Arsenal gave support to its young player, Bukayo Saka, who failed to carry out his duties as a penalty taker when the England National Team faced a penalty shootout in the 2020 European Cup final. The Gunners – Arsenal’s nickname – also spoke out because the 19-year-old player immediately became a victim of racism.
As is known, The Three Lions – the nickname of the England national team – lost against Italy in the 2020 European Cup final at Wembley Stadium, London, on Monday (12/7/2021). At that time, England lost 2-3 to Italy via penalty shootout.
At that time, Bukayo Saka became England’s fifth kicker. If Saka’s shot is scored, the penalty goes to the sixth kicker. However, if it fails, Italy comes out as the champion of the 2020 European Cup. However, Bukayo Saka’s kick was pushed over by the Italian goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma.
For this incident, Saka was bombarded with racist comments through his social media accounts. That’s because he is considered the mastermind behind England’s defeat and failed to win the 2020 European Cup.
This situation made the club that houses Saka, namely Arsenal, not accept what the players got. Through its official website, Arsenal finally gave support to Saka and admitted that they were proud of what their players had done with the England national team.
“Saka has been with us since he was seven years old and the club is very proud to see him represent England throughout the tournament. You can feel it throughout the club,” quoted from Arsenal’s official website, Monday (12/7/2021).
“Last night, we were proud to see the leadership and character play for Saka. However, this feeling of pride quickly turned to sadness at the racist comments made at our young players on his social media platforms after the whistle ended.
Furthermore, Arsenal also asked the authorities to be able to process the case experienced by this player. Because, too often, black players have been subjected to acts of racism like this and it should not be sustainable. Arsenal also advised Saka to hold his head up and not to dwell in sorrow for too long.
“Once again, we are sad. We have to say that we condemn the racism of some black players. This must stop and the authorities must act to ensure the disgusting abuse that is being experienced on our players now.”
It is no coincidence that in the end Saka could be the choice of England coach, Gareth Southgate, to be the executor in the penalty shootout. The reason is, during the 2020 European Cup, Saka has shown a stunning appearance at a very young age. Recorded at Euro 2020, Saka dropped four times with a collection of one assist.
