England trio Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were all subject to vile racist abuse on social media following England's defeat to Italy in Sunday's Euro 2020 final.
Rashford and Sancho both came off the bench and missed in the penalty shoot-out, before Saka's decisive effort was turned away by the outstanding Gianluigi Donnarumma to deny England their first trophy since 1966.
It was an ugly night when it comes to the England support. Major fan unrest completely marred the occasion, with hundreds of ticketless fans storming Wembley and a pitch invader also adding to the chaos, and unfortunately, things got even worse after the game.
Saka, Rashford and Sancho were all targeted by idiotic fans who hurled vicious racist abuse towards the England trio, yet again confirming why the players fight to continue taking the knee before matches.
"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," a statement from the FA read.
"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 while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible."
The Rashford mural in Manchester was also vandalised after the game, and while the graffiti covering it may not have been racist, messages of 'F**k Rashford' and 'F**k Sancho' only added to the ugliness of the entire situation.
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.
— England (@England) July 12, 2021
We stand with our players ❤️ https://t.co/1Ce48XRHEl
Luke Shaw offered his support for Saka after the game, saying (via Metro): “He’s devastated. But I think the most important thing for us now as a team is obviously to be there for him.
"We gave him a big hug, told him to keep his head up, it happens. It’s a penalty shootout, anything can happen as a lot of people know. It’s an experience he’ll learn from but we’re all behind him, he knows that. Not just him, Rashy and Sanch, we’re with them all, we win as a team and lose as a team. There’s no individuals who cost that.”
Source : 90min