'Ted Lasso' Star Jason Sudeikis Shows His Support for English Soccer Players Following Racial Abuse

Season 2 of Ted Lasso will start streaming on Apple TV+ on July 23, and Jason Sudeikis is showing his support for a few English soccer players. Sudekis, the co-creator and star of Ted Lasso, was seen wearing a shirt that had the first names of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka at the Season 2 premiere in Hollywood. The three players were targets of racial abuse from fans after missing penalty kicks in the Euro 2020 final this past weekend.

Sudeikis is one of the many notable figures to speak out on the racist comments from fans. Prince Williams attended the match and released a statement when learning about the abuse. "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 behavior. It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable. W."

England was leading the match against Italy 1-0 in the second half. But Italy scored an equalizer goal in the 67th minute, and the match was tied after 120 minutes. Italy won in penalty kicks 3-2, and England fell short of winning its first international title since claiming the World Cup in 1966.

Sudeikis' support comes shortly after Ted Lasso learned of its big news. Earlier this week, the series earned 20 Emmy nominations, making it the most Emmy-nominated freshman comedy series ever. Ted Lasso recently had a big night at the 2021 Critics Choice Awards, winning Best Comedy Series, Best Actor for Sudeikis, and Best Supporting Actress for Hannah Waddingham, who plays Rebecca.

"It was definitely surprising because we were just making a TV show or trying to do things," Sudeikis said to PEOPLE on Thursday, "but the fact that people responded to it in the way that they did in almost like a spiritual and almost like medicinal in some instances, and the repeated viewings and watching it with their full families and loved ones was really — it was really profound ... it was a slow-growing process that just made it that much more meaningful. It kind of was like an IV drip of enthusiasm and hope that was received by us as equally as well."

Ted Lasso follows a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a professional soccer team in England despite having no experience. There will be 12 episodes for the second season of Ted Lasso, and all 10 episodes from Season 1 are currently available on Apple TV+ — watch the show for free with a 3-month trial subscription.