Despite England’s dominant 4-0 win against Hungary earlier today, the headlines were once again about the racist abuse suffered which began at the start of the match once England players took the knee. Raheem Sterling scored the first goal and was greeted with monkey chants, booing, and cups being thrown onto the pitch.
The Jamaican-born England international and Jude Bellingham were subjected to racist abuse during the match. This follows a pattern that was prominent throughout this summer’s European championships where Sterling was one of the tournament shining stars and the player that at times carried the nation through the tournament, yet headlines were often overshadowed by race-related incidents.
This is nothing new to Sterling…
“I don’t really think about my job when things like this happen. I think about what is right at this moment in time,” he said.
Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling has once again been on target for England. But of the 560+ English premier league football players, none have been more racially targeted and abused than Sterling.
“The only disease right now is the racism that we’re fighting,” he added, “Just like the pandemic, we want to find a solution to stop it.”
During the summer, Sterling and his England teammates have been booed by a number of their own fans for taking the knee in a stance to raise awareness & stand against racism and discrimination. Yet it has been the name of the much-criticized, booed and racially abused Sterling on the score sheet delivering the goals that had helped carry England through and kept them in the European competition, all the way to the final.
The talents and commitment of BAME players such as Jamaican-born Raheem Sterling have set new records and birthed fresh memories that will long be remembered. Unfortunately, as we witnessed in the final moments of the final against Italy when Bukayo Saka, at 19 one of the youngest players on the England squad, missed the penalty that gave the title to Italy and denied England its first international trophy since the 1966 World Cup. Along with misses from Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.
A number of racist chants gestures and messages left a bitter taste to what otherwise was an uplifting and promising sporting event many needed.
As Sterling has stated racism is the biggest battle that still persists and much more still needs to be done to fight it.
He has also stated that change in the sport will only happen, “when the Football Association appoints more black senior officials and in senior positions. When I can have someone from a black background for me to be able to approach… Then these will be the times that I know that change is really happening.”
Representation matters everywhere, not just on the pitch.
