Why will any POC player play for England after racial abuse directed at Saka, Rashford, Sancho?

[MenInG]

My point is that unfortunately, a lot of people were hoping for them to be racially abused so that they can start with their agenda.

Moreover, even valid criticism of the three players who lost England the Euros is being interpreted as racism.

If you state that they bottled it and lost England the tournament, you will be labeled as someone who is projecting his inner racism.

The English fans have mocked the Italian hand gestures and rallied outside Italian restaurants. No one called it racism because perhaps the Italians are not dark enough for some people’s agendas.

The pampering of Rashford, Sancho and Saka needs to stop. Stop romanticism their bottle-job.

They had a chance to win their country the tournament and they soiled their pants under pressure. They deserve to be criticized and they will have to cope with the criticism.

Some people will be racist. You cannot change the mindset of everyone. Learn to live with it and move on.

No the question and the outrage is that players are being abused because of their race.

 

[PetroDollars]

I don't think people would be leaving monkey emojis on their instagrams though

Lampard and gerrads have both missed penalties that knocked England out previously from major tournaments (euros and WC),

I dont think anyone even cared about it then.

 

[Manunited18]

David Beckham got a red card against Argentina during world cup 98, his life was a misery for a period of time where to a point he even recieved death threats.
Even the Golden boy of English football in that period had to suffer from a minority of deluded clowns.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

David Beckham got a red card against Argentina during world cup 98, his life was a misery for a period of time where to a point he even recieved death threats.
Even the Golden boy of English football in that period had to suffer from a minority of deluded clowns.

I think verbal abuse and criticism would be expected by any players who miss penalties in a world cup KO game. It's when racial element is introduced that people find offensive. You could hurl offensive comments at the black players without calling them monkeys or black so-and-so's.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

https://youtu.be/J4GdDi-ZdkU

Watch it again.

At no point did he mention that he consulted with the players or that the players volunteered.

He has clearly stated on multiple occasions that selecting the penalty-takers was his decision.

You and others are simply putting words in his mouth because his actual words go against the agenda-filled narrative that you and others are trying to propagate.

Penalty takers are usually selected from players who usually take penalties for their clubs. When Southgate says he chose the takers, what he means is that he chose from those who put themselves forward as penalty takers. You don't seriously think he just picks 5 players at random do you?

 

[PetroDollars]

Penalty takers are usually selected from players who usually take penalties for their clubs. When Southgate says he chose the takers, what he means is that he chose from those who put themselves forward as penalty takers. You don't seriously think he just picks 5 players at random do you?

I think it was a bit of both, Maguire stepped up, a CB, who had never taken one before in his career, to take the second penalty, which showed the fact that many players had sat there pants.
But gareth not picking grealish after he came forward, is on the manager.

He just made the wrong subs, walker could've taken a penalty, if sterling wasn't, why didnt rashford come on for him.

 

[The_KING]

David Beckham got a red card against Argentina during world cup 98, his life was a misery for a period of time where to a point he even recieved death threats.
Even the Golden boy of English football in that period had to suffer from a minority of deluded clowns.

If that happened to a black player, lefty woke idiots would cry racism. It’s okay to say anything about white people but we can’t criticise the black players.

 

[IMMY69]

If that happened to a black player, lefty woke idiots would cry racism. It’s okay to say anything about white people but we can’t criticise the black players.

Do you know what the difference is between trolling and having a go at a "white person" and calling a person of colour the N word and telling them to go back to the country they came from?

 

[Mamoon]

Penalty takers are usually selected from players who usually take penalties for their clubs. When Southgate says he chose the takers, what he means is that he chose from those who put themselves forward as penalty takers. You don't seriously think he just picks 5 players at random do you?

So I am glad that we are now shifting the goalposts more efficiently than the Wembley ground staff.

First, the narrative was that the three bottlers, who are now playing victim after costing England the trophy, “held their hands up” and showed courage ahead of the other players who cowered, and now we have finally accepted that it was nothing but a high fantasy story cooked up by the apologists who want to put words in Southgate’s mouth.

