Police begin probe into racist abuse of three players
British police opened investigations yesterday into the racist abuse of three Black players who missed penalties in England’s shootout loss to Italy in the European Championship final.
The Metropolitan Police condemned the “unacceptable” abuse of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Sako, and said they will be investigating the “offensive and racist” social media posts published soon after Italy won Sunday’s shootout 3-2 after the match ended 1-1.
All three players targeted are part of a young England squad that has been widely praised for its diversity and social conscience. Rashford, for one, has been at the forefront of a campaign against child poverty, which convinced the British government to restore free lunches for thousands of poor children amid the coronavirus pandemic.
A mural of Rashford on the wall of a cafe in south Manchester was also defaced in the wake of the match. Greater Manchester Police said they were investigating the “racially aggravated damage,” which occurred at 2.50am. “This is disgraceful behaviour and will absolutely not be tolerated,” Manchester police chief superintendent Paul Savill said.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan was vocal in his condemnation and urged social media companies to do more to hold offenders to account.
We are appalled by the disgusting behaviour... We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible.”
Statement by English Football Association