OUTRAGE AFTER PLAYERS’ ABUSE
Black players in the England football team were subject to a storm of online racist abuse after their defeat in the final of Euro 2020, drawing wide condemnation.
England wrapped its arms around its national football team the morning after its history-making run ended in heartbreaking defeat. But an ugly eruption of racist gibes against some of its young Black players was a reminder that not everyone glories in the diverse portrait of the country that this team reflects.
London’s Metropolitan Police said yesterday that they would investigate “offensive and racist social media comments being directed towards footballers,” following the game, which England lost to Italy after three players — Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka — missed penalty kicks.
Youthful team
The three players, who are Black, are among the youngest members of a youthful team that had captured the national imagination over the last four weeks as it swept into the final game of the European football championship, England’s first crack at victory in a major tournament in 55 years.
The racist attacks — the likes of which have long plagued European football, prompting England’s top league to participate in a weekend social media blackout earlier this year — drew immediate condemnation from leaders including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince William, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, who is president of England’s Football Association.
“This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media,” Johnson declared on Twitter. “Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.”
Racist language
Others called on Twitter and Instagram to crack down on the use of their platforms to traffic in racist language and tropes. Some pointed out that the England players had made campaigning for a more just and equitable society a central part of their message, kneeling before games to protest racial injustice.
“This is why we take the knee,” David Lammy, a Labour Party member of Parliament who is Black, said on Twitter. “Praying for a better future worthy of the values, beauty and respect exemplified by every single England player.”
In another era, this kind of loss might have stoked a round of recrimination beyond the recesses of social media.
But the British newspapers were united in their support, focusing on the team’s inspiring run as much as its spirit-crushing defeat. “It hurts but we’re so proud of you,” said The Daily Express.
— New York Times News Service
The abuse erupted after Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka each failed to score in Sunday’s decisive penalty shoot-out against Italy, meaning England lost in its biggest competitive game in 55 years.