Euro 2020 final: Italy defeats England in penalty shootout, racist online abuse
The Euros racism storm has drawn condemnation around the world as English manager Gareth Southgate said racist trolling of players was unforgivable.
Football
Don't miss out on the headlines from Football. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Gareth Southgate has condemned the “unforgivable” racist abuse aimed at the three England players who missed penalties in Sunday’s Euro 2020 final defeat against Italy.
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were the victims of sickening social media taunts in the aftermath of the 3-2 penalty shootout loss at Wembley.
While some people identifying as England fans used racial slurs in blaming the trio for the defeat, other offensive messages were accompanied by “Forza Italia” hashtags.
England’s players have made a strong stand against racism at the tournament, taking a knee before all their games including Sunday’s final.
“For some of them to be abused is unforgivable,” England boss Southgate said at a press conference on Monday.
“Some of it has come from abroad, we have been told this, but some of it is from this country.
“We have been a beacon of light to bring people together and the national team stands for everybody. We felt the energy and positivity from the fans and I’m incredibly proud of that.” Having infamously missed a crucial penalty in England’s Euro 96 semi-final shootout defeat against Germany, Southgate knows what it is like to endure taunts and jibes after such an agonising loss.
SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL ANALYSIS OF THE EUROS FINAL
Many past and present England players, including David Beckham and Raheem Sterling, have been vilified by Three Lions fans after major tournament failures.
Southgate said ensuring his stars were supported after the penalty heartbreak was “top of his thinking”.
“We’ve got to make sure that we’re there, and aligned with their club, and making sure that we look after those boys, absolutely,” he said.
Southgate’s decision to send on Rashford and Sancho in the final moments of extra-time, specifically so they could take penalties, has drawn criticism after the gamble backfired.
But he has mostly earned huge praise on and off the pitch since taking over as England boss in 2016.
— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) July 12, 2021
Meanwhile, Facebook and Twitter were on Monday scrambling to take down racially abusive comments directed at members of the England football team following a heartbreaking loss in Sunday’s Euro 2020 final.
The US social media giants said they were taking down racist and hateful content which had prompted condemnation from British political leaders.
The actions came after a stream of abusive messages on Twitter and Facebook-owned Instagram directed at Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, the three players who missed England’s penalties on Sunday.
“The abhorrent racist abuse directed at England players last night has absolutely no place on Twitter,” said a spokesperson,
“In the past 24 hours, through a combination of machine learning based automation and human review, we have swiftly removed over 1,000 Tweets and permanently suspended a number of accounts for violating our rules — the vast majority of which we detected ourselves proactively using technology.”
Facebook said earlier in a statement it had “quickly removed comments and accounts directing abuse at England’s footballers last night and we’ll continue to take action against those that break our rules”.
“No one thing will fix this challenge overnight, but we’re committed to keeping our community safe from abuse,” it said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other leaders expressed dismay over the online abuse.
PRINCE WILLIAM COPS BACKLASH FOR EUROS STANCE
Megan Palin
Prince William has sparked intense backlash online after he condemned the “sickening” racist attacks against England’s black players following the Euro 2020 final but failed to publicly defend Meghan Markle when she was the target.
The Duke of Cambridge took to Twitter on Monday morning to address the discriminatory abuse — which included monkey and banana emojis — unleashed by soccer fans on social media after the country’s loss to Italy.
The racist remarks were largely targeted at Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka.
Each player missed a penalty kick during the crucial shootout that decided the game — and tournament — for Italy.
“I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match,” William wrote on Twitter.
“It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour.
“It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable.”
His comments were met with swift backlash as many users drew comparisons between William’s statement and the Royal Family’s response to allegations made by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of racism within Buckingham Palace.
His critics – who sent the prince’s name trending on Twitter, accused William of being a hypocrite for supporting the sports stars while never publicly coming to the defence of his sister-in-law, Meghan, who is bi-racial and faced racism in the UK while working as a member of the British royal family.
I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match.
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) July 12, 2021
It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour.
It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable. W
“For years #sussexsquad has been told that we are ‘race baiters’ for highlighting the racism against Meghan Markle. Tonight, seeing the abuse hurled at Saka, Rashford, & Sancho literally proves what we’ve been saying for years,” one person wrote.
Another commented: “See the hypocrisy, where were you when your brother’s wife was being harassed, vilified? Where was this energy, William?”
“Were you sickened by the racist abuse aimed at your sister-in-law, Meghan Markle for years? What your own blood nephew Archie?” asked another user.
“Prince William performative ally ship. His words would have legitimate credibility right now if he had condemned racist abuse towards Meghan Markle and Archie. His silence and complicity fuelled what he condemn today,” another person added.
