POC players for the English National Team endured racist comments after their narrow loss against Italy on Sunday.
Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka have been the subject of hate speech and trolls after they missed their penalty shots, costing England the match.
In light of the wave of online abuse against the players, many important figures in the UK including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Prince William condemned the hateful rhetoric.
Prince William—who attended the match—tweeted his disgust at the racist comments.
I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night\u2019s match. \n\nIt is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour. \n\nIt must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable. W— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) 1626081469
William has been consistent in his condemnation of racist abuse against soccer players. He spoke out against similar comments back in January.
At that time, Rashford was receiving racist comments due to a 0-0 draw against the Arsenal team.
In response to those comments, William wrote:
"Racist abuse—whether on the pitch, in the stands, or on social media—is despicable and it must stop now."
"We all have a responsibility to create an environment where such abuse is not tolerated, and those who choose to spread hate and division are held accountable for their actions. That responsibility extends to the platforms where so much of this activity now takes place."
Now, his current tweet is pushing others to also support the soccer players.
This is gold https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1414514323142107136\u00a0\u2026— Cutie pie (@Cutie pie) 1626132012
Our star boy Saka was a man at 19 to step up the take a penalty kick. He's a hero and more man than most, the haters would bottle it. Arsenal will take care of him.\nSerious penalties need to be given to those people that create such hate and division.pic.twitter.com/D8o7IMw3dn— Millymoo Be a Catherine \ud83e\udd70 (@Millymoo Be a Catherine \ud83e\udd70) 1626081909
We now need to make a stand to all these racists once and for all. All social media platforms need to stop this immediately. Name and shame every single one of them & then ban them for life on all networks and all live events https://twitter.com/kensingtonroyal/status/1414514323142107136\u00a0\u2026— Lisa Anderson (@Lisa Anderson) 1626094433
The behaviour of a section of England fans is embarrassing to our nation on a regular basis, and this racism is the worst element of that. No place in society for racism or hooliganism. They must all be held accountable. Right minded people have had enough— Lindsey Northern Lass (@Lindsey Northern Lass) 1626083611
However, the tweets from William rang a little hollow for some.
After his sister-in-law Duchess Meghan Markle experienced sexist and racist abuse from the press and others, William remained silent. Markle and husband Prince Harry spoke out against some members of the royal family's treatment in an interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year.
Prince Harry said of his family:
"There have been many opportunities for my family to show some kind of support. And yet no one from my family ever said anything over those three years. And that hurts."
In the time since, the royal family has been under scrutiny for their treatment of Markle and her first child.
And commenters online haven't forgotten.
Following Meghan Markle\u2019s journey in the UK enlightened how fundamentally racist England is.\n\nThe English sent the most violent abuses and threats toward her and Archie on Kate and Will\u2019s SM.\n\nPrince William can shove his performative activism where the sun doesn\u2019t shine.pic.twitter.com/OlfpKHrW56— yuckteeth avocat (@yuckteeth avocat) 1626085237
Oh, cool! Now do one for Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. Your literal sister-in-law.https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1414514323142107136\u00a0\u2026— Noelle Devoe (@Noelle Devoe) 1626099336
You asked if Archie was gonna be a darkie\u2026https://twitter.com/kensingtonroyal/status/1414514323142107136\u00a0\u2026— Rae Sanni (@Rae Sanni) 1626102485
I appreciate the statement; I do hope you start to see how your brother and especially sister-in-law were facing a ton of the same sentiment. Choosing to leave rather than subject his immediate family to racist vitriol-including mandatory racist press interviews- was truly noble.— Daniel Mason (@Daniel Mason) 1626096124
You\u2019re defending footballers now but couldn\u2019t defend Archie, your own nephew? Make it make sense.pic.twitter.com/zO2dmEXurg— Posh Spice of Joburg (@Posh Spice of Joburg) 1626124751
Yes so true, now do one for Meghanhttps://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1414514323142107136\u00a0\u2026— Rob Romeo (@Rob Romeo) 1626142846
English singer/songwriter Billy Bragg also said the incident pointed to a wider problem with racism in the UK.
Boris Johnson experienced similar push back after he tried to speak out about the racist abuse Rashford and the others were receiving after remaining silent in the past.
Johnson and Rashford have been at odds as Rashford used his celebrity to speak out against poverty and racial injustice in the UK.
In 2020, when Rashford received racial abuse and threats for taking a knee before his matches, Johnson's spokesman said the Prime Minister is "more focused on action rather than gestures."
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