London: The Euro 2020 final was marred by racist abuse targeted at England’s Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka after they lost to Italy 3-2 in the penalty shootout in the final at the Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
After ending the regulation time at 1-1, Rashford hit the post while Gianluigi Donnarumma denied Sancho and Saka as Italy lifted the European Championship trophy for the first time after 1968.
English FA condemned the incident stating it was ‘appalled’ and ‘disgusted’ after racist trolls were targeted to the three. “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,” the tweet further said.
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 ❤️ https://t.co/1Ce48XRHEl
— England (@England) July 12, 2021
“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,” a separate statement added.
Meanwhile, London’s Metropolitan Police tweeted, “We are aware of a number of offensive and racist social media comments being directed towards footballers following the #Euro2020 final.”
“This abuse is totally unacceptable, it will not be tolerated and it will be investigated,” it added. The English players have made a strong statement against racism during the tournament, taking a knee before their games including Sunday’s final.
