The very thrilling and engaging EURO 2020 finals between England and Italy witnessed a lot of violence and racial abuse pre and post-game. Italy defeated England on penalties with a score of 3-2 on Sunday night.
However, scenes of violent disturbances before the historic London game and racial abuse of a few England players on social media following the team’s defeat overshadowed this great finale.
The Fan Violence
Although England was beaten on the pitch by Italy, the actions of its violent fans humiliated England way before the match!
Masses of ticketless fans were witnessed storming the stairways, breaking down the fences, and attacking people in the Wembley Stadium. Several videos went viral showing an adult hitting a child on the head and a group of men kicking an Asian man on the ground.
The National Stadium was overcrowded, with supporters brawling and fighting with one another for seats and misbehaving with the Italian fans. None of the COVID norms were followed, as a result of which most of the fans were disappointed. Several people were arrested for their unethical behavior, and more than 15 police officers were injured during the finale on Sunday.
What was more disgraceful than England’s defeat were the acts of the fans who ripped up the city and forced their way into Wembley Stadium without tickets.
The Racial Slurs
After England’s defeat in the Euro 2020 final, black players of the England team faced a barrage of racist internet abuse, prompting widespread criticism from the squad’s manager, royalty, religious leaders, and politicians.
England’s Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka faced a lot of racial abuse online for missing 3 spot-kicks in a penalty shootout against Italy after a 1-1 draw.
A wave of hate comments hit their Instagram accounts, some specifically targeting the black players with monkey and banana emojis, shortly after the results were declared. To keep the players’ mental health up, their fans incredibly supported them and flooded their Instagrams with positive comments too!
The statements made by the haters triggered a police investigation and widespread criticism, while some opponents blamed certain politicians for failing to support the players’ anti-racist stance throughout the tournament.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson & FA condemned the violence & racial abuse against the England players. “This England team deserves to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media,” said the Prime Minister of England, Boris Johnson, adding “Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.”
Also Read: In Pics: Football Icons Who Stood Against ESL’s Brand Of Football
The Off-field Match Between England And Italy
Unable to process their loss, England fans racially abused their team members and physically assaulted Italian fans outside the stadium.
Angry men hurled physical and racial abuses and indulged in violence, the videos of which went viral on all social media platforms the day before. According to a video on social media, an Italian was thrown into the river Thames.
Some of them burnt the Italian flag on the streets disrespecting Italy and bringing shame to England at the same time.
Despite the fact that the match was fair and seamless, the aftermath was very vicious and dishonorable. However, several of the accused were detained for their barbaric acts of physical aggression towards Italians, and all derogatory tweets about England players were removed, followed by account suspensions.
But is deleting their tweets and arresting them the only solution to this? Let us know in the comments below.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Times Of India, Hindustan Times, Washington Post
Find the blogger: @chiinniiiii
This post is tagged under: Euro 2020; Football; football match; football finals; African racism; Racism; Physical abuse; physical violence; online racism; Italy football; England; England football; Euro cup; euro cup Italy; Boris Johnson; Boris Johnson England; #europe penalties in football; euro; football; soccer; uefa; championsleague; cr; fifa; premier league; worldcup; realmadrid; futbol; pes; jadwalbola; uefaeuro; sport; europaleague; messi; seriea; ronaldo; europe; laliga; Croatia; hrvatska; bundesliga; France; England; ligue; calcio; bhfyp; Marcus Rashford; Jadon Sancho; Bukayo Saka; Saka’s Instagram; hate comments; racist abuse; Black Lives Matter; physical attack; Instagram; Facebook; twitter; viral video; trending; #euro2020
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