Of course there is a reason why Southgate chose the penalty-takers. It goes without saying. He did not pick them at random - no one ever does. I don’t even know why you need to mention that the sky is blue.

Some of them are regulars for their clubs, while others might have looked good in training.

The point is that these players were not picked as volunteers, no one backed and no one was consulted. It was Southgate’s decision to pick these 5 takers and he used whatever metric he used to decide the names.

Henceforth, the conclusion is that stop romanticizing and lionizing Rashford, Sancho and Saka. They had a chance to win England their first international trophy in 50+ years and they bottled it.

They will be criticized and they deserved to be criticized. Playing the racism victim card will not help shield them from criticism.

Had the white players missed the penalties no one would be throwing tantrums because there is no agenda there.

 

[MenInG]

Former Manchester United defender, Patrice Evra fears racism in English football "will always be there" without changes to education.

The French left-back who's retired from professional football is worried the situation of racial discrimination in the sport is "worse than ever before".

In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Evra spoke of his pain and sadness after seeing the abuse England players, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka received after the Euros final against Italy.

"It was painful to watch, I feel it's disgusting, I wasn't surprised though. The racists have to be ashamed of themselves, they've brought so much shame on the country of England.

"These people who make time to send abusive messages or writing racial abuse on the Rashford wall they need to get a life. It's just crazy."

It only took a matter of minutes after England's heartbreaking defeat to remind us of the ugly side of football.

Whilst many came out to condemn the racist abuse the players received after missing penalties, Patrice Evra who's been at the receiving end of racism on and off the pitch believes this kind of discrimination in English football is much worse now than when he was playing over a decade ago. He says it's down to the increased use of social media.

"The platforms need to do something more than what they are doing right now.

"They can delay comments, they can block people when there's COVID related news straightaway they flag it, when it's about nudity they can ban it straight away. So don't tell me they can't do anything about racism.

"I feel these social media platforms allow people to spread racism."

He said he would like to see more investment in educating fans about racism in the game and the impact it has on players and wider society.

But whilst Evra is optimistic and hopeful of change he fears such discrimination will plague this much-loved sport forever.

"It (racism) will always be in football if we don't do something. It's been here for many years and we know we need to change, that's why education is really important."

"This is not just in England, it's everywhere, in every single country."

Whilst Patrice Evra acknowledged and supported the work that had been carried out to tackle racism in the game he loves, he feels gestures like 'taking the knee' and the social media 'blackout' aren't enough.

"We tried some campaigns, but it's not enough. Boris Johnson fining people or banning them from games is not enough. I think we need to do something seriously because what we've done and are doing right now, it doesn't work at all."

Patrice Evra wanted to use his experience of racist abuse and being a footballer at the highest level to offer advice and support to the three England players. He said: "If they give up, I'm going to where they live and kick their butts, and I say this politely.

"I say to them, that this is when I want to see your best football. You don't need to speak out, tell your team not to involve you in too much politics and just focus on your job - playing football."

SKY

 

[Manunited18]

If that happened to a black player, lefty woke idiots would cry racism. It’s okay to say anything about white people but we can’t criticise the black players.

I'm not for one minute denying Racism is not a issue, so let's get that clear. The black players have suffered, but my point is the minority in society target players irrespective of their colour and Beckham was clearly a example.

 

[Manunited18]

I think verbal abuse and criticism would be expected by any players who miss penalties in a world cup KO game. It's when racial element is introduced that people find offensive. You could hurl offensive comments at the black players without calling them monkeys or black so-and-so's.

I completely agree racism is a major issue, but my point is in football these people that abuse are generally hooligans , and their aim is to target when any player is vulnerable. What Rashford, Sancho, Sahka had to tolerate is terrible. Also Beckham didn't just recieve verbal abuse, he actually recieved death threats which goes beyond any abuse.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

So I am glad that we are now shifting the goalposts more efficiently than the Wembley ground staff.