Another wrote: “If you can’t respond to racism when it happens to your sister in law you can’t respond on behalf of the nation and expect to be credible.
“Charity always begins at home, Sir!”
In November 2016, Harry’s communications secretary Jason Knauf released a statement saying: “Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public — the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”
During her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March this year, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and Harry spoke about the racist attacks she faced from the UK press and within the royal family.
The couple also claimed there were “conversations and concerns” regarding the skin colour of their then-unborn child, Archie, from within the palace.
In a statement released after the interview aired, Buckingham Palace said the family was “saddened” to learn of the couple’s struggles and noted that the allegations surrounding race were “concerning,” but added that “some recollections may vary.”
William later followed up with a personal response. He assured reporters at an event that the royal family is “very much not a racist family.”
England’s players protested racism throughout the tournament, taking a knee before their games, including Sunday.
London’s Metropolitan Police said it will be investigating the “offensive and racist” posts which flooded social media after the game.
“We are aware of a number of offensive and racist social media comments being directed towards footballers following the Euro 2020 final,” the department said on Twitter.
“This abuse is totally unacceptable, it will not be tolerated and it will be investigated.”
In a statement, England’s Football Association said: “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.
“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. We stand with our players.”
CHANNEL 7 UNDER FIRE FOR ‘DISGRACEFUL’ POST
Andrew McMurty
7 News has been slammed on social media after a Facebook post of the website’s story slamming racism directed at England players following the Euro 2020 final was branded racist itself.
The Euro 2020 final went down to the wire with the match — and the competition — decided in a penalty shootout.
But English stars Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho, each who missed their penalty shots, were targeted by a torrent of disgusting threats and abuse online in the wild 3-2 result.
The trio had vile comments left on Instagram and were sent monkey emojis, prompting a strong response from the Football Association.
Rashford and Sancho were left particularly exposed when they were subbed on in the final minutes of extra time by manager Gareth Southgate — specifically so they could be used in the penalty shootout.
The gamble backfired for Southgate with both players missing from the spot and when 19-year-old Saka had his shot saved, it was game over for England.
The FA said it was “appalled” and “disgusted” by the online abuse.
“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 England FA tweeted.
“We stand with our players.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said it was investigating the “offensive and racist” posts.
But a now deleted post on the 7 News Australia Facebook page covering the news saw Channel 7 trending on Twitter for all the wrong reasons.
The post read “Three Black players failed in the penalty shootout which England lost 3-2 against Italy”.
In images shared to social media, the post was edited over an hour after it was shared, while it was eventually deleted hours later, with screenshots circulating across social media.
7 News responded to the furore, saying the post included a “regrettable” error in a post on its website.
“Earlier on Monday, a 7NEWS.com.au social media post was published with a regrettable mistake,” the statement read.
“The post linked to an article condemning the racial abuse of England football players following the team’s loss to Italy in Sunday’s Euro 2020 final.
“The caption on the post was swiftly rectified as soon as it was identified.
“We sincerely apologise for the offence the post caused.”
The post was slammed, with ABC comedian Charlie Pickering writing: “Hey @7NewsAustralia — what the f*** is with this headline? Have you lost your actual mind? And how has the person who wrote it been counselled?”
With racism a rising social scourge in Australia, on online platforms & athletes subject to vile abuse after #Euro2020Final + here in Australia, to see this from a major network in Australia is beyond disgusting. Reprehensible. There needs to be a public apology @7NewsAustraliapic.twitter.com/KXluoT6ZBb
— Craig Foster (@Craig_Foster) July 12, 2021
Would love to see the person who wrote this try to kick a penalty...
— Tarang / तरंग (@tarang_chawla) July 12, 2021
Is there any surprise, that in an all white Australian newsroom- in this febrile climate - this vile headline can be posted on Twitter, then quietly deleted, after a surge of complaints, without an apology or any accountability?
— Francis Awaritefe (@FrancisAwartefe) July 12, 2021
This is not about individuals- racism is systemic. pic.twitter.com/z2ZmvGm2EO
Imagine how channel 7 would have reacted if Ash Barty had not won. The poor people in wheelchairs if Dylan Alcott had failed would also have been slandered
— Laurie Ferguson (@LDTFerguson) July 12, 2021
Wow. @Channel7 is this real, and if so, WðŸ‘TðŸ‘AðŸ‘F👠#racism#media#England#Euros2021#auspolhttps://t.co/nbYcXYMYaO
— Sarah Dingle 淑仪 (@sarahdingle_) July 12, 2021
I mean, they did put a capital B for ‘Black’ - that’s actually huge leap forward for Channel 7. https://t.co/ljq3pW1MZM
— Pearson In The Wind (@LukeLPearson) July 12, 2021
British Labour politician David Lammy also took to Twitter, using the 7 News post along with other social media posts as an example of “why we take the knee”.
