On 11 July 2021, after making it to the Euro 2020 final, England lost the penalty shootout. Undoubtedly disappointed, the team were still elated to have gotten so far. But the success of reaching the final game was overcast by the wave of racist abuse hurled at players Saka, Rashford, and Sancho. From this, issues about anonymity on social media and institutionalised racism in football have been brought to the surface once again.
Following the events of the Euros, a new study has found that one in three people who did not think racism was a serious issue in football now do, but it is still clear that more must be done to tackle the problem. The charity, Show Racism the Red Card, aims to do this by promoting anti-racism education, and working to eliminate racist abuse, which does not belong in football or in any area of society.
The local community also wants to make a difference. Sixth-formers at Warlingham School & Sixth Form are planning to hold football matches each term, where students and teachers come together to raise money for 'Show Racism the Red Card’. One of the organisers described the matches as being run to “both spread awareness about racism within football and to help make it more diverse and inclusive by giving children from all ethnic backgrounds the opportunity to play.”
