Racist Abuse Targets England’s Black Players After Euro 2021 Final Loss

After England’s defeat against Italy in the Euro final (1-1, 3-2 on penalties), racist insults were posted on social media, targeting three players in particular. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, who all three missed their penalty during the shootout.

The insults provoked a wave of outrage in the United Kingdom and even prompted a reaction from the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. "This England team deserves to be treated as heroes, not be subjected to racist abuse on social media. Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves," the occupant of 10 Downing Street said in a message shared on Twitter. The English Football Association, for its part, said it was "appalled" and "disgusted".

"The penalty takers were my call. We worked on it in training, it’s my decision. It’s not the players’ fault. Tonight it didn’t go our way. But we know they are the best takers we’ve got. We tried to give them all the support we could. Of course it’s going to hurt. But they can’t be blamed for that, it’s my call as a coach," England manager Gareth Southgate said after the defeat.