Prince William Reacts to ‘Racist Abuse’ Against Team England After Euro 2020 Final

Prince William has a message regarding the racist attacks thrown at Team England players Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho on social media after missing penalty kicks in the Euro 2020 final against Italy on Sunday. The three players are Black and among the youngest members on the roster. Prince William released a statement on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s official Twitter account and blasted the attacks against the young players.

“I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match,” the statement reads. “It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour. It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable. W.” Prince William, 39, is the president of the Football Association and attended the match at Wembley Stadium with his wife, Kate Middleton and his 7-year-old son Prince George. He wasn’t the only one to denounce the attacks on the players as Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke out on the issue in a news conference.

“To those who have been directing racist abuse at some of the players, I say, ‘Shame on you, and I hope you will crawl back under the rock from which you emerged,’” Johnson said. “This entire team played like heroes.” England soccer officials released a statement of their own that was posted on Twitter.

“We’re disgusted that some of our squad – who have given everything for the shirt this summer – have been subjected to discriminatory abuse online after tonight’s game. We stand with our players,” the statement reads. England was leading the match 1-0 in the second half, but Italy was able to hit an equalizer goal in the 67th minute. After being tied 1-1 for 120 minutes, the match went to penalties where Italy won 3-2.

Sunday’s matchup was huge for England as the team was playing in its first major final in 55 years. England won the World Cup in 1966 and have lost in shootouts in major tournaments in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2012. Saka is a member of Arsenal, and the team recently showed support for the young player.

“Once again, we are sad to have to say we condemn the racism of a number of black players,” the team said. “This cannot continue and the social media platforms and authorities must act to ensure this disgusting abuse to which our players are subjected on a daily basis stops now.”