IIn Britain there is growing concern that the tasteless reactions to the lost final and the behavior of rowdy fans before and after the game are shattering hope of hosting the 2030 World Cup. The racist insults against the three penalty shooters who cast a shadow over the tournament have been unanimously condemned by politics, sport and the public. Prince Charles and Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, also joined the chorus of rejection.
Meanwhile, criticism of the perceived ambiguous position of Prime Minister Johnson and his Home Secretary Priti Patel on the question of kneeling before the game has intensified. Both are accused of not having clearly refused to boo the gesture against racism and discrimination. The national player Tyrone Mings accused the interior minister of having stoked the fire at the beginning of the tournament with her criticism of the English team’s kneeling. In response to Priti Patel’s statement of disgust that the players “who gave so much to the country this summer have been exposed to horrific racist abuse on social media,” Mings insinuated that the minister was hypocritical. One could not describe the anti-racism message of the players as a politics of mere gestures and “then pretend that one is outraged when exactly what we are agitating against happens”.
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Labor deputy leader Angela Rayner urged Priti Patel and Boris Johnson to get on their knees and apologize to Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka for licensing these “racist bastards” to play our players offend”. When you whistle for the dogs, you shouldn’t be surprised if they barked.
Kneel down with Boris Johnson
Conservative MP Johnny Mercer, who recently resigned as defense minister of state in protest against the government, stepped out of line in his party by agreeing with Mings. Johnson and other MPs jumped to the side of the Home Secretary on Tuesday, however.
Johnson’s spokesman highlighted the interior minister’s resolute action against hate crime, racism and violence every day. The spokesman also signaled that the Prime Minister would not mind if the footballers on Downing Street kneeled there at a possible reception in their honor. Deputy Treasury Secretary Stephen Barclay pointed out that Patel, the daughter of Asian immigrants from Uganda, had repeatedly spoken out against racism and had herself been a victim of appalling racist insults.
Striker Rashford has said he was close to tears over the encouragement he has received since defacing a mural by him in his hometown near Manchester on Monday night. The racist graffiti on the portrait honoring Rashford’s campaign for free meals for children in need has been covered.
English captain Harry Kane also paid tribute to the performance of Rashford, Sancho and Saka. The three players had been “brilliant” all summer and had the courage to take a penalty when the stakes were high. They deserved support, not the “disgusting racial slurs” they had received. Anyone who insults anyone on social networks is not an England fan, “and we don’t want you,” Kane announced in one of numerous messages of solidarity from all circles.
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