First, the narrative was that the three bottlers, who are now playing victim after costing England the trophy, “held their hands up” and showed courage ahead of the other players who cowered, and now we have finally accepted that it was nothing but a high fantasy story cooked up by the apologists who want to put words in Southgate’s mouth.

Of course there is a reason why Southgate chose the penalty-takers. It goes without saying. He did not pick them at random - no one ever does. I don’t even know why you need to mention that the sky is blue.

Some of them are regulars for their clubs, while others might have looked good in training.

The point is that these players were not picked as volunteers, no one backed and no one was consulted. It was Southgate’s decision to pick these 5 takers and he used whatever metric he used to decide the names.

Henceforth, the conclusion is that stop romanticizing and lionizing Rashford, Sancho and Saka. They had a chance to win England their first international trophy in 50+ years and they bottled it.

They will be criticized and they deserved to be criticized. Playing the racism victim card will not help shield them from criticism.

Had the white players missed the penalties no one would be throwing tantrums because there is no agenda there.

The white players wouldn't be getting racial abuse. They might be getting abuse, but then the story would be about that. By failing to acknowledge that racial abuse is an issue, you are saying it is ok. Is that your view? That it's fine for fans to send black players monkey images or call them black this or that as they lacked the bottle to score a penalty?

 

[Technics 1210]

The white players wouldn't be getting racial abuse. They might be getting abuse, but then the story would be about that. By failing to acknowledge that racial abuse is an issue, you are saying it is ok. Is that your view? That it's fine for fans to send black players monkey images or call them black this or that as they lacked the bottle to score a penalty?

Sterling bottled it. Great players man up. Rashford was an emotion wreck with his triple by-pass penalty take, Sachos was hopless, and Saka had never taken an international penalty in his entire career until the night of the final; all 3 bottled it and Southgate was the worst of them all, a defender turned manager.

Now, tell me which part of the above is racist, and if not, come back to me with technical, non-pc, woke leftist responses on why these English players failed at penalty shoot outs, and the manager failed to bring on Grealish from the get go. Why didn't Henderson or Shaw take a penalty?

Don't tow the woke headlines. Speak up.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Sterling bottled it. Great players man up. Rashford was an emotion wreck with his triple by-pass penalty take, Sachos was hopless, and Saka had never taken an international penalty in his entire career until the night of the final; all 3 bottled it and Southgate was the worst of them all, a defender turned manager.

Now, tell me which part of the above is racist, and if not, come back to me with technical, non-pc, woke leftist responses on why these English players failed at penalty shoot outs, and the manager failed to bring on Grealish from the get go. Why didn't Henderson or Shaw take a penalty?

Don't tow the woke headlines. Speak up.

I don't know if you understand the crux of this thread, but no one has complained about abuse that the failed penalty takers bottled it. The objection was to the racist abuse, images of monkeys, black this or that etc. I could use more accurate and graphic terms but unfortunately the forum software doesn't allow it.

 

[Napa]

So that if England loses a game they get all the blame? The case of Saka, Rashford, Sancho is an acute example of deep-rooted racism in England.

England team is not good enough to win a tournament, they have got a lot of players from mid-table teams in the Premier League who don't have the temperament or exposure to high-pressure situations and because of this, they won't win any tournament in the near future. If England lose, it is always going to be the colored or minority players who are going to be blamed. In that case, isn't it better for them to play for the nations of their parents?

This OP is being a drama queen. Players, whether POC or otherwise get contracts of tens of millions of pounds for playing and they will continue playing.

Players do not get much money directly for playing for their country, but their brand values go up considerably when they do so.

 

[sweep_shot]

Even white players can sometimes get racially abused.

These abuses are hard to stop. Best thing to do is to ignore.

 

[Manunited18]

Sterling bottled it. Great players man up. Rashford was an emotion wreck with his triple by-pass penalty take, Sachos was hopless, and Saka had never taken an international penalty in his entire career until the night of the final; all 3 bottled it and Southgate was the worst of them all, a defender turned manager.

