The Euro Cup wrapped up on Sunday with Italy defeating England in penalty kicks to secure the countries 2nd European Championship. While the celebrations from Italians all over the world were suddenly dominating social media feeds, something more sinister was taking place as well.
Following the dramatic loss, English players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka were subjected to a wave of racial abuse. The three players – all of colour – were the three to miss on their penalty attempts, with Saka’s stopped penalty marking the heartbreaking loss for England.
Swiftly, tons of love came pouring in for the players, with racially charged comments being immediately condemned. While the outpouring of love is nice to see, there is still racial issues that clearly needed to be addressed.
On Wednesday, Sancho broke his silence and shared out a message to his followers. He explains what he is proud of from the tournament, but also focuses on the issues that arose after the loss.
The articulate response follows responses from teammates, including Rashford. Team captain Harry Kane also stepped up with a message of his own, even going as far as to say “we don’t want you” to any English fans that were participating in abuse.
The pain of losing a Euro Cup in penalties is already enough to leave a painful scar, but being racially abused for it is so much worse. Hopefully with each dark spot there can be a response as heartwarming as some of the English fans here.