England discussed before the tournament whether they would take a knee, a gesture to highlight and challenge discrimination of any form which gained traction following the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
England had taken a knee at each match they have played since the murder of George Floyd last year and were booed earlier in the tournament for the act.
“Praying for a better future – worthy of the values, beauty and respect exemplified by every single England player,” Lammy wrote.
INSIDE ENGLAND’S LATEST PENALTY NIGHTMARE
Henry Winter, The Times
It’s not coming home, not yet.
England gave everything in this tournament, but were bedevilled by an old problem, by penalties, the scourge of Gareth Southgate’s life in European Championships.
Misses by three substitutes, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, cost England dear. It was brutal, as the years of hurt continue.
From the start of the evening “It’s coming home” had reverberated around the ground, intensifying when Luke Shaw gave England such a spectacular early lead.
All those heading up Wembley Way, keeping a wary eye out for flying flares and cans, all the while lifting their feet from a pavement coated in beer, knew the history, and all the years of hurt.
From Florence in 1968 to Moscow in 2018, via Mexico City, Turin, Saint-Etienne, Bloemfontein, and too many other scenes of suffering, England have been constantly denied. That is why this rare shot at glory stirred so many people, including some who tried to storm the stadium. England really have the best of fans and the worst, boors with beers.
Few countries have found such varied means to end interest in a competition, including stomach cramps and metatarsals, the defiance of a “clown” goalkeeper, the Hand of God, missed penalties at six tournaments, long throws and even a wink. Lord Nelson’s boys have taken a hell of a beating too often. Whether Gerd Muller in 1970 or Thomas Muller in 2010, England have been mullered for too long. So that is why Shaw’s exquisite half-volley after 1min 56sec meant so much. It meant hope.
This was the chance of liberation from the pain of the past. Southgate had sought to confront Italy’s myriad strengths by reverting to a more cautious wing-back system that had proved so successful against Germany. Kieran Trippier came in on the right with Bukayo Saka missing out. And Trippier justified his place within two minutes. After Harry Maguire made up for conceding a corner by clearing well, England countered with pace and purpose. Raheem Sterling challenged for the ball, heading it back to Mason Mount, who played it to the left to Shaw. England really accelerated now. Shaw, who was to enjoy the half of his life, advanced before clipping the ball inside to his captain.
Harry Kane played such a magnificent role, immediately racing forward with the ball towards the halfway line, head up, checking out options.
He swiftly bent the ball at speed into the path of Trippier, who was hurtling upfield on the right. Kyle Walker played his part, sprinting past on the outside, stretching and confusing Italy’s defence. England were flying into the area, almost matching the vapour trails that hung over the arch after the Red Arrows’ fly-past.
Here was the Redemption Arrows, fired up to atone for history’s anguish and absolutely flying.
Trippier went long, lifting his cross over Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Giovanni Di Lorenzo. Italy were sucked in, shuttling across towards Trippier, opening up space for Shaw, who was arriving at speed.
Shaw has experienced some tough moments in his career, and was close to losing his leg after that horrendous break against PSV Eindhoven six years ago.
He was questioned harshly by Jose Mourinho during his days as Manchester United manager and more recently as a pundit. So this was the most special of moments. When Shaw needed his technique to be at its very best, he delivered. He met the ball with his left foot on the half-volley, unhesitatingly, emphatically.
Before Gianluigi Donnarumma could flinch, Shaw had rammed the ball in off the post from eight yards. The affectionate social media nickname of Shawberto Carlos suddenly seemed appropriate.
The collective exultation that followed felt a roar 55 years in the building. The majority of the supporters were now standing, some in the aisles, some finding their seats occupied. Any pretence at social distancing disappeared. People hugged, fell forward over seats, screaming with joy. They believed. Up in the smart seats, Tom Cruise and David Beckham fist-bumped.
The 8,000 Italians behind Donnarumma’s goal were stunned. Before their team began regaining some composure and attacking intent through Lorenzo Insigne, Italy’s fans momentarily fell quiet.
The banner proclaiming “Football’s coming Rome” disappeared from view for a while. The man dressed as the Pope looked like he had smoke coming from his ears. It was not meant to be like this, especially on this historic date, July 11, the day when Italy won the World Cup in 1982.
Italy were flustered. Marco Verratti was hounded by Kalvin Phillips. Insigne was harried by Trippier and Walker. Chiellini and Bonucci could not decide whether to stick or twist as Kane dropped off, looking to unleash the pace of Sterling and Shaw, Trippier and Walker.