Now, tell me which part of the above is racist, and if not, come back to me with technical, non-pc, woke leftist responses on why these English players failed at penalty shoot outs, and the manager failed to bring on Grealish from the get go. Why didn't Henderson or Shaw take a penalty?

Don't tow the woke headlines. Speak up.

Surely you can't deny they've recieved horrible racist abuse?

 

[Technics 1210]

I don't know if you understand the crux of this thread, but no one has complained about abuse that the failed penalty takers bottled it. The objection was to the racist abuse, images of monkeys, black this or that etc. I could use more accurate and graphic terms but unfortunately the forum software doesn't allow it.

The essence of the thread is well known. The fact you (and many) cannot provide a technical counter says it all.

As for the racist tweets. I suggest you do some research. During the final over 500K tweets were posted of which 120 odd were deemed racist by the police due to monkey smilies and racist text. Let this rate of racist abuse towards the players sink in. It's about than 0.0002%

Now, it's people like you, the media, and woke left who seem to think that racism towards players is a mass problem. It isn't. Plus racism towards players isn't a social media phenomenon, it's been part of football for as long as I can remember; and back then it wasn't smilies, it was racist/monkey chants in the stadium.

Time to get real, the players bottled it, they deserve every criticism for their abject failures at taking penalties , and above all, had England won, the same black player would've been immortalised into English sporting folklore - but you know what? You'd still have the 0.0002% who would hurl racist abuse.

Move on and lets stop pretending racism is rampant in England. It's not, despite what the media says. Racism is however a frail excuse for players to bottle themselves from a poor performance.

 

[Technics 1210]

Even white players can sometimes get racially abused.

These abuses are hard to stop. Best thing to do is to ignore.

Correct. No English player was abused more by the media/fans than David Beckham.

It's a myth only white people can be racist.

PoC should play for their country knowing what comes with territory. You perform well you will be praised, perform badly, well then if the media don't get you, the fans will. As you said, players should ignore.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

The essence of the thread is well known. The fact you (and many) cannot provide a technical counter says it all.

As for the racist tweets. I suggest you do some research. During the final over 500K tweets were posted of which 120 odd were deemed racist by the police due to monkey smilies and racist text. Let this rate of racist abuse towards the players sink in. It's about than 0.0002%

Now, it's people like you, the media, and woke left who seem to think that racism towards players is a mass problem. It isn't. Plus racism towards players isn't a social media phenomenon, it's been part of football for as long as I can remember; and back then it wasn't smilies, it was racist/monkey chants in the stadium.

Time to get real, the players bottled it, they deserve every criticism for their abject failures at taking penalties , and above all, had England won, the same black player would've been immortalised into English sporting folklore - but you know what? You'd still have the 0.0002% who would hurl racist abuse.

Move on and lets stop pretending racism is rampant in England. It's not, despite what the media says. Racism is however a frail excuse for players to bottle themselves from a poor performance.

But no one said racism was rampant in England, only that it shouldn't be tolerated or excused. The alternative of course is that it should. Is that what you are proposing?

 

[Technics 1210]

But no one said racism was rampant in England, only that it shouldn't be tolerated or excused. The alternative of course is that it should. Is that what you are proposing?

I am not proposing anything other than providing some much needed context into the percentage of abusive and racist tweets these players receive. It's infestiminal.

Society will not get rid of racism; racism towards players existed before SM and will continue to exist, but the media will continue to sensationalise.

England's loss and the player's failures in a penalty shootout of the final isn't the story when it should be! Instead those 120 odd racist tweets with Monkey emojis are the story (not counting on the abuse white players such as Kane received).

Anyway, perception is reality and people are free in what they want to believe, but it's time to call a spade a spade.

What are you proposing? SM platforms remove the Monkey emoji?

