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Marcus Rashford ( Image Credit: Twitter)
Ace English footballer Marcus Rashford was subjected to sickening racial abuse on social media after he missed a penalty in the Euro 2020 final against Italy. Rashford along with Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were the three players to miss their kicks in the shootout, which Italy won 3-2. The star England striker shared an emotional note on Twitter and apologised for his penalty miss.
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"My penalty was not good enough, it should have gone in but I will never apologise for who I am and where I come from,” said Rashford
Rashford and Sancho were brought by England manager Gareth Southgate in the final moments of the match, specifically for penalties. However, the move backfired as both missed their shots.
"A penalty was all I'd been asked to contribute for the team. I can score penalties in my sleep so why not that one? It's been playing in my head over and over since I struck the ball and there's probably not a word to quite describe how it feels," wrote Rashford.
"Final. 55 years. 1 penalty. History. All I can say is sorry. I wish I had gone differently," he added.
Post the loss, some of the fans went berserk and started abusing the three players for their miss. Amidst the outrage, Rashford and other footballers who were abused found support from all corners of the globe. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lauded the team for their effort and said that players deserved to be called heroes, not racially abused.
This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 12, 2021
Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.
England captain Harry Kane also backed his players and slammed the trollers by saying that people who abuse their own players are not true fans.
Three lads who were brilliant all summer had the courage to step up & take a pen when the stakes were high. They deserve support & backing not the vile racist abuse they’ve had since last night. If you abuse anyone on social media you’re not an @England fan and we don’t want you. pic.twitter.com/PgskPAXgxV
— Harry Kane (@HKane) July 12, 2021
English Football Association, UEFA European Football Championship, Queen Elizabeth's grandson, Prince William, who is also the president of the English Football Association also condemned the racist abuse of England players on social media.
Respect!
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) July 12, 2021
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) July 12, 2021
INCOMPREHENSIBLE that @MarcusRashford should be apologising!
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) July 13, 2021
That’s the state of society driven by social media.
He’s fed millions of children over the last year & is apologising for missing a goal.
Utterly astounding.
You’re A Hero Mate! 🖤