Italy’s win against England at the finals of the UEFA Euro 2020 was overshadowed by the racial abuse directed at the English players who missed their spot kicks during the penalty shootout. The match, which took place at Wembley Stadium in England, moved on to penalties following the 1-1 draw after extra time. English players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka missed their penalties which led to a 3-2 loss against Italy.
Post the match, Rashford, Sancho, and Saka were victims of vile racial abuse on social media by the fans of the English team while Rashford’s mural in his hometown of Withington was vandalized. There were scores of racist and abusive messages under the comments of the Instagram posts of the players as well as on Twitter. Amid all the abuse, hundreds of people also erupted in defense of the players.
The mural of Rashford that was defaced was later covered in messages of love and support from fans.
Marcus Rashford went onto write an emotional note on Twitter and Instagram apologizing for his missed penalty. He wrote,
“I can take critique of my performance all day long, my penalty was not good enough, it should have gone in but I will never apologize for who I am and where I came from. The messages I’ve received today have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears. I’m Marcus Rashford, 23 year old, black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else I have that.”
He also shared images of handwritten letters send to him by his young fans.
Rashford was honoured with Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to vulnerable children during the pandemic.
England captain Harry Kane also took to twitter to speak out against the racist comments.
A statement by the English Team read, “We're disgusted that some of our squad -- who have given everything for the shirt this summer -- have been subjected to discriminatory abuse online after tonight's game.”
The Football association condemned the racial abuse and said in a statement,
“The FA strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and is appalled by the online racism that has been aimed at some of our England players on social media. We could not be clearer that anyone behind such disgusting behaviour is not welcome in following the team. We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible.”
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