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I am not proposing anything other than providing some much needed context into the percentage of abusive and racist tweets these players receive. It's infestiminal.

Society will not get rid of racism; racism towards players existed before SM and will continue to exist, but the media will continue to sensationalise.

England's loss and the player's failures in a penalty shootout of the final isn't the story when it should be! Instead those 120 odd racist tweets with Monkey emojis are the story (not counting on the abuse white players such as Kane received).

Anyway, perception is reality and people are free in what they want to believe, but it's time to call a spade a spade.

What are you proposing? SM platforms remove the Monkey emoji?

No, I'm saying that monkey emojis are racist when applied to black players. I can go into the reasons why if you want, but I guess you already know. What racist abuse was Harry Kane subjected to by the way since you have brought him up?

 

[Technics 1210]

No, I'm saying that monkey emojis are racist when applied to black players. I can go into the reasons why if you want, but I guess you already know. What racist abuse was Harry Kane subjected to by the way since you have brought him up?

You are moving from pillar to post - pun fully intended. Plus you are putting words in my mouth, I mentioned abusive AND racist tweets, there's a difference.

Did you do your research? Resounding no it seems.

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ale-twitter-abuse-targeting-england-euro-2020

Excerpt:

Overall Kane received 506 abusive tweets and Sterling 430. Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Jordan Pickford and Tyrone Mings also received high volumes of abuse. The most targeted individual of all, however, was Southgate. The England manager was the focus of more than 700 messages.

This included 44 explicitly racist tweets, with messages using the N-word and monkey emojis directed at black players, and 58 that attacked players for their anti-racist actions, including taking the knee.

-----

The above is from the Guardian, the nation's guardian of leftist propaganda. 44. Yes, FORTY FOUR racist messages, and you have fallen hook, line, and sinker, for the media narrative.

Back to the OP, will any PoC player play for England? Fact is, if a player is flummoxed by mere words masqueraded by internet anonimity, then they are not fit to play at the highest level. I encourage PoC players to play for their nation despite racist and abusive messages; sticks and stones and all that, prove the haters wrong, but no, your concern is about the 0.0002%.

Get real. I am willing to bet if Southgate had selected Grealish, Shaw, and Henderson, you'd cry racists cos no black player took a penalty.

Let me know when you've done some research Captain.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

You are moving from pillar to post - pun fully intended. Plus you are putting words in my mouth, I mentioned abusive AND racist tweets, there's a difference.

Did you do your research? Resounding no it seems.

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ale-twitter-abuse-targeting-england-euro-2020

Excerpt:

Overall Kane received 506 abusive tweets and Sterling 430. Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Jordan Pickford and Tyrone Mings also received high volumes of abuse. The most targeted individual of all, however, was Southgate. The England manager was the focus of more than 700 messages.

This included 44 explicitly racist tweets, with messages using the N-word and monkey emojis directed at black players, and 58 that attacked players for their anti-racist actions, including taking the knee.

-----

The above is from the Guardian, the nation's guardian of leftist propaganda. 44. Yes, FORTY FOUR racist messages, and you have fallen hook, line, and sinker, for the media narrative.

Back to the OP, will any PoC player play for England? Fact is, if a player is flummoxed by mere words masqueraded by internet anonimity, then they are not fit to play at the highest level. I encourage PoC players to play for their nation despite racist and abusive messages; sticks and stones and all that, prove the haters wrong, but no, your concern is about the 0.0002%.

Get real. I am willing to bet if Southgate had selected Grealish, Shaw, and Henderson, you'd cry racists cos no black player took a penalty.

Let me know when you've done some research Captain.

It wasn't me who moved from the crux of the topic which was racism and tried to deflect to the players lack of bottle. That was you and Mamoon who has wisely withdrawn from the thread since this was pointed out.

I don't need to do research since the evidence you are providing has nothing to do with racism which is after all, what the black players were complaining about, not generic abuse.

