Shoaib Akhtar condemns racial slander against English football players

Lahore: After Italy won the Euro 2020 final, former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar expressed his concerns about British players’ racial discrimination.

The Rawalpindi Express shared a photo on his Twitter showing the English footballer Bucayo Saka was heartbroken after missing a decisive penalty in the final game, while the Italian players rushed towards Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

After losing a 3-2 penalty kick at Wembley Stadium, England players Marcus Rashford, Sancho and Bukayo Saka became social media targets after missing a penalty.

“This photo says a thousand words. Football can be so cruel,” Akhtar wrote on Twitter on Monday.

“I hope Rashford, Sancho and Saka will not suffer racial discrimination.”

The abuse of black players on social media shocked the sports world, with many people calling for a cessation of hate speech on the platform.

British Prime Minister BORISH Jonson also criticized online abuse, saying that football players should be welcomed, not mocked.

Johnson wrote on Twitter: “This England team should be praised as a hero, not racist on social media.”

“The person responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.”

The Metropolitan Police also tweeted that they “are aware of some offensive and racist social media comments against football players after the #Euro2020 final.

“Such abuse is totally unacceptable, will not be tolerated, and will be investigated.”