Jude Bellingham has spoken out about the racist abuse directed at Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after they missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final, saying they were treated as “just black” rather than English.
The 18-year-old England midfielder, an unused substitute in the final against Italy, said the abuse revealed the true beliefs of some people. He told CNN: “The biggest take away from the whole experience for me was the contrast. It felt like the country had united … and then as soon as they missed the penalty, they’re not English, they’re just black.”
Bellingham highlighted the positive contributions of the trio, including Rashford’s child food poverty campaign, Sancho’s community pitches and Saka’s character. He called the abuse “disgusting” and said it could have been him: “What if it was me who missed the pen? And all of a sudden you’re English for seven games, you miss a pen and you’re nothing.”
The Borussia Dortmund star also revealed he receives racist messages on Instagram after most games, adding: “I don’t think there’s a single job in the world where you deserve to be criticised with racism. … That’s why the people in power have got to do more.”
