Hate Will Never Win – England Star Jadon Sancho Breaks Silence On Racist Abuse After Euro Final Missed Penalty vs Italy

England star Jadon Sancho says “society needs to be better” but insists “hate will never win” after being subjected to racist abuse following the Three Lions’ Euro 2020 Final defeat to Italy.

Sancho, set to join Manchester United in a £73million transfer from Borusssia Dortmund, was one of the England players who missed from the penalty spot as Gareth Southgate’s men were defeated on penalties by the Azzurri.

Speaking on social media for the first time following his miss, Sancho says that the defeat “will hurt for a long time” and insists that he was more than happy to take a penalty, in his bid to help the team.
“I’ve had a couple of days to reflect on Sunday’s final and still feel a mix of emotions. I would like to say sorry to all my teammates, coaching staff and most of all the fans who I let down,” declared the Three Lions star.“This is by far the worst feeling I’ve felt in a long time, It’s hard to even put into words the real feeling, but there were so many positives to take away from this tournament though the defeat will hurt for a long time.
“My first thought before going into any football match is always ‘How can I help my team?, how am I going to assist? how am I going to score? how am I going to create chances? And that’s exactly what I wanted to do with that penalty, help the team.
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“I was ready and confident to take it, these are the moment’s you dream of as a kid, it is why I play football. These are the pressured situations you want to be under as a footballer. I’ve scored penalties before at club level, I’ve practiced them countless times for both club and country so I picked my corner but it just wasn’t meant to be this time.”Sancho added: “We all had the same ambitions and objectives. We wanted to bring the trophy home. This has been one of the most enjoyable camps I’ve been part of in my career so far, the togetherness of the team has been unmatched, a real family on and off the pitch.”

Sancho saw his effort, England’s fourth, saved by Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma as a dramatic shootout eventually turned the Italians’ way. England had scored their first two penalties, but after Marcus Rashford set his kick wide and Sancho had his saved, Donnarumma’s subsequent save from Bukayo Saka proved decisive.
All three England players who missed players were almost immediately subject to vile racist abuse online, which has been condemned by the FA . Writing on Instagram , the soon-to-be Manchester United winger made clear his thoughts on the racist abuse that has been directed both his way and towards his teammates. He continued: “I’m not going pretend that I didn’t see the racial abuse that me and my brothers Marcus and Bukayo received after the game, but sadly it’s nothing new. As a society we need to do better, and hold these people accountable.  Hate will never win.

“To all the young people who have received similar abuse, hold your heads up high and keep chasing the dream. I am proud of this England team and how we have united the whole nation in what has been a difficult 18 months for so many people. Much as we wanted to win the tournament, we will build and learn from this experience going forward. I want to say a massive thank you for all the positive messages and love and support that far outweighed the negative.“It’s been an honour as always representing England and wearing the Three Lions shirt, and I have no doubt we’ll be back even stronger! Stay safe & see you soon.”

Sancho saw his effort, England’s fourth, saved by Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma as a dramatic shootout eventually turned the Italians’ way. England had scored their first two penalties, but after Marcus Rashford set his kick wide and Sancho had his saved, Donnarumma’s subsequent save from Bukayo Saka proved decisive.
All three England players who missed players were almost immediately subject to vile racist abuse online, which has been condemned by the FA . Sancho’s new club Manchester United also slammed those responsible for the messages, and posted a series of supportive words from fans towards both Sancho and Rashford.Former United and England defender Rio Ferdinand also praised the players for stepping up and taking the penalties.
“It is a huge disappointment, but the fans were clapping our players and they have brought us a joy that most people, definitely my generation and below, have never felt watching an England team,” Ferdinand said.
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“They lifted this country up when we needed it, the morale of this country after the pandemic we’ve been through, so they have to take huge credit for that. It is a harsh, harsh game when it gets to this stage, penalties are difficult to win, so it is a painful, painful way to lose it.”Ferdinand also addressed Southgate’s decision to bring on Rashford and Sancho late in extra-time solely so they could take a penalty, with that move criticised by many as it meant neither player could get a foothold in the game.
Rashford was even stationed at right-back during his limited time on the pitch, but Ferdinand refused to criticise Southgate for his approach.
“That has happened for years,” he said. “People have put players on, maybe not as late as that, but towards the end in the last five, four, three minutes.“Players come on and they go on as penalty takers. Rashford is a recognised penalty taker for Man United. This happens. When you look down the years in tournament football, it is the biggest and best players who have missed penalties. These players are young kids, so they have got to look at that.

“It’s a big ask but these two boys would have said ‘get me on there’, they had the character to say ‘get me on there’.   “There is no way that anybody can point the finger and blame anybody. Penalty shootouts, they are a lottery and again, you have to be brave.I have seen seasoned players with hundreds of games under their belts turn away from a penalty and say ‘no I don’t want to be one of the takers’.”

Photo Credit: Getty

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