Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka have been dealing with racist attacks ever since they missed their penalty kicks in the 2020 Euro Finals.
England men’s soccer team was in the finals of a major tournament for the first time since 1966. Early on, it appeared the country would be celebrating a win as they scored just two minutes in. However, Italy responded with a late goal and at the end of extra time they were tied, which forced penalty kicks to determine the winner.
England started out going 2-2, but the next three players, Rashford, Sancho, and Saka, who are all Black, missed their kicks and Italy ended up winning in penalties. After the result, English fans began sending racist messages to those three, despite the team being widely praised for its diversity and social conscience.
On the latest episode of CBC Sports video series Bring It In, Morgan Campbell is joined by Meghan McPeak and Dave Zirin to discuss the racist comments fans made to the three players. For Zirin, he says it’s not surprising.
WATCH | Bring It In discusses racial abuse after Euro 2020:
Host Morgan Campbell is joined by Meghan McPeak and Dave Zirin, to discuss the online racial abuse directed at English soccer players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka, after the 2020 Euro Cup final. 12:05
“The old expression is, for Black soccer players, is you are English when you win, you are Black when you lose. In this country, it’s almost like a renunciation of your very citizenship if you don’t win,” Zirin said. “I would like to say it’s one of those things where you say it’s shocking but not surprising. Anytime you see an outbreak of racism like we saw the other night, there is a shock value of it. To see a mural of Marcus Rashford vandalized is unbelievable to me.”
“I was going to call it provisional, it’s there until you mess up and then at that point the mainstream calls themselves revoking your membership in this club. Like you, I’m not surprised,” Campbell added.
After the players began getting attacked by fans, star player Harry Kane stepped up to praise his three teammates for their brilliant play throughout the season.
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 <a href=”https://twitter.com/England?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@England</a> fan and we don’t want you. <a href=”https://t.co/PgskPAXgxV”>pic.twitter.com/PgskPAXgxV</a>
England’s manager, Gareth Southgate, then came to their defence saying it was his fault. But McPeak believes the manager should’ve done something sooner, not after the racist comments began to pile up.
“Credit to the manager for coming out and taking the heat. It’s too little too late in my opinion as a former Black athlete. You should have had my back in that moment,” McPeak said. “If you’re going to come out after the fact when all these racist things start to happen because we lost that you made the wrong decision, you should have known as the manager of our nation’s team, in that moment that you are making the wrong decision.”
“England [fans] showed their asses. They showed their asses in this moment, you showed your asses before the match even started with your ignorance and stupidity trying to bum rush security to get into the stadium because you didn’t have tickets,” McPeak continued.
“Why aren’t you putting it on the rest of the team for even being tied going into penalty kicks. Why weren’t you up 2-1 in this game then? If your team is so good and you are going to put this solely on those three players why weren’t you up 2-1 and this wouldn’t have been a situation?”
Since the backlash, several teammates have spoke up and praised Rashford, Sancho and Saka. However, for Campbell, he believes sport continues to bring the worst out of people and it shouldn’t be surprising to see that the Black athletes are the scapegoats.
“For as much as we talk about sport uniting us, sport brings the worst out of a lot of people,” Campbell said. “If these people have an opportunity to scapegoat some Black people, even though these are the same people that brought England to the final, same group of guys, but if you have an excuse to scapegoat them this is what folks are going to do.”
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
