Following his missed penalty in the European Championship final against Italy on July 11, England’s Bukayo Saka released a strong statement saying social media platforms are not doing enough to prevent online racial abuse. Saka, 19, expressed gratitude to those who gave him supportive messages and advocated on his behalf, stating, “Love always wins,” but pledged to fight back against the disparaging comments he got online.
Following the final, the three Black players were attacked on social media, triggering a police inquiry and widespread outrage. Rashford and Sancho both apologised earlier this week, with Sancho claiming he wasn’t shocked by the racist backlash.
“To the social media platforms Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, I don’t want any child or adult to have to receive the hateful and hurtful messages that me, Marcus and Jadon have received this week. I knew instantly the kind of hate that I was about to receive and that is a sad reality that your powerful platforms are not doing enough to stop these messages,” Saka tweeted on Thursday.
