Three black players who missed a penalty kick for England in the decisive European Championship shootout against Italy on Sunday night were subjected to online racist abuse, prompting the English Football Association to issue a statement condemning the language used against the players. did.
Bukayo Saka, one of the 19 youngest players in England’s squad, missed a penalty that gave Italy the title and denied England their first international trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
It was England’s third straight failure from the penalty spot in the shootout, with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho also missing.
The FA said in a statement it was ‘shocked’ by the mistreatment of all three players. The team took a knee before games at Euros to signal their support for ending racial inequality, and the young, multi-ethnic squad won the hearts of a football-mad nation before a shootout failure all- Familiar messages of hate.
“We will do everything we can to support affected players and urge the harshest penalties for any responsible person,” the FA statement said. “We will continue to do everything we can to eliminate discrimination from sport, but we urge the government to act quickly and bring in appropriate legislation so that this abuse has real-life consequences.”
London’s Metropolitan Police also said it was investigating “objectionable and racist” messages on social media.
Rashford, who plays for Manchester United, noted the racial abuse he received on social media after the team lost in the Europa League final in May.
England coach Gareth Southgate was criticized for his strategy of bringing Rashford and Sancho off the bench to collect a penalty, while star Raheem Sterling was sidelined in the shootout.
“He was the best bowler we had left on the pitch,” Southgate said. “We win and lose together.”
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