Bukayo Saka’s message on the Euro final and the racist insults he suffered

Four days after the Euro final which saw Italy win against England, Bukayo Saka decided to speak. The one who was victim, along with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, of a flood of racist insults after missing the last English attempt of the penalty shootout, spoke of the disappointment not to bring the cup back to England, the messages of love he received and condemned the racism of which he was the target.

He writes in particular: «  This post will never express enough how grateful I am for the love I have received […] It was an honor to be part of this England team who lead by example, who will be brothers for life […] For helping the team reach their first final in 55 years, seeing my family in the stands […] it meant a lot to me. There are no words to say how disappointed I am with the result and my penalty. […]

My post-game reaction said it all, I was in so much pain and felt like I had let you down. For those […] who sent me touching letters, wished me and my family the best, I am very grateful. This is what football should look like. Passion, people of all races, genders, religions and origins gathered in a shared joy of the roller coaster that is football.

For social networks […] I do not wish any child or adult to receive the hate messages we received with Marcus (Rashford) and Jadon (Sancho) this week. I instantly knew the kind of hate I was about to receive and it is a sad reality that such powerful platforms are not doing enough to avoid these messages. There is no place for racism in football or in any place, and with the majority of people who gather to call to order those who post these messages, who take action and report their comments to the police. […], by being good to each other, we will win. «