England World Cup stars have been subjected to vile racist abuse on social media, prompting London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan to declare the situation 'out of control'. The targeted players include Premier League title-winning Arsenal wingers Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke, Tottenham Hotspur full-back Djed Spence, and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Racist Posts Targeting England Players
Multiple offensive posts were identified. One user, @_UTD_Mickey, wrote: 'Saka Come out now N*****!!' Another account, @king18347532, called Saka a 'f****** n*****' and described him as 'so overrated'. A post from @tapera_david suggested Spence 'tries so hard to please his master', calling him a 'Typical House N*****' who 'Doesn't belong to Jamaica or Kenya but instead bootlicked the English to be Englishman'. Bellingham was called a 'black b******' by @PaddyLeven, who added: 'He needs a good f***** kickin the n***** c***.' Madueke was told by @king18347532 to 'stop with football f****** n*****!!'.
Mayor Sadiq Khan's Response
Mayor Khan posted on X: 'Someone has to say it. The amount of racism directed at World Cup players - including in the England squad - on this platform is out of control. We cannot allow a vile vocal minority to divide our nation. A lot of this content is illegal and Ofcom should be investigating. Solidarity with every player targeted. We are united.'
Angry Ginge's Experience
Social media personality Angry Ginge, whose real name is Morgan Burtwistle and who won I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, said he received abuse online for 'standing up to racism' at England's group game against Ghana. He claimed he tried to get stewards to remove a man he accused of making racist remarks from Boston Stadium, but they did not act, which he called 'not good enough'. In an Instagram post, he said: 'Standing up to racism gets you this? What a world we live in.'
Upcoming Match and Context
England are set to face Mexico in Mexico City at 1am on Monday in the round of 16. Pubs have been allowed to open until 5am to accommodate fans. If England win, they would face either Brazil or Norway. The racist abuse comes amid heightened tensions around the World Cup, with authorities urged to take stronger action against online hate.
