British authorities arrested 11 people tied to online racial abuse against English soccer players after the team’s loss in the Euro 2020 Championship final.
After losing to Italy on July 11, English soccer players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka were inundated with racial abuse across social media. Several online profiles targeted the three players, who are black, with derogatory racial language and comments such as “get out my country.”
The U.K. Football Policing Unit said it requested data from social media companies to further its investigation and passed information gathered on to local law enforcement agencies, which have arrested 11 people suspected of a number of offenses, such as malicious communications, according to the Associated Press.
“There are people out there who believe they can hide behind a social media profile and get away with posting such abhorrent comments,” said Cheshire Chief Constable Mark Roberts, who spearheads soccer policing for the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
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“They need to think again,” Roberts added. The unit said there were 207 criminal social media posts identified, with 123 accounts belonging to users outside the United Kingdom, and their details are being shared with relevant countries. Information is still pending for the remaining 50 accounts.
Several officials condemned the abuse by online users against the players, including Prince William, who said he was “sickened” by the bigotry displayed.
“I am sickened by the racist abuse aimed at England players after last night’s match. It is totally unacceptable that players have to endure this abhorrent behaviour. It must stop now and all those involved should be held accountable,” William posted to Twitter on July 12.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Football Association also condemned the racist comments posted online last month.
Of the 11 arrested, the ages ranged between 18 to 63. They were later released with orders to return to court at a later date. A majority of the arrests were made on suspicion of “malicious communication” or breaching section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.
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In July, a spokesperson for Facebook said the company moved swiftly to take down racial abuse comments levied at the players when the insults were more prevalent. Still, Shaka Hislop, a former British soccer player, accused social media companies of needing to do more to combat abuse, accusing them of “hiding in a self-serving manner.”
