The torrent of racist insults began to pour in seconds after England’s loss on Sunday July 11 in the Euro 2021 final. The Three Lions fell close to glory, with three penalties missed against Italy during the penalty shoot-out: two by black players (Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka), one by a mixed-race player (Jadon Sancho). Social networks have ignited, hatred being spat most of the time behind pseudonyms. A few hours later, in Manchester, a mural of Marcus Rashford, who had taken his penalty on the post, was tagged with insults.
Police have since investigated, officially treating the case as a racist incident. Twitter deleted “More than a thousand” messages and suspended “A certain number of accounts”. Facebook and Instagram also had to remove hate messages, without saying more.
There was a long time, in the 1980s, when English hooligans shouted their racist chants in the stadiums. They were throwing bananas at black players and mimicking monkey cries. Each trip abroad caused clashes. The football authorities were very silent, complicit in saying nothing.
The instinctive hatred of a marginal and noisy minority
Three decades later, things have changed dramatically. The stadiums have become safe. There are only seats left, to avoid crowd movements. Supporters from ethnic minorities are numerous and if insults may exist, they have become the exception.
But the instinctive hatred of a minority – marginal but noisy – which expressed itself on the occasion of this final reminds us that the problem has not disappeared. He moved behind the anonymity of social networks.
One of the fundamental differences with the 1980s and 1990s, however, is the barrage of condemnations that these insults provoked. “It’s unforgivable, reacted Gareth Southgate, the coach of the English team. I know that part [des insultes] comes from abroad, but not all. These are just not our values. “ British Prime Minister Boris Johnson did the same on Twitter :
“This English team deserves to be treated like heroes, not to be racially insulted on social media. Shame on those responsible for these vile attacks. “
From the mayor of London to the BBC commentators, from Prince William to the clubs where these players play, everyone recalled that no racist drift would be tolerated.
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