 

[Technics 1210]

It wasn't me who moved from the crux of the topic which was racism and tried to deflect to the players lack of bottle. That was you and Mamoon who has wisely withdrawn from the thread since this was pointed out.

I don't need to do research since the evidence you are providing has nothing to do with racism which is after all, what the black players were complaining about, not generic abuse.

Nope. The crux remains of the topic remains, I am discussing racism with context of the OP. It’s just you haven’t done your research. The lack of bottle and inability to handle pressure, and Southgate’s debacle management is a technical discussion which you also don’t have an answer too. .

Fact is racism ain't going anywhere, and given the minute number of racist tweets, it’s clear the media is hell bent on sensationalising events.

Clearly abuse towards white players doesn’t bother you. I suspect you should be asking yourself whether white players should play sports given the abuse they receive, but no, carry on towing the woke line.

Let me know how it works out with SM platforms removing offensive emojis.

Laters.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Nope. The crux remains of the topic remains, I am discussing racism with context of the OP. It’s just you haven’t done your research. The lack of bottle and inability to handle pressure, and Southgate’s debacle management is a technical discussion which you also don’t have an answer too. .

Fact is racism ain't going anywhere, and given the minute number of racist tweets, it’s clear the media is hell bent on sensationalising events.

Clearly abuse towards white players doesn’t bother you. I suspect you should be asking yourself whether white players should play sports given the abuse they receive, but no, carry on towing the woke line.

Let me know how it works out with SM platforms removing offensive emojis.

Laters.

General abuse on social media is an issue in itself, but it isn't a racial one. This topic is clearly about racial abuse specifically....I mean it's right there in the title. By diverting to general abuse you are just showing that the racial aspect is not something you think is a problem, but clearly it is. Otherwise why is there even any discussion about it?

 

[Technics 1210]

General abuse on social media is an issue in itself, but it isn't a racial one. This topic is clearly about racial abuse specifically....I mean it's right there in the title. By diverting to general abuse you are just showing that the racial aspect is not something you think is a problem, but clearly it is. Otherwise why is there even any discussion about it?

I didn't divert to general abuse, once again I provided context and a balanced view.

I think you've learned some stats of late and are just pandering to the woke left hence you are making this claim. Ok, lets grant you this claim, should we ignore general abuse towards white players? If not, why? Don't give me this nonsense about about the OP topic. If yes, then we should also ignore random thugs and their racist tweets given there are far less racist tweets in comparison to abusive tweets Why is the media giving these racist thugs the attention? Stop giving these muppets the attention.

Should PoC play for England despite 120 odd racist tweets? My answer is yes; thick skin, strong mind, sticks n stones, prove the haters wrong. Your answer? They live in England so why not play for England. Great insight.

Even though you agree with the notion one cannot erradicate racism in society - lets stop pretending this is a mass problem, and yes, the media portray the perception that racism is rampant by focusing on and reporting on the 0.0002%.

The reason there's a discussion about it is simply cos it's fashionable of late to sensationalise racism. You know it, I know it, and everyman and his dog knows it.

For the record, I too agree with Mamoon on this topic, playing the racism card is not only the equivilent of a 'get out of jail for free' card (by diverting attention from a poor performance) but is also symptomatic of victimhood - blame others.

Look, the media should report and expose institutional racism, case of Stephen Lawrence as an example, but random/anonymous tweets should never be the story.

Oh, keep in mind though, DEATH THREATS (which many white players receive) neither fall into abuse nor racial abuse; and is far worse - it's an actual threat in comparison to emojis, but you won't care until the media commands you to.

If you want to joust with your words then fine, but please stop playing the pedantry card when you're pulled up.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

I didn't divert to general abuse, once again I provided context and a balanced view.

I think you've learned some stats of late and are just pandering to the woke left hence you are making this claim. Ok, lets grant you this claim, should we ignore general abuse towards white players? If not, why? Don't give me this nonsense about about the OP topic. If yes, then we should also ignore random thugs and their racist tweets given there are far less racist tweets in comparison to abusive tweets Why is the media giving these racist thugs the attention? Stop giving these muppets the attention.

