Source: Eddie Keogh – The FA / Getty
Italy won the Euro 2020 Final, but England fans have taken it too far.
The game came down to a penalty kick shootout after both teams failed to score more than 1 point. To begin, England’s Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho stepped up, but all missed their shots. All three players are Black, which led to them all receiving racists comments because fans blamed the loss on them.
The abuse was so bad that Prince William stepped in to condemn the actions of England’s fans.
“I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match. It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour,” he tweeted. “It must stop now, and all those involved should be held accountable.”
The racism amongst British soccer clubs that players face is nothing new and often expected after a loss.
“When we get racist abuse after a football match at the end of a tournament, I expect it,” former England player Gary Neville told Sky News. “Because it exists, and it’s actually promoted by the prime minister, I knew as soon as Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka missed last night, I knew we would be waking up this morning to stories of racist abuse.”
The players are known to disagree with fans when it comes to social issues, which became apparent when the team began to take a knee before all Euro 2021 matches in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement. Instead of clapping for the team, fans began booing them despite Prime minister Boris Johnson having their back.
According to Kick It Out, English football’s equality and inclusion organization reported racial abuse in the soccer world is on the rise– it increased by 53 percent between this season and last season, and reports of discrimination increased by 42 percent.
