Jason Sudeikis: Actor shows support for racially abused England soccer players

Online racist abuse

Before and during the Euros 2020, the England players have knelt before each of their matches in a display of unity in the fight against racism and inequality.

This caused anger among sections of the England fanbase, and some supporters booed as the players knelt.

And following Sunday’s Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy, players were subjected to online racist abuse, which has been described by the team’s manager Gareth Southgate as “unforgivable.”

London’s Metropolitan Police said it was investigating the “unacceptable” social media comments on both Instagram and Twitter, while UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also condemned the racist abuse.

“I’ve grown into a sport where I expect to read things written about myself. Whether it be the colour of my skin, where I grew up, or, most recently, how I decide to spend my time off the pitch,” Rashford posted on Twitter Monday.

Rashford, who missed a penalty kick in the final game, wrote that he could take “critique of my performance all day long, my penalty was not good enough, it should have gone in, but I will never apologize for who I am and where I came from.”

In the hours after England’s defeat by Italy, a mural honoring Rashford was vandalized with graffiti in Manchester, United Kingdom.

The artwork commemorated the Manchester United player’s work to tackle child food poverty. It features the quote: “Take pride in knowing that your struggle will play the biggest role in your purpose.”

On Thursday, Greater Manchester Police said: “While the content of the vandalism is not believed to be of a racial nature, officers are keeping an open mind as to the motive behind defacing the artwork,” and added that it had since been restored.