Gareth Southgate and Prince William condemn abuse of England’s black players

London — Black players in the England soccer team have been subjected to a storm of online racist abuse after the team’s defeat in the final of Euro 2020, drawing wide condemnation from the squad’s manager Gareth Southgate along with royalty and politicians.

Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were the targets of the abuse after they missed spot-kicks in a penalty shoot-out with Italy which settled Sunday’s final after the game finished as a 1-1 draw.

The comments have prompted a police investigation and wide condemnation, though critics accused some ministers of hypocrisy for refusing to support a high-profile antiracism stance the players had made during the tournament.

“For some of them to be abused is unforgivable,” Southgate told a news conference. “Some of it has come from abroad, we have been told this, but some of it is from this country.”

The England team have earned praise for their stand against racism, while a number of players have also campaigned on other social causes. The multiracial makeup of the team had been hailed as reflecting a more diverse modern Britain.

The team had highlighted the issue of racism by taking the knee before all their matches — a protest made by US footballer Colin Kaepernick and followed by the Black Lives Matter movement last year — saying it was a simple show of solidarity against racial discrimination.

However, some fans have booed the gesture, with critics viewing it a politicisation of sport and expression of sympathy with far-left politics. Some ministers have been accused of hypocrisy for refusing to criticise those who booed and using it as part of a wider “culture war”, often portrayed as a rift between those wanting to protect Britain’s heritage from a “woke” youth, who see their elders as blocking moves to end racial and social injustice.

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

While Johnson himself said the team should not be booed, his own spokesperson had declined to criticise the fans over the issue when asked.

Home secretary Priti Patel said in June she did not support players taking the knee because it is “gesture politics” and that it is a choice for the fans whether to boo players.

On Monday, she joined those who denounced the abuse. But the deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, Angela Rayner, said Johnson and Patel were themselves at fault.

“The prime minister and the home secretary gave licence to the racists who booed the England players and are now racially abusing England players,” she said on Twitter. “Boris Johnson and Priti Patel are like arsonists complaining about a fire they poured petrol on. Total hypocrites.”

While the social media feeds of the players also showed huge levels of support and gratitude from fans for the tournament, the abuse overshadowed the positive messages. Britain’s Prince William condemned what he called the “disgusting” racist abuse.

“It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour,” said Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, who added he was “sickened”.

“It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable,” William, who is president of the Football Association, said on Twitter.

The Football Association said fans who exhibit such “disgusting behaviour” are not welcome and urged the authorities to hand out “the toughest punishments possible”.

European soccer governing body Uefa also condemned the abuse and called for the strongest possible punishment. London police said officers are aware of the offensive and racist comments, and will take action.

A mural of Rashford, who has campaigned for poor children to be given more support during the pandemic, has been covered in abuse.

The issue of online abuse of players led to British soccer authorities briefly boycotting social media platforms prior to the tournament. A Twitter spokesperson said it had removed more than 1,000 tweets and permanently suspended a number of accounts, saying the “abhorrent racist abuse” has no place on the platform. 

Reuters