In the end it came to penalties – but it’s more than one thing that never changes

Monday, 12 July 2021, 7:10
1
3 mins read

So that was the tournament that was Euro 2020.ย  ย For me the best team in the tournament won it, which is generally as it should be, but for England they took them as far as they could do before, as it has done so many times before, it came down to a penalty shoot out to dictate their fate.

When Pickford saved early it looked like – as many predicted – that their name may have been on the trophy but it was not meant to be as Rashford, Sancho and finally Sako all missed penalties to send football back to Rome and not home as everyone had been talking about.

Heartbreak for England again and probably one that will hurt them more than any of the penalty exits of the past.ย  This was a final, one they have waited 55 years for, and one that ended in such heart breaking fashion for them.

But we wake on the Monday morning, the night after the game, to find that England losing a penalty shoot out is not the only thing that didn’t change last night.ย  The players who missed penalties were subjected to disgusting, cowardly and, quite simply, unacceptable abuse from a section of the population.ย  I won’t call these people supporters because, quite frankly, they are anything but supporters of a game I want to be part of.

This has, and continues, to go on too long but we have people unwilling, or more likely unable, to stop it happening.ย  This morning I have heard of suggestions to delete social media accounts but until such point that they have more stringent controls over creating an account I am not sure fully what that achieves.ย  Social media is a tremendous platform to showcase a whole host of positive things but sadly, as we continue to see, it also showcases the worst kind of people that society has to offer.

This is not about people that missed a penalty this is about ingrained belief that people think this kind of ‘chat’ has a place in society and that social media gives them ‘freedom of speech’ rights (and we will have all seen people on all forms of social media who believe that to be true) to say what they want and to who they want.

Action needs to be quick but action also needs to be effective.ย  These people can be traced and these people should be treated in exactly the same way as they would should they have uttered the words to the same individual in public (although clearly they never would as these people are cowards)

As with many things it only takes a few high profile cases to make people think twice and I would say that immediately would kill more than two thirds of this abuse on social media at least.ย  ย It does that because people all of a sudden think twice.ย  It won’t eradicate it completely because, for some people, this is engrained in their beliefs (you only have to ask some people why they voted Brexit for example) and will not go completely away.ย  ย That is where the game can eradicate them away from us.ย  No social media accounts, no public platforms to spout their hate and no ability to attend football matches.ย  ย Lifetime bans.ย  End of.

“We could not be clearer that anyone behind such disgusting behaviour is not welcome in following the team,” said the FA in a statement.

“We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible.

“We will continue to do everything we can to stamp discrimination out of the game, but we implore government to act quickly and bring in the appropriate legislation so this abuse has real life consequences.

“Social media companies need to step up and take accountability and action to ban abusers from their platforms, gather evidence that can lead to prosecution and support making their platforms free from this type of abhorrent abuse.”

So, at the end of a tournament that bought so much joy in so many places, we have the same problem still deep rooted in some of the people who claim to support it.ย  And if Euro 2020 is to have a lasting legacy then let it be the final catalyst that bought to an end this sickening abuse of people just doing their job.ย  ย We await to see what happens next.

Images courtesy of Getty Images, Athena Picture Agency and Swansea City Football Club.

1 Comment

  1. Sickened also by many of the England players immeditaely removing their medals, insulting their opponents and the competition and setting a deplorable example to young fans who idolise them.

Comments are closed.

Phil Sumbler

Been watching the Swans since the very late 1970s and running the Planet Swans website (in all its current and previous guises since the summer of 2001 As it stood JackArmy.net was right at the forefront of some of the activity against Tony Petty back in 2001, breaking many of the stories of the day as fans stood against the actions where the local media failed. Was involved with the Swans Supporters Trust from 2005, for the large part as Chairman before standing down in the summer of 2020.

NewsNow

League Table

Next Up

Forum Latest

Latest from Blog

Sheffield Wednesday v Swansea City – Your matchday guide

The Swans are back in matchday action on Friday as they take on relegation threatened Sheffield Wednesday with the impressive win over Cardiff City still fresh in our minds. That win over the Bluebirds gave the Swans a seven point cushion ahead of the bottom three and eight over Friday’s…

Swans TV: John Cornforth | Lifting the Lid

. . . For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SWANSPLAYER Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SwanseaCityFC Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/swansofficial Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/swansofficial Swansea City Association Football Club is a…

Swans TV: Preparations ahead of Sheffield Wednesday | Training

. . . For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SWANSPLAYER Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SwanseaCityFC Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/swansofficial Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/swansofficial Swansea City Association Football Club is a…

Swans TV: Swansea City v Cardiff City | An Alternative View

. . . For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SWANSPLAYER Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SwanseaCityFC Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/swansofficial Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/swansofficial Swansea City Association Football Club is a…

Don't Miss

Connor: Only 1% want us to win

Wales will tomorrow evening go in search of their second

Euro 2020: Wales head to Amsterdam after battling performance in Rome

Wales can hold their heads high as they head to