England soccer players face racist abuse after Italy defeat

Three black players who missed penalty kicks in England’s shootout loss to Italy were targeted online, bringing calls of condemnation from Prince William and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Local residents put messages of support on plastic covering graffiti on the vandalised mural of England player Marcus Rashford in Manchester. Picture: Getty Images

England woke from its European Championship hangover on Monday to confront a barrage of racist abuse that had been directed at the three national team players who missed penalty kicks in Sunday night’s defeat against Italy.

What started as an opportunity for a moment of national unity here turned ugly as the trio of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka, who are Black, were immediately targeted after England’s loss to Italy by thousands of racist social media posts. A mural of Rashford in his native Manchester was also defaced.

Prince William and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson both condemned the attacks. Twitter said on Monday morning that it had removed 1,000 posts directed at the players and “permanently suspended a number of accounts,” while Facebook said it had deleted “vile comments” from Instagram without specifying how many.

“This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media,” Johnson tweeted. “Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.”

England forward Marcus Rashford reacts after missing his penalty in the shootout against Italy. Picture: AFP

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.

It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable. W

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) July 12, 2021

Prince William added: “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.”

The England men’s team was playing in its first major tournament final in 55 years. But it couldn’t break down Italy in front of 60,000 fans at Wembley Stadium on Sunday. After 90 minutes of regulation plus 30 more of extra-time, the match went into a penalty shootout. Rashford, 23, stepped up and hit the post. Sancho, 21, saw his effort blocked. And Italy struck the winning blow when goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma plunged to his left to save a shot from Saka, a 19-year-old winger who plays for Arsenal.

“He’s not on his own,” England manager Gareth Southgate said of Saka after the game. “He’s such a super boy. He’s so popular with the whole group. He’s had an incredible tournament, been an absolute star. And he’s going to continue to be a star.”

Black players have been increasingly vocal in recent years about highlighting the relentless nature of the threats against them in the normal course of doing their jobs along with broader social issues. Raheem Sterling, the England star who plays for Manchester City, has for two years campaigned publicly against racism in the sport. Rashford, meanwhile, led a drive to help families that rely on free school lunch programs that were in threat of being cut during the pandemic.

Booing and racially abusing the fine young men that play for our country and have given us so much pleasure and joy over the last month is not being an @england fan. That goes for the pathetic fighting at the ground too. It’s a minority but it’s a loud one and it’s embarrassing.

— Gary Lineker 💙 (@GaryLineker) July 12, 2021

English Premier League clubs and players engaged in a four-day social media blackout in April to urge social media companies to take stronger action against online abuse.

And ever since last summer, when protests following the murder of George Floyd erupted on both sides of the Atlantic, Premier League matches this season began with players taking a knee on the pitch before kickoff.

The England national team had continued the show of support throughout the European Championship, only to be met with scattered boos from their own fans.

“Booing and racially abusing the fine young men that play for our country and have given us so much pleasure and joy over the last month is not being an England fan,” former England striker and BBC analyst Gary Lineker tweeted.

This is not the first time that England supporters have descended en masse on players unfortunate enough to miss a crucial penalty.

British PM Boris Johnson has condemned racist abuse of English football players. Picture: Getty Images

Shootouts, one of the most nerve-shredding in sports, have long been a source of trauma for the English national team. After beating Spain at Euro 96, it took more than 20 years for the Three Lions to win another one, against Colombia at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Southgate himself was the scapegoat for missing the deciding shot in a Euro 96 semi-final, as irate supporters reminded him of his failure at every turn and harassed his parents. It took Southgate over a year to get over it, he said.

But Southgate is white, and his playing days came years before social media gave millions of fans a direct line to athletes. Rashford, Sancho, and Saka — who are young, outspoken, and already stars — have a combined 18.5 million followers on Instagram alone.

Southgate was criticized in the game’s immediate aftermath for even putting three players aged 23 or younger in a position to win or lose a major tournament final. Sancho and Rashford had only come into the game moments before the end of extra time. On Sunday night, he took full responsibility for naming England’s lineup for the shootout and said he’d been confident that his players could repeat the accuracy and poise they had shown in training.

Yet even he wasn’t prepared for what his players might face after the defeat.

“I know a lot of that has come from abroad, that people who track those things have been able to explain that, but not all of it,” Southgate said. “It’s just not what we stand for. We have been a beacon of light in bringing people together … and the national team stands for everybody and so that togetherness has to continue.”

— Parmy Olson contributed to this article

WSJ