few days ago when he criticized Emma Raducanu – an 18-year-old woman in color – for withdrawing from Wimbledon.
Morgan and several other high-profile commentators questioned her mental strength, and a well-measured tweet from Murray subtly called the double standards on the show.
Completely agree with you. All of these players deserve and need public support after that. Everyone seems like brilliant guys. Nothing can prepare you for that level of pressure / attention / criticism at 19/20 years. Respect ? https://t.co/D1BGJqeCsN
– Andy Murray (@andy_murray) July 11, 2021
The abuse against England’s black players was not limited to social media. A mural honoring Rashford in his home suburb of Withington was removed with racist messages, but fortunately there are some good people left in the world.
Images circulating on social media showed how locals gathered to cover up graffiti and decorate it with touching messages to Rashford.
This is what we did to eradicate racist graffiti at the Marcus Rashford mural in Withington. I’m proud of Marcus and I’m proud of the locals who defended him with messages of love and pride. pic.twitter.com/hTBWI6nYbe
– Harriet Monkhouse ?? (@HarrietMonkhaus) July 12, 2021
It is important to remember as the fight for social justice continues, racists and the big ones are in the minority. For every anonymous account that throws abuse at Saka, Sancho and Rashford, there are several who come out to support the England stars.
But if we have learned anything from the last 24 hours or so, it is that there is a long way to go.
