British Prime Minister Boris Johnson put out a post on Twitter on Monday, condemning the racial abuse directed towards three England players following England’s loss in the Euro 2020 final against Italy.
Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho missed their kicks during the penalty shootout which eventually resulted in England going down 2-3 in the showdown. While Rashford hit the post, Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma saved Sancho and Saka’s spot-kick. (EURO 2020 COVERAGE)
Addressing the racial abuse the three players are being subjected to, the UK PM Johnson tweeted:
“This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media.
Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.”
The 19-year-old Saka missed the decisive penalty that gave the title to Italy and denied England its first major international soccer trophy since the 1966 World Cup.
All three players immediately started receiving racist abuse on social media.
Euro 2020: FA condemns racist abuse of players after England’s final loss
In its official statement, issued a statement saying it was “appalled” by the abuse of three players. The team had taken a knee before the beginning of the games at the European championship to extend its support for an end to racial inequality. It further stated that the young and multi-ethnic English squad has won the hearts of the fans before failing to win the title on Sunday. (EURO 2020 Final highlights)
“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,” the statement said.
“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,” it added