Italy gradually responded. Blue waves began flowing towards England’s goal, but crashed into two rocks called Maguire and John Stones. England would not yield. Southgate’s 3-4-3 was working superbly, also with Sterling on the right, worrying Emerson. Declan Rice was immense in the centre, even adding deftness to his defence with a dribble down the left.
England had to hold their nerve. They started the second half with real discipline, the outstanding Shaw blocking Di Lorenzo’s cross. Kane, again deep, and again taking charge, dribbled forward and was stopped only by Nicolo Barella’s foul. England’s captain led by example, tirelessness personified.
Kane chased back 50 yards with Federico Chiesa, and when the right-sided attacker lifted the cross to the far post, Walker had read the danger expertly and headed back to Jordan Pickford.
Rice shimmied past Barella, who was swiftly replaced by Bryan Cristante after 54 minutes. Ciro Immobile also departed, replaced by Domenico Berardi. Roberto Mancini was clearly frustrated by his attack. Insigne pushed through the middle and soon drew a save from Pickford.
Mancini’s changes worked. Chiesa, coming in off the left, working the ball on to his right foot, unleashed a low shot that seemed destined for the England net. The 8,000 Italians, including the replica Pope, leant forward, trying to entice the ball into the goal. Suddenly, the stretching, athletic Pickford appeared, pushing the ball away with his left hand.
Italy were dominating possession, eliciting constant boos from the England fans, and even though Stones’s header was tipped over by Donnarumma, Italy came again, devastatingly after 67 minutes. Berardi flicked a corner on, Verratti’s header was kept out by Pickford via a post but there was Bonucci, ramming the ball in from close range. All the hope engendered by the first half evaporated. Italy were rampant.
Southgate acted, removing Trippier for Saka and then Rice for Jordan Henderson.
Henderson was required to bring some control and composure. Chiesa limped away, after a fair challenge from Walker, and was replaced by Federico Bernardeschi. The game appeared to be drifting towards extra time. Sterling, hitherto quiet, charged into the area but was seen out by the imperious Bonucci. Six minutes were indicated, partly because of a pitch invader who took the stewards an age to snare. This was not a great night for Wembley’s security staff.
The stewards could have done with some lessons from Chiellini, who responded to Saka’s turn of pace by blatantly pulling him back, almost tearing his shirt. Jack Grealish arrived, replacing Mount, and brought some welcome trickery. A few chances came and went, Bernardeschi testing Pickford with a free kick. Jorginho could then easily have walked for a horrible challenge on Grealish, catching him on the knee and thigh.
CRAZY SCENES AS FANS STORM WEMBLEY BEFORE CHAOTIC FINAL
Hundreds of ticketless fans tried to storm the Wembley gates in a bid to gain entry to England’s Euro 2020 final against Italy on Sunday.
Footage posted on social media showed supporters battling to get past lines of stewards and police as the atmosphere turned ugly in the hours before kick-off.
While some fans shown in the videos appeared to get past the fences and towards the venue, Wembley officials insisted there had been no breach of stadium security.
A spokesperson for Wembley Stadium said: “We are dealing with an incident that occurred at the outer security perimeter area of the stadium, with support from police.
Chaotic footage from Wembley (via @RaveFootage)
— Stefan Simanowitz (@StefSimanowitz) July 11, 2021
Not entirely sure what is going on here
Surely fans aren’t really trying to get into the stadium without tickets?#EURO2020#Euro2020Final#EnglandvsItaly#ENG#ITA#EnglandvsItaly#England#Euros2021pic.twitter.com/z5dPxDKxva
“Safety measures were quickly activated in the relevant areas and there were no security breaches of people without tickets getting inside the stadium.” The Metropolitan Police tweeted: “We supported the security teams at Wembley Stadium a short time ago with this incident.
Unbelievable footage of violence in Wembley tonight. A literal child gets punched by a full grown man and an Asian man is kicked repeatedly in the head by several people. Disgusting behaviour. pic.twitter.com/NLtvjgF8Fe
— Kyle Glen (@KyleJGlen) July 11, 2021
“Wembley security officials have confirmed there was no security breaches of people without tickets getting inside the stadium.”
The action was hot on the pitch, with England enjoying a dream start thanks to Luke Shaw.
Shaw drilled a half volley into the back of the net to score the fastest ever goal in a Euro final, clocking in at one minute and 57 seconds.
Even more impressive, it was Shaw’s first international goal.
Socceroos great Mark Schwarzer described the start at “absolute madness”.
That was the only goal of the first half with England now 45 minutes from a famous victory.
Originally published as Euro 2020 final: Italy defeats England in penalty shootout, racist online abuse
New United skipper seeking right mix
Western United’s new captain expects his players to produce a ‘high level’ of performance.
Read more
Auckland silence Roar in dream debut
A-League life has started on a winning note for expansion outfit Auckland FC.
Read more