Should PoC play for England despite 120 odd racist tweets? My answer is yes; thick skin, strong mind, sticks n stones, prove the haters wrong. Your answer? They live in England so why not play for England. Great insight.

Even though you agree with the notion one cannot erradicate racism in society - lets stop pretending this is a mass problem, and yes, the media portray the perception that racism is rampant by focusing on and reporting on the 0.0002%.

The reason there's a discussion about it is simply cos it's fashionable of late to sensationalise racism. You know it, I know it, and everyman and his dog knows it.

For the record, I too agree with Mamoon on this topic, playing the racism card is not only the equivilent of a 'get out of jail for free' card (by diverting attention from a poor performance) but is also symptomatic of victimhood - blame others.

Look, the media should report and expose institutional racism, case of Stephen Lawrence as an example, but random/anonymous tweets should never be the story.

Oh, keep in mind though, DEATH THREATS (which many white players receive) neither fall into abuse nor racial abuse; and is far worse - it's an actual threat in comparison to emojis, but you won't care until the media commands you to.

If you want to joust with your words then fine, but please stop playing the pedantry card when you're pulled up.

I didn't say that we should ignore general abuse aimed at players, white or otherwise, just pointed out that it isn't racist. I acknowledged already that general abuse is also an issue and it remains to be seen whether it's considered a matter which needs more stringent policing.

I also already answered the original question of whether POC should play for England in my first post where I said of course they should. But they get racist abuse on social media they should speak out. If you want to excuse it that's your look out, each to their own.

 

[Firebat]

England manager Gareth Southgate says more to be done to unearth British South Asian football talent

Gareth Southgate says football must revisit its approach to scouting and creating opportunities for British South Asian talent to thrive in the sport.

The current proportion of British South footballers across England's top four leagues stands at less than 0.25 per cent, with Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari telling Sky Sports News last December that the level of under-representation is "the biggest statistical anomaly in football".

To mark South Asian Heritage Month, the FA has released the first of a six-part video series featuring players, coaches, and match officials of Asian heritage discussing their individual journeys in the game.

Speaking alongside Swansea City attacking midfielder Yan Dhanda and West Ham Women's full-back Maz Pacheco, England manager Southgate accepted aspiring South Asian footballers have faced distinct challenges and barriers that have held the community back from entering the professional game in greater numbers.

"We should be looking at how we scout," Southgate said in the FA video.

"Historically, there has been a sort of unconscious bias, maybe the perception that some Asian players were not as athletic, they weren't as strong [as other players].

"That is such a ridiculous generalisation.

"In a lot of communities now, football is being played, in all sorts of variety of areas, so, I think [in terms of] scouting the Asian community, we've got to be creative in getting into the places where some of these kids might be playing.

"And encouraging them into broader leagues where they can be assessed more easily against other players, and then making that step into the academy system."

Five more videos will be shared on England Football, FA, England, and Lionesses social media channels throughout South Asian Heritage Month, which ends on August 17.

This follows the FA's update on its Asian inclusion strategy, Bringing Opportunities to Communities, which was shared earlier this year.

Launching in 2019, the strategy aims to ensure more people from Asian communities are part of English football both on and off the pitch, focusing on five pillars: The FA and its culture; pathways; grassroots football; women and girls; and community engagement.

The FA has also launched a central jobs platform, aiming to create greater access to roles available across English football, and to help organisations and clubs reach more diverse candidates from both within and outside of the game.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...o-unearth-british-south-asian-football-talent

 

[MenInG]

Police have arrested 11 people as they continue a hate crimes investigation into social media messages sent after the Euro 2020 final.

The UK Football Policing Unit received 600 reports of racist comments sent to England's black players after the defeat and judged 207 to be criminal.

Of these, 123 were posted by people overseas, while 34 came from the UK.

Police said people who think they can hide behind social media accounts "need to think again".

A wave of racist social media abuse was aimed at Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after they missed penalties in the shoot-out at the Euro 2020 final last month.

It led to condemnations by the Football Association, England manager Gareth Southgate and the prime minister.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, National Police Chiefs' Council Football Policing lead, said the investigation was proceeding "at pace" and said a "vast amount of work" went into identifying the 11 people arrested so far.

The majority of the arrests were on suspicion of malicious communications or breaching section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 - which includes sending messages which are "grossly offensive", convey a threat or are "menacing".

Malicious communications offences carry a maximum penalty of two years in prison, while a breach of section 127 can lead to a sentence of six months in jail.

Three people were arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred, which can mean a sentence of up to seven years in prison in the most severe cases.

Details of the 123 foreign accounts are due to be passed on to their respective countries for local authorities to take action.

Police are awaiting information from social media companies about the owners of the remaining 50 accounts.

"There are people out there who believe they can hide behind a social media profile and get away with posting such abhorrent comments," Mr Roberts said.

"They need to think again - we have investigators proactively seeking out abusive comments in connection to the match and, if they meet a criminal threshold, those posting them will be arrested."

He said the complexities of investigating social media abuse "cannot be underestimated" and thanked Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for responding quickly to police inquiries.

Meanwhile Bukayo Saka, the 19-year-old Arsenal forward who took England's final penalty, said he was "speechless" after his club presented him with a wall of supportive messages.

"How do I even say thank you for all of this?" he asked.

In one, a young fan invited Saka to play football with him in the park and promised to "let him win".

BBC

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/58138453

Tottenham fans put north London rivalries aside to welcome Arsenal's Bukayo Saka back to domestic duties for the first time since Euro 2020.

Saka's introduction into Arsenal's 1-0 pre-season defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was his first appearance since he was racially abused after missing a penalty in England's shootout defeat by Italy in the final.

With no away fans for any of the Mind Series matches, the Spurs fans gave Saka a warm ovation as he replaced skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Tottenham fans also displayed a banner which read "North London stands with Bukayo Saka and all players against racism and discrimination".

Saka almost scored as well but new Tottenham goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini kept out the 19-year-old's low shot.

After Dele Alli had twice hit a post from close range, Son Heung-min secured victory for the hosts 10 minutes from time when he drove home from Japhet Tanganga's lay-off. Saka's England team-mate Ben White made his first start for the Gunners but Harry Kane was missing for the hosts.

Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo later confirmed Kane was isolating at the club's training ground and hopes to speak to him - socially distanced - on Monday.

Nuno also refused to talk about about Inter Milan's £60m-rated striker Lautaro Martinez, who Tottenham are trying to sign.

"Harry is with us. He has to quarantine, he's in the lodge but he's training. He already had the first day with the sports scientists. He's with us," said the former Wolves boss.

"I didn't speak today because today was a match but we have a training session tomorrow. Hopefully, socially distanced, I will speak with Harry."

On Martinez, he added: "I won't speak about any player. I will speak only about my players, Tottenham players, nothing else."

Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock, who has been linked with a move to Newcastle, was absent for the Gunners on Sunday, with manager Mikel Arteta refusing to comment on his future.

"We will explain the reasons when we can," said the Spaniard. "It's all I can say now, when I can say more I will let you know."

 

[MenInG]

Bukayo Saka was given a standing ovation by Brentford and Arsenal fans on his first Premier League appearance since the European Championship.

Saka, 19, missed the crucial penalty as England lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy in July - and was one of a number of players to receive racist abuse afterwards on social media.

He came on after 59 minutes at the Brentford Community Stadium, with the Gunners losing 1-0.

Thousands of fans rose to cheer him.

Saka received a similar reaction in a pre-season friendly against Tottenham last weekend.

 

[MenInG]

Imagine if one of POCs had missed the penalty that Kane missed?

 

[The_KING]

^ Kane has the right skin tone so he doesn't have to worry about getting called the n word or monkey on social media.