Marcus Rashford has apologised for missing a penalty in the Euro 2020 final shootout, but says he “will never apologise for who I am” after receiving online racist abuse.
Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka’s social media pages were flooded with racist comments after their penalty shootout misses, leading the FA to release a statement condemning the “disgusting behaviour”.
England manager Gareth Southgate also condemned the abuse, saying it is the antithesis of what the national team’s values are and the “togetherness” that the squad has shown.
“During the long run-up I was saving myself a bit of time and unfortunately the result was not what I wanted. I felt as though I had let my team-mates down. I felt as if I’d let everyone down.
“A penalty was all I’d been asked to contribute for the team. I can score penalties in my sleep, so why not that
one?
“It’s been playing in my head over and over since I struck the ball and there’s probably not a word to quite describe how it feels. Final. 55 years. 1 penalty. History. All I can say is sorry. I wish it had gone differently.”
Rashford praised the England squad for building such a strong bond during the tournament, as they became the first England team to reach a major final since the 1966 World Cup winners.
He added: “Whilst I continue to say sorry, I want to shout out my team-mates. This summer has been one of the best camps I’ve experienced and you’ve all played a role in that.
“A brotherhood has been built that is unbreakable. Your success is my success. Your failures are mine.”
As well as racist abuse on his social media feed, Rashford’s mural in the Manchester suburb of Withington was defaced.
However, it was subsequently covered with messages of support, a picture of which he also placed on his Twitter feed, along with kind letters he has